The Blue
Train is unique -it is not merely a train but combines the
luxury of the world’s leading hotels with the charm
of train travel. Think of it as an all inclusive luxury rail
cruise with an opportunity to view South Africa's spectacular
landscapes and visit interesting tourist attractions along
the way.
Take a journey into a timeless world of grace, elegance and
romance, where spectacular scenery stirs your imagination
and luxurious comfort soothes your body and soul. Sit back,
de-stress and relax.
Suites
With interiors created by a leading interior architectural
design company, The Blue Train will rival many a five-star
hotel in terms of elegance, grace, comfort and style. The
suites have been superbly redesigned to offer discerning guests
the best that modern technology and superior craftsmanship
can provide.
Each Blue Train suite has a fully appointed en-suite, featuring
either a bath or a shower. All suites are equipped with telephone,
television monitor and individually controlled air-conditioning.
A video channel allows guests to access short documentaries
about the area through which the train is travelling.
Lounges
Each Blue Train has two lounges: the main lounge and the Club
lounge. The Club lounge, has a more masculine ambiance and
is expected to find favour with those seeking a peaceful place
for after-dinner cognacs, coffees or cigars. This area is
the only section of the train designated for smokers. High
tea is served each afternoon in the main lounge.
Dining
Another attraction of the opulent main lounge is the giant-size
TV monitor revealing the unfolding scenery of the track ahead,
courtesy of a camera mounted onto the front of the locomotive.
The ambiance of the lounges is one of warm elegance. Large
windows allow for panoramic views of the passing countryside.
A sophisticated, opulent atmosphere, gourmet menu and the
finest South African wines sourced from boutique vineyards,
make dining on The Blue Train a magnificent experience. The
Blue Train's own creative team of chefs have created a menu
to delight the most discerning palate.
Only the freshest ingredients meet The Blue Train standards.
Meals and snacks are prepared in the streamlined kitchen,
designed to The Blue Train engineers' exacting specifications.
Guests are offered a choice of entrees, soups, fish, meat
dishes, desserts, coffee and cheese platters, all beautifully
presented. Typically, South African cuisine includes, Karoo
lamb, kabeljou, Knysna oysters, snoek, crayfish and impala.
Also offered is an abundant array of the finest South African
fruit and vegetables. Vegetarian, Kosher and Halaal meals
are provided on request.
The Blue Train is a showcase for South African wines which
have been selected to complement each course on the menu after
meticulous consultation with top South African wine experts.
Breakfast, lunch and supper are the main meals and high tea
is served each afternoon in the main lounge. During high tea,
various snacks are served - these include cucumber sandwiches,
dainty cakes, fresh scones and cream and other irresistible
delicacies with an assortment of fine teas and coffees.
The Blue Train travels on four return routes
Pretoria - Cape Town (1 day & 1 night);
Pretoria - Victoria falls (2 days & 2 nights);
Pretoria - Hoedspruit (1 night); and
Cape Town - Port Elizabeth (1 day & 2 nights).
Off-the-train excursions are undertaken on the Cape Town,
Garden Route and Victoria Falls routes. All four journeys
offer travelers a unique opportunity to enjoy some of Southern
Africa's most breathtaking scenery.
Pretoria - Cape Town – Pretoria
Board The Blue Train in the jacaranda city of Pretoria - the
administrative capital of South Africa - and travel south
through farmlands and along the 'golden arc'; visible only
by the mining shafts in the distance
En-route to Cape Town, stop in Kimberly for an off-the-train
excursion. Kimberly, once the epicenter of a worldwide diamond
rushes this city's chequered history is inextricably linked
with the romance of those rare and beautiful stones.
Here The Blue Train guests are cordially invited to disembark,
take a tour through the streets of modern day Kimberly to
visit the Kimberly Mine Museum and the 'Big Hole'. The Blue
Train luxury coach is used to transport guests, alternatively
they can be taken on a historic electric tram when it is available.
Step back into a world of pioneers and adventurers-circa
1880. Marvel at the sheer magnitude of the "Big Hole",
the largest hole in the world excavated by hand. At a replica
of an alluvial-diamond diggers, try your luck at panning and
possibly finding a diamond of your very own!
Board the Blue Train once more and continue on to a South
bound journey into the heartland of the Great Karoo. Awaken
to the sight of vineyards and orchards as you descend through
mysterious and beautiful valleys and mountains, such as Drakenstein,
Slanghoek and Elandskloof - towards Cape Town's imposing and
instantly recognizable Table Mountain, sentinel and gateway
to the African continent.
The city of Cape Town has a lot to offer a discerning tourist,
among places of interest, you can visit pearl-white beaches
washed by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, watch colorful,
old-style fishing boats in Kalk Bay, explore the old Malay
slave quarters, enjoy the finest seafood in the world, wander
through Greenmarket Square's famous flea market and enjoy
a sundowner at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.
On the return leg, follow on the northbound tracks of Cecil
John Rhodes, who dreamed of a railroad from Cape to Cairo.
