The Sun City experience onboard The Blue Train is available on private charters, that is, group bookings that can be for both business and leisure travel purposes. In business, this can be for meetings, incentives, events and conferences. The Blue Train is well equipped to host these various types of gatherings, with the ability to adapt its setup for conferencing, boardroom and group meetings set ups, complete with multi-media facilities. In leisure travel, this is perfect for family gatherings such as reunions and weddings, trips amongst friend groups, cooperatives and stokvels. For these, The Blue Train can be adapted to meet the personal needs of the guests.
Day 1
On the first day guests arrive mid-morning at the VIP Lounge