Travel Review - Doing it in style on the Blue Train - from Shamwari to Johannesburg / Travel Reviews submitted by real travellers

Travel Review - Place in the shade of the Umthunzi tree

South Africa Travel
Submit your Travel Reviews
SOUTH AFRICA SEARCH BY MAP REGIONS HOTELS ACCOMMODATION TOURS TRANSPORT WEDDINGS CONFERENCES INFO

western cape  garden route  eastern cape  kwazulu natal  mpumalanga  gauteng  limpopo  north west  free state  northern cape  |  namibia  |  botswana
SOUTH AFRICA TRAVEL

DO IT IN STYLE ON THE BLUE TRAIN
Submitted by: Dana T. 20 April 2007
Pretoria, Gauteng
Doing it in style on The Blue Train: Not only was I lucky enough to spend a day in the Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape - where we were all treated like the very important people most of us were, except for me - but I got to travel there on The Blue Train - the epitome of pay-through-your-nose luxury. We’re talking birchwood-panelled deluxe en suite cabins and haute cuisine whilst spinning past the countryside that dominates the route from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth.

And if you thinking this is a rather odd route - after all, The Blue Train has three overnight trips weekly from Pretoria to Cape Town and three a year along the Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth - I’m almost sure the route was adjusted for the occasion.

Of course, it helps to have a relative working for Spoornet, a division of Transnet and the largest rail operator in South Africa, whom I managed to accompany on an arranged excursion for service providers - just what service warranted five star treatment, I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.

Aside from the fact that on a normal day I could never afford the luxury of The Blue Train, it really is one of the most exciting and just plain decadent experiences I’ve ever had. I didn’t even have the stress of making sure said ‘service providers’ were happy - the most that was asked of me was to smile a lot and make conversation, not very difficult when you’re stuffing your face with Cape brandy pudding in the dining car - on this train they ‘sit’ for lunch and dinner and ‘dress’ for meals.

If that doesn’t do it for you, then having your suite converted from a lounge in to a comfortable bedroom simply by pulling out a bed from a space in the suite wall - this by a butler - should. You even get specially branded gifts at the end of the journey and your butler gives you a personal wake up call, if you need it. It’s no surprise that The Blue Train is on a par with the Orient Express and the Trans-Siberian - complete with white-glove service.

The 20 000 hectare game reserve of Shamwari has earned itself more than a couple of conservation and tourism awards. It lies halfway between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown along the Bushmans River. What makes it a bonus is that it’s malaria free and you get to see a lot of game fairly easily. What we saw took in rhino and lion as well as zebra, buck and giraffe in game ranger driven jeeps. People gush about Shamwari and not without reason - it really is a beautiful reserve.

After tucking in to yet another superb meal - I was beginning to feel as if all I’d done since leaving Pretoria the night before was eat - we were rounded up and taken back to our train to spend a final night to the accompaniment of dedadeda dedadeda - as the wheels on the track lulled us into a final night of easy sleep.
Additional info / Related Pages:
Shamwari Game Reserve
Eastern Cape Game Reserves
Eastern Cape Attractions

« South Africa Tours | South Africa Game Reserves | South Africa Attractions »
With 20 National Parks (including two of the world's most famous wildlife reserves, the Kruger Park & Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park) & numerous private game reserves, your trip to South Africa would be incomplete without experiencing a South African wildlife safari ....

» Photographs © South Africa Tourism «
Car hire South Africa: Car rental companies hire a wide range of cars from budget to luxury. For the best deals it is recommended that you pre-book your car ...
Go to » Car Rental South Africa

South Africa Accommodation and South Africa Travel Network of Web Sites brought to you by and © SA-Venues.com and Südafrika Reise.net

Travel Review Doing it in style on the Blue Train from Shamwari to Johannesburg / Travel Reviews submitted by real travellers

South Africa Weddings • South Africa Travel • South Africa Hotels • Südafrika Reise • Südafrika • Travel Resources
Site by DTP Orbit • Eastern Cape Accommodation • Advertise • Contact • Sitemap • Credits • Copyright • Disclaimer