The Blue Train General Information

Services

Club Car  Lounge area

On The Blue Train, the luxury of personal service comes standard. Our friendly, efficient and highly-trained staff take great pride in resolving your every query and satisfying your every need. A late-night snack? An early morning wake-up call? A blouse in pressing need of a little tender care? One call and your butler will take care of it. The Train Manager is also on call at all times.   

Our on-board services include, but are not limited to:    

• Snacks and beverages served in your private suite on request,    

• A limited on-board laundry and valet service,    

• Safes in all the suites for your valuables, and    

• A van for luggage that you will not need during the journey.  

The Blue Train’s telephone system runs the full length of the train, allowing you to contact your butler or the Train Manager 24-hours-a-day. If you wish to make international calls, our staff will gladly assist you to do so, at an additional fee.  

In addition, our two highly-trained on-board technicians are always eager to share their knowledge with you, and you can also enjoy a camera view from the drivers’ perspective from the comfort of your own suite.

Boutique Shop

 As the wheels of The Blue Train transport you to an era of untempered luxury and through breath-taking landscapes – both of which will become indelibly etched and cherished memories – you may wish for a more tangible reminder of this opportune time. For this reason, The Blue Train is home to an exclusive boutique, an oasis that promises to satiate your desire for a fitting memento.  

This boutique showcases diamonds and gemstones, gold and platinum, hewn from Africa’s very core. Its covetable collection includes the rare and valuable Tanzanite, which ranges in hues from those of the train itself to deepest indigo and royal purple. Bracelets, pendants and earrings, cuff-links and key rings. each piece is designed and set by craftsmen who pride themselves on their workmanship. Each piece is unique, exquisite, and ultimately personal.

The boutique limits its clientele to two per viewing, ensuring your individual attention. Should you purchase a precious keepsake and would prefer greater security than the safe in your suite, the boutique will store the item securely until you are ready to take possession of it.

The Club Car and Lounge Car

Club Car bar

In the event that you are able to whisk yourself away from your luxurious cocoon of comfort, The Blue Train offers two convivial spaces in which to build friendships over a beverage of choice. The Club Car, ideally situated behind the train’s engines offers the feel of a burnished, wood-panelled gentleman’s club where you are free to enjoy a Cuban cigar which we serve after dinner to round off a perfect evening. Wind down and relax with cognac or any drink of your choice.

Whether you’re after a game of backgammon, chess or cards, the lure of the big screen or a tome from the library’s selection, a fascinating chat with the barman or simply a solitary reverie of the star-lit skies, then the Club Car is your ideal setting.  

The beautifully designed Lounge Car, conveniently situated in the middle of the train, is an ideal venue to enjoy the charming view of the countryside, with its windows perfectly framing the ever-changing panoramas and interrupted only by rare works from some of Southern Africa’s finest artists – or an occasional gentle reminder from the barman that your glass needs topping up.  

Breeze into the Lounge Car for afternoon High Tea… a traditional English ritual of taste and aroma that is enhanced by the classic, elegant opulence of this carriage, or wander in after your five-course dinner banquet for another glass of award-winning wine or a taste of fine Port to round off your perfect evening.