Select Travel Destination Article ------- AFRICA ------- African Safaris Mediterranean Cruise Morocco South Africa Seychelles South Africa's Blue Train ------- ASIA ------- Culinary Travel in Asia Japan: Body, Mind and Spiri Exploring India Hong Kong Thailand's Beaches Trekking in Cambodia ------- CANADA ------- Calgary Canadian Maritimes Canadian Rockies Victoria, BC ------- CARIBBEAN ------- Caribbean Cruising Diving in the Caribbean Puerto Rico St. Vincent and the Grenadines ------- EUROPE ------- Andalusia Castle-Hopping in Scotland Cruising the Baltic Sea Culinary Italy Dublin - Emerald Isle England Germany Greek Isles Lyon, France Mediterranean Cruise Old World Europe Travel Prague Swiss Alps by train Turkey ------- LATIN AMERICA ------- Bahia, Brazil Chile Maya Ruins Mexican Riviera ------- MIDDLE EAST ------- Egypt Jordan Istanbul Sailing Down the Nile ------- SOUTH AMERICA ------- Galapagos Islands Peru Venezuela ------- SOUTH PACIFIC ------- Australia's Outback Bora Bora Great Barrier Reef Great Ocean Road New Zealand New Zealand Wines Tasman Sea Tasmania ------- USA ------- Alaska by Cruise Ship Adirondacks Bar Harbor, Maine Boston California's Napa Valley Charleston Disney World Fly Fishing Hawaii Las Vegas New England New Orleans Pacific Coast Highway Seattle Skiing in Colorado ------- TRAVEL TOPICS ------- Christmas Around the World Gay & Lesbian Hot Spots Great Drives in Europe Hispanic Heritage Travel Historical Travel Honeymoon Hot Spots Romantic Winter Getaways Traveling Alone Weekend Getaways Winter Golf Getaways World's Best Beaches World's Best Ski Resorts

Traveling by train is a highly enjoyable, hypnotic escape into another world. The preferred method of adventure by millions, trains romantically carry wide-eyed travelers to the very brink of all that is wild and wonderful, smoothly covering diverse terrains to connect the four corners of the world.

Each continent boasts a legendary train trip, from the Glacier Express in Switzerland to the Orient Express in Southeast Asia to The Ghan in Australia. Yet of all the world's great trains, South Africa's Blue Train is truly unique.

The Blue Train does not go around mountains; it goes through them. It glides through thick forests where leopards stare down from trees with fiery and curious eyes, and over deserts where watering holes draw giraffes, elephants, wildebeests and zebras. It chases galloping herds of gazelles across great fields of wildflowers and races cheetahs through rocky brush.

And it serves a fabulous Karoo lamb, with a side of ostrich soup and a superb South African Shiraz from a vineyard passing just outside your window. For the Blue Train's finest grace is its luxury, second to none in the train world, schizophrenically rolling down the track as both a train and a world-class hotel.

Travel agents call it an all-inclusive luxury rail cruise. This "cruise" comes complete with breathtaking views of South Africa's soul-inspiring landscapes and visits to intriguing attractions and remote villages along the way. As for the all-inclusive luxury, the Blue Train does not disappoint. From butlers turning down your bed to complimentary kimonos and slippers, the Blue Train cradles each guest in an opulence that perfectly balances the wild surrounds outside the train.

Voted the world's most luxurious train by the international travel trade, the Blue Train got its name from its distinctive sapphire-blue carriages. The track, originally laid in the 19th century in an audacious bid to connect Africa's southern tip with Cairo, stretches nearly 2,000 miles from Cape Town, South Africa's capital, north through Pretoria and up to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

The Blue Train could provide a world-class holiday even if the entire trip was through a tunnel at night. But the main reason people ride is for the scenery. Southern Africa has always attracted adventurers-romantic souls in pith helmets searching for an experience unlike any other the world could provide. The Blue Train provides these experiences through four different routes, roaring along prime corridors of wildlife and incredible vistas.

From Pretoria to Cape Town, the train travels south through spacious farmlands to Kimberly, the epicenter of the worldwide diamond rush. After an off-train excursion through this historic town with the "Big Hole," a name that screams "Must See," passengers continue south through the heart of Great Karoo, where vineyards and summer roses line the train's descent through beautiful valleys and mountains toward Cape Town's imposing and instantly recognizable Table Mountain.

The second route from Pretoria to Victoria Falls is a journey deep into the continent, through the enduring plains of Botswana and Zimbabwe. The train rambles through Matobo Hills National Park, commonly described as a moonscape of endless granite humpbacks, before reaching Victoria Falls, the greatest curtain of falling water on earth, known in Zimbabwe as "the smoke that thunders." On the return trip, an excursion to Hwange National Park, one of Africa's last great elephant sanctuaries, completes the experience.

While the trip from Pretoria to Hoedspruit is the shortest of the Blue Train routes, it may be the best for viewing the big five: elephants, rhinos, buffalos, lions and leopards-oh my! The train cuts through the Valley of the Olifants, the largest aggregation of privately-owned wildlife reserves in the world, along with Kruger National Park, the Drakensberg escarpment and Blyde River Canyon.

Renowned for its dramatic views of the Indian Ocean, the Garden Route transports passengers from Cape Town east to Port Elizabeth. The route wanders lazily through the Langeberg mountains, across fruit and wine regions toward the spectacular eastern seaboard. Giant yellowwood trees and wildflowers surprise passengers en route to the friendly city of Port Elizabeth, an historic landing place of the British settlers of 1820.

Whether you're starting in Cape Town or Pretoria, or you know that Victoria Falls is your final destination, the Blue Train will get you there in pure South African style. To enjoy the best of South Africa without feeling cheetah'd, plan your trip in pure travel agent style.

Travel agents know when to visit South Africa, which months are best for viewing the wildlife around watering holes, and when the climate is best for touring. They can set up your off-train excursions, book multiple Blue Train tickets for longer rides, combine trips though other fine train retailers and help you hop-scotch across South Africa's greatest attractions.

Take in the five-star scenery of South Africa from the five-star comfort of the Blue Train. Contact a trusted travel agent today to plan a personal safari that's right for your and your family, and get ready to enjoy the perfect vacation to wild and wonderful Africa.

Click here to find a travel agent near you and start dreaming about Africa today.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Cape Town
National Arts Festival - April
Cape Times Waterfront Wine Festival - May
Cape Town Fashion Week at the CTICC - August
Blisters For Bread Family Fun Walk starts Green Point - August
Cape Town International Kite Festival - September
Simon's Town Penguin Festival - September/October
Blessing of the Fishing Fleet Festival - October
International Dragon Boat Festival - November

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Please send us with the full address, tel, fax, the name of contact person with email to ask about honeymoon travel. Thank you
By: Nattanan Chullasevok At: 09/30/2008 00:00:00: AM

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