The Blue Train

Imagine the comfort and luxury of a Five Star Hotel from which you can watch the moon rise over the Karoo and awake to find yourself surrounded by vineyards.

Journey into a timeless world of grace, elegance and romance, where spectacular scenery stirs the imagination and luxurious comfort soothes the body and soul.

Prepared by gourmets for the pleasure of gourmets, dining on The Blue Train is a singular experience. Beautifully detailed burled wood paneling and original South African artwork may distract, but never detract, from the perfect views. A traditional high tea is served in the lounge car and and the club car offers a relaxing atmosphere and a fully equipped bar.

By day, your private suite is an elegant and comfortable haven where considerable attention has been paid to practical needs. As night falls, your suite is transformed into a romantic boudoir of soft glowing light and fine cotton linen.

Journey between Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, and Cape Town, South Africa's cosmopolitan mother city and seat of the nation's Parliament.

After gliding past the goldfields of the Witwatersrand and passing through the historic town of Kimberley, where the discovery of diamonds in 1871 led to one of the world's most lucrative mineral rushes, the train crosses the vast semi-desert Karoo overnight. Slipping through a system of pitch dark tunnels - the fourth longest such stretch in the world - the train emerges into the Hex River Valley.

The summer roses that line the lush, fertile, emerald green vineyards and orchards greet the awakening traveler. In late autumn, the valley transforms into a glorious tapestry of orange, crimson and red.

Heading through the town of Paarl, set in a wide valley surrounded by majestic, purple-hued mountains, we approach the distinctive shape of Table Mountain beneath which nestles Cape Town.

Off-train excursions are held at Kimberley and Matjiesfontein on the south and north bound journeys, respectively.

Cape Town

South Africa's Mother City welcomes you with open arms. Cosmopolitan to the core and perhaps the most beautiful city in the world, this charming, festive city of diverse culture nestling at the foot of the famous Table Mountain, will entertain you in grand style.

Departing guests are greeted with scenes of the lush and bountiful Western Cape, covered with vineyards and orchards and dotted with historic Cape Dutch and Flemish homesteads. The train soon begins its climb through with vistas of lineside towns like Paarl, framed by the Drakenstein mountains, Wellington by the Slanghoek mountains and Wolseley by the Elandskloof mountains

Worcester:

The largest town in the Breede River valley and gateway to the imposing Hex River mountains on the northern line.

De Doorns:

The main center of the spectacular Hex River valley. A major pick-up point for export table grapes. The railroad runs the length of the Hex River valley and climbs the escarpment of the central plateau emerging into the Karoo via the 16.3 kilometers of the Hex River tunnel system.

Touws River:

The first major staging post, locomotive depot and marshaling yard after Cape Town. Built on the banks of the Touws River, it is situated at the summit of the Hex River Mountain Pass and was a great steam mecca in earlier times. 'Touws' means gate, in the Hottentot language.

Matjiesfontein:

(Northbound stop-over of one hour) James Logan, an official of the Cape Government Railways in the late 1890's, founded a health resort in the Karoo. During the Anglo-Boer War, at the turn of the century, it became the military headquarters for the British forces. Edgar Wallace used the post office to send urgent dispatches to his newspapers. Declared a national monument in 1975, the northbound Blue Train stops for an hour to enable guests to see this fascinating Victorian town.