{"id":3198,"date":"2021-03-16T11:35:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T10:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/?p=3198"},"modified":"2021-03-17T11:02:37","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T10:02:37","slug":"south-africa-the-sumptuous-blue-train-offers-a-short-getaway-at-a-discounted-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/south-africa-the-sumptuous-blue-train-offers-a-short-getaway-at-a-discounted-price\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa: the sumptuous Blue Train offers a short getaway at a discounted price"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the pandemic and in the face of declining international tourism, a trip on South Africa’s legendary Blue Train is now being offered at a reduced price. Aboard its 19 plush carriages lined with wood and polished brass panels, passengers, mostly South Africans, can enjoy a luxurious 2-night ride.
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The service resumed last November and offers a ticket for 23,000 rand ($1,544), about four times the minimum monthly wage for a South African. For this price, passengers get a 1,600-kilometre journey across the Karoo desert, as well as through the centre of the country to the capital Pretoria. The ochre landscapes that gradually turn into rolling hills and lush green pastures are also on display throughout the journey.<\/p>\n

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“Customers only make the trip once in their lives,”<\/em> confided Simon Moteka<\/strong>, a 43-year-old bartender. “Returning customers are rare, it’s often a once in a lifetime experience for them.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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“I grew up knowing there was a blue train, it was unaffordable,”<\/em> said Cape Town doctor Mashiko Setshedi<\/strong>, accompanied by his 67-year-old mother. “Thanks to Covid, it has become possible.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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“Normally we would be in the United States. But with the Covid, we find ourselves exploring our own country. The Blue Train was tempting, my grandparents took it and told me about it,”<\/em> said Bennie Christoff<\/strong>, a 54-year-old financial advisor, standing with his wife.<\/p>\n

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Before the pandemic, “99% of the passengers were foreigners”, led by Australians, British and Japanese. After a few months of stoppage, the line, which has been running for over 70 years, resumed in November with “99% South African passengers”.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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