Pass through the wine lands of the fertile Hex River valley,
in the shadow of imposing mountains, up and inland to the
endless sweeping landscapes of the Karoo. Here, between high-road
and rail-road, is the tiny hamlet of Matjiesfontein. The Blue
Train guests are invited for a short ride back in time; on
a historical London double Decker bus. Stop a while and savor
the vastness and the silence of the surrounding plains. The
Victorian buildings and original nineteenth century London
lamp posts impart to the travelers, the uncanny sense of entering
a colonial time warp - an oasis suspended in a different age.
Stretch your legs breathe in the dry clear air and walk in
the footsteps of those who over the years have been enchanted
by this place. Among them, Lord Randolph Churchill Cecil Rhodes,
Olive Schriener and the Sultan of Zanzibar. Sip a drink at
the renowned Lord Milner Hotel - refurbished in the 1970's
by the visionary hotelier and designer David Rawdon, who bought
the entire village.
Board The Blue Train once more for the journey northward
into the interior. Before you drift to sleep, glance through
the window at a sky filled with a trillion stars. And when
you awake, you will be approaching the mining centres on the
Gold Reef, and will soon end your journey in the jacaranda
city – Pretoria
Pretoria - Victoria Falls – Pretoria
Your journey begins in Pretoria - home of The Blue Train,
and site of the historic presidential inauguration of South
Africa's best loved national hero, Nelson Mandela.
Follow in the footsteps of missionary-explorer, Dr. David
Livingstone, as you journey deep into the African continent
in quest of the greatest curtain of falling water on earth
- the Victoria Falls.
Travel west to Mafikeng and across the border into Botswana
before turning north through the capital, Gaborone, and onward
over the undulating expanses of the Savannah. These are the
enduring African plains of thorn bush and grass - unchanged
for millions of years.
Stop in Kwa Bulawayo for an off-the-train excursion and visit
the unique landscape of the Matobo Hills National Park. These
hills were given their name (Matobo - 'bald-headed') by Mzilikazi
- a Zulu warlord and founder of the Ndebele nation. The hills
were inhabited by Mzilikazi, who fled Zululand to escape Shaka's
bloodlust early in the 19th century. They are most commonly
and accurately described as a 'moonscape of endless granite
humpbacks', and they cover a 2 000sq km area south of Kwa
Bulawayo.
The most spectacular sections of the Matobo Hills are landscapes,
dams, and wild life, caves of bushmen paintings and world's
view grave of Cecil John Rhodes. The massive granite domeat
in the Park marks the highest point of the hills, and that
is where Rhodes is buried.
Not far from Rhodes' grave is the large and imposing Memorial
to the Shangaan Patrol, a tribute to the twenty men who engaged
in the battle with 30 000 Zulu warriors during the Matebele
Wars of 1893. In essence, Matobo hills are packed with history
and myth of Shona dynasties, and the countless battles fought
between Ndebele armies and British colonists.
The Blue Train then journeys towards the thundering Victoria
Falls, named after Queen Victoria by British explorer David
Livingstone in 1855. "Scenes so lovely must have been
gazed upon by angels in their flight", exclaimed Dr.
Livingstone, when he first saw the falls.
Known in Zimbabwe as 'Mosi-oa-Thunya' - the smoke that thunders,
the Falls are believed to be one and a half times as wide
and twice as high as Niagra Falls. The water plunges almost
450 meters (1 476ft) in a sheer drop. This magnificent seasonal
waterfall carries 500 million liters of water a minute, when
in full flood - creating a permanent rain forest and a cloud
of spray that rises high into the sky, which, in good rainfall
periods, may be seen from as far as 80 kilometers (50 miles)
away.
A tour of the valley including a visit to Kwa Bulawayo museum
- an original home of royal citadel of Lobengula, mighty King
of the Matebele, makes this journey truly memorable.
On the return trip from Victoria Falls, stopover on an excursion
to Hwange National Park. An area approximately the size of
Belgium, the Park is home to more than a 100 species of mammals
and is one of Africa's last great elephant sanctuaries. An
open 4x4 vehicle will take you on a spectacular game viewing
drive in one of Africa's most abundant wildlife regions.
Predators include lion, cheetah, hyena, black-backed jackal
and wild dog. Rarer animals include leopard, gemsbok, tsessebe
and pangolin. In the dry season, most of the animals move
down to the waterholes. During and immediately after the rains,
wildlife is more dispersed and the vegetation is correspondingly
higher and greener.
Birdlife is stunning with over 400 species - including one
of the most lovely of African birds - the lilac-breasted roller.
Valley of the Olifants Route (Pretoria - Hoedspruit
– Pretoria)
The Blue Train traverses along the historic "Eastern
Delagoa Bay Railway Line" as it was known towards the
latter-part of the last century. Leaving Pretoria the train
covers the vastness of Mpumalanga Province via the colliery
town of Witbank, atop South Africa's major coal deposits through
Middleburg and Machadodorp. Waterval-Boven 'above the waterfall'
is where the highveld of Mpumalanga comes to a spectacular
and abrupt end. Here the line drops 228 metres at a gradient
of up to 1 in 20 to Waterval-Onder 'below the waterfall',
into the valley of the Elands River and on to Nelspruit, situated
in the fertile Crocodile River valley.
