"We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right"
...Nelson Mandela
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THE BLUE TRAIN
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. This unique luxury recreation and business experience takes you where you want to go in an endless, five-star splendour. It pauses only to pick up prestigious World Travel awards for being a cut above the rest and the Diner's Club accolade for its connoisseur selection of South African wines. The Blue Train cuisine puts sheer good taste on a plate while butler personal attention puts you on a pedestal. It's a journey of a lifetime for those who appreciate finer things in life. .........
South Africa boasts a major international tourist attraction with the re-launch (September 26/27, 1997) of a magnificent new Blue Train, voted "The World's Leading Luxury Train" at the World Travel Awards, for four consecutive years.
This is not merely a train but combines the luxury of one 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. Once you are on board The Blue Train, you will not need an extra penny except to acquire personal gifts such as exquisite jewellery and The Blue Train branded momentos.
Since its launch in 1946, The Blue Train has been synonymous with elegance and luxury and this latest incarnation is guaranteed to make it the focus of global attention.
With interiors created by a leading interior architectural design company, the new Blue Train rivals many a five-star hotel in terms of grace, ambiance, comfort and style. The suites have been superbly redesigned to offer discerning guests and travellers the best that modern technology and superior craftsmanship can offer.
In January 1995, management and interior designers gathered to conceptualise a level of luxury that has never been seen in motion before. By January 1996, construction of the new Blue Train was under way at the Transwerk workshop, Koedoespoort in Pretoria (South Africa).
Each Blue Train suite has a fully appointed bathroom en-suite, featuring either a bath or shower; a telephone, TV monitor and individually controlled air-conditioning. A range of videos, movies and radio channels provides guests with a variety of entertainment while onboard The Blue Train. The video choices include access to short documentaries about the area through which the train is travelling. A large screen in the Club Car provides a driver's-eye view of the track ahead, courtesy of a camera mounted onto the front of the locomotive. Other innovations include CD players and video machines in the luxury suites. To enhance your experience, you can choose from a selection of CD's and videos that can be obtained from the train manager's office.
A Club Car, styled along the lines of a gentleman's club is an ideal place to enjoy an after dinner cigar and relax over a cup of coffee. For those who desire a smoke-free environment, the Lounge Car offers just that. Here, traditional high-tea as well as a variety of drinks and snacks are served.
A new concept in wining and dining features cuisine created by The Blue Train's own team of chefs. Only the finest South African wines are served to compliment your choice from the menu.
Finally, to ensure the ultimate in hospitality, professionally trained personnel are on call for guests in each suite 24 hours a day. The 380-meter long (416 yards) train has 18 carriages, which accommodates up to 82 passengers and travels at a maximum speed of 110km/h (68mph).
The Blue Train operates a total of four routes. Offering the biggest attractions are, Pretoria to Cape Town or vice versa (1 600 kilometers or 994 miles), with guests spending one night on the train. Pretoria to Victoria Falls or vice versa (1 596km or 991 miles) offers a descerning traveller a glimpse of some of Southern Africa's natural beauties such as the great plains of the South West and Victoria Falls. During this trip, guests get to spend two nights on board The Blue Train.
The Blue Train has the maximum of 4 suites per coach
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To ensure the ultimate in hospitality, each coach has a professionally trained butler who is on call for guests in each suite to attend to their every need. The butlers are there to ensure that your journey is as memorable and comfortable as possible. The Train Manager is also on call at all times. Guests can contact him anytime they require assistance on any matter; or when they require information pertaining to their journey.
The Blue Train on-board services include:
A variety of delicious snacks and beverages served in the suites, on request, by butlers;
A limited on-board laundry and valet service;
Safes are provided in all suites for the safe keeping of your valuable belongings;
A luggage van is available to store any additional luggage that a guest will not need during the journey.
All these services are already included in the fare.
Trained first aid personnel are on board at all times.
In the event of an emergency, doctors and medical personnel can be contacted at the various stations en-route; or flown in by helicopter.
Two engineers with specialised expertise on luxury trains are always on board The Blue Train and are happy to share their knowledge with train enthusiasts.
The telephone beside each bed allows guests to dial the Train Manager, the personal butler or the butler on duty 24 hours a day. Should a guest wish to make an external call (local or international), the staff will gladly assist them in doing so at a nominal cost. Fax facilities are also available on board.
Suites Deluxe Double-Bed suite by day
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.
Air-conditioning:
The suites are fitted with water cooled air-conditioning system. Each suite has its own fresh air intake and individual coolant system. The passages are also air-conditioned with the same systems. Both suites and passages have the temperature adjusters and air speed regulators for individual preferred setting.
During cold periods, all the systems are provided with heating cycles, not only from the air conditioning unit but also via under floor heating.
Guests may choose between a de luxe and a luxury accomodation.
De-Luxe Accommodation:
Choice of twin-beds suite with a shower or a double-bed suite with a three-quarter size bath.
Luxury Accomodation:
Choice of twin-beds or double bed, and a full size bath with hand shower. Luxury suites are also equipped with CD players and video machines.
Lounges
Non-smokers' Lounge Car
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.
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.
The second Blue Train has a third lounge, which can be used as a 22 seater conference facility with laptop computer, overhead projector, video, slide facilities and other modern equipment that can cater for various types of meetings and conferences. If not used for conferencing, this lounge can be converted into an observation car.
All lounges are fitted with gas filled airconditioning systems. The temperature is centrally adjusted to a desired coolant temperature.
During cooler periods, the under-floor heating provides guests with desired temperature to ensure their comfort at all times.
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)
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 travellers a unique opportunity to enjoy some of Southern Africa's most breathtaking scenery.
Pretoria - Cape Town (1 day & 1 night);
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 rush. 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 recognisable Table Mountain, sentinel and gateway to the African continent.
The city of Cape Town has a lot to offer a descerning tourist, among places of interest, you can visit pearl-white beaches washed by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, watch colourful, 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 savour the vastness and the silence of the surrounding plains. The Victorian buildings and original nineteenth century London lamp posts impart to the traveller, the uncanny sense of entering a colonial timewarp - 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 centers on the Gold Reef, and will soon end your journey in the jacaranda city - Pretoria.
For rate information contact us. We add combine this trip with a multitude of other land options to broaden your traveling experience in South Africa.
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