In 2016 The Blue Train will be heading up to “Big 5” country with the launch of its brand-new Hoedspruit departures. The Blue Train will make two round trips up to the Limpopo Province – one in July and the other in August, offering guests the choice of four spectacular 19-hour one-way journeys. These new departures will allow some fantastic new “rail safari” combination packages with the many wildlife reserves and private safari lodges in the Greater Kruger and Sabi Sands area. For travellers wanting to take the northbound Blue Train, the train will travel from Pretoria to Hoedspruit on Friday 8 July and again on Friday 12 August 2016, departing at 15h00 in the afternoon and arriving at 10h00 the next morning.
Passengers preferring to enjoy the rail journey after their safari can opt to travel southbound from Hoedspruit to Pretoria on either Saturday 9 July or Saturday 13 August 2016. The train departs at 15h00 in the afternoon and arrives at 10h00 the next morning, allowing plenty of time to catch international flights home. These one-way journeys between Pretoria and Hoedspruit in either direction take 19 hours, as opposed to the usual 27 hours between Cape Town and Pretoria, and cost around £300 less per person – an attractive option for those on a tighter budget with this Blue Jewel on their travel bucket list.
