All images property of Blue Train, Rovos Rail and Shongololo Express.
Three of the most luxurious trains in the world ride the rails in South Africa. No bargain fares here, just trips you’ll never forget.
Luxury rail travel may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Mother Continent — unless you happen to be in South Africa.
The country has not one 5-star train, but three — the Blue Train, Rovos Rail and the Shongololo Express.
Europe’s historic Orient Express was for decades the gold standard where luxury rail rides were concerned, but for sheer opulence, creature comforts and attention to detail, it might be hard-pressed to top any of these.
Room service in your compartment 24/7? No problem. Your choice: bunks or beds. Elegant lounges. Opulent dining cars that could match some of the world’s greatest restaurants plate for plate.
Lots of trains have en suite bathrooms in their compartments; how many have you seen with bathtubs?
Of the three, the Blue Train is the oldest, tracing its origins back to the 1920s. It’s also the only one that focuses exclusively on South Africa, making the 990-mile run between Cape Town, on the very southern tip of the Mother Continent, and the South African capital of Pretoria.
And when its operators call it a “magnificent moving 5-star hotel,” they’re not playing. We’re talking luxury “to the nines.”
Elegant lounges, fine dining. Gold-tinted windows…with real gold? Oh my…
Ever thought of holding a business meeting aboard a train? You could on this one; it comes with its own conference car.
Did I mention that your compartment on the Blue Train comes with its own butler?
The Blue Train’s two competitors are considerably younger, but much more ambitious in their routes and their offerings.
Rovos Rail, which started up in 1989, was the first of South Africa’s luxury trains to extend northward beyond South Africa’s borders, taking you on journeys lasting anywhere from three days to two weeks. Along the way, you’ll see sights in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, as well as Swaziland.
Every two years, though, Rovos Rail makes a run that is truly off the charts: a 28-day journey the length of the African continent, from Cape Town to Cairo.
It may be the only railroad that offers air tours. Twenty passengers can charter a vintage Douglas DC-3 for a trip covering two nights and six venues in four countries. Talk about a trip back in time.
I’m especially intrigued by the Shongololo Express, the new kid on South Africa’s luxury rail block. While just as lavish in its creature comforts, the approach behind this train is a little different from the others.
The operators make a point to run this train at night, focusing on keeping you well-fed and comfortably bedded down instead of daytime sightseeing. Fear not, however. You will be seeing sights, wildlife and all.
Just not necessarily from the train.
The Shongololo Express features safari-like side trips at stops along its various routes, but it makes those trips with a fleet of its own four-wheel-drive vehicles — which travel with the passenger train from stop to stop on flat-bed cars.
How cool is that?
In a sense, this is a throwback to the earliest forms of rail touring in the United States, when trains carrying their own motor coaches headed west to take passengers into scenic lands that would eventually become some of America’s greatest national parks.
How cool would it be today to board an Amtrak train from, say, Los Angeles for a run through Utah, Wyoming and the Dakotas, stopping along the way to make 4×4 runs into the national parks that line the route?
None of these South African trains charge rates that could be considered anything close to cheap, but the old saying “you get what you pay for” comes into full effect here. When it finally comes time to leave any of these three, you may not want to.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
Rail Travel page
AFRICA page
Imaginary Journey, Part 1
Imaginary Journey, Part 2
Imaginary Journey, Part 3
Edited by P.A.Rice