At Kaapmuiden the train leaves the Maputo line and proceeds
along the western border of the Kruger National Park on to
its final destination of Hoedspruit - coined the Valley of
the Olifants. This is part of the world renowned safari land
of South Africa.
The Kruger National Park offers superb big game viewing including
the big five. Apart from superb game viewing, this region
offers other attractions such as the Drakensberg escarpment,
Blyde River Canyon, several championship golf courses, excellent
fly fishing, and historical, cultural and archeological sites.
The region displays a considerable variety of eco-zones each
with its own distinct combination of geology, land-shape and
rainfall giving rise to different patterns of vegetation and
wildlife, with life-giving rivers like the Olifants, Letaba
and further south the Sabie proceeding ever-eastward. The
Lowveld has a greater variety of wildlife than Kenya and so
diverse are its habitats that one has an excellent chance
of observing the 'big five' - elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion
and leopard.
In this region you will meet different tribes, majority of
whom are Tsongas (commonly known as Shangaans). Their beliefs
and customs add richness to the experience, and their story
is a colourful one. They are descendants of the abeNguni clans
who, in the 15th century, migrated southward from Central
Africa's Great lakes. Their language is close to that of the
Zulus with whom they shared a common past until 1819. The
Blue Train guests might like to master the following Zulu
words: 'Sawubona' meaning hello; 'Kunjani', how are you?;
'Ngiyabonga' - thank you and 'Sala kahle' - good bye.
Geographically and ecologically linked to the adjoining Kruger
National Park, is the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which MalaMala
Ranch is part of. A private association of nearly fifty neighbouring
land owners lies to the west of the Kruger's central and southern
region. This streches from north where one finds Manyeleti
and Timbavati, in which Tanda Tula Bush Camp is situated.
From western extreme is Kapama, where you find Kapama Private
Game Reserve and Thornybush Private Game Reserve. Part of
the western flank is Klaserie Private Nature Reserve and Umbabat,
in which Motswari Private Game Reserve is situated. Collectively,
these private game reserves are bigger than California's Yosemite
National Park and represent the largest aggregation of privately-owned
wildlife reserves in the world.
This is the shortest Blue Train route offering a descerning
tourist an identical experience on both legs.
The Garden Route (Cape Town - Port Elizabeth - Cape
Town)
From Cape Town, follow the line North to the picturesque town
of Worcester, from whence your journey branches in an Easterly
direction - through the Langeberg mountains and the fruit
and wine regions of Robertson and Swellendam - towards the
spectacular Eastern seaboard, and the Garden Route, renowned
for its dramatic views of the Indian Ocean.
Break your journey in the beautiful Karoo town of Oudtshoorn
with an excursion . Travel by bus and head south to the Cango
Ostrich Show Farm where you can learn about these big, flightless
birds commonly referred to as 'the dinosaurs of the Little
Karoo'. You may even ride on one of the ostriches, if you
are brave enough. Here, the guests get to indulge in every
aspect of this fascinating industry, the large nests, the
plucking pens and the subsequent processing of the feathers.
Leave the ostrich behind and head back to central Oudtshoorn
to enjoy a sumptuous lunch at a local restaurant serving traditional
South African dishes.
Depart to the world's famous Cango Caves where a one-hour
tour of this spectacular underground world will be taken.
The world famous Cango Caves are considered to be the finest
and best decorated show caves in Africa due to the size and
volume of their calcite dripstone formations. Situated 30
km north of Oudtshoorn, the caves were carved out of a limestone
belt, situated at the foothills of the great Swartberg mountain
range. The Blue Train Guests will experience the enormous
caverns of the Van Zyl and Botha halls, 22 meters high and
90 meters long while the entire cave is illuminated with white
lights to enhance the natural colours. Cango in the San tongue
means 'a place of water between hills'.
Embark The Blue Train at Oudtshoorn station, from where the
train departs for the last section of the journey through
the Kammanassie mountains and crosses into the Eastern Cape
near Willowmore through the Grootrivier mountains. Now, you
are on your way to the friendly city of Port Elizabeth - a
historic landing place of the British settlers of 1820.
This important seaport and tourist destination is set along
the shores of Algoa Bay. Within less than an hour by motorway,
are two major wildlife attractions Shamwari Game Reserve and
the Addo Elephant National Park. Algoa Bay boasts 40km of
magnificent beaches, sailing and other water sport. Port Elizabeth
and environs bears the rich legacy of a city which saw the
first meetings of British, Dutch, German and Xhosa people.
On a return leg, re-visit an Ostrich farm in Oudsthoorn before
continuing with your journey to the Mother City, Cape Town.
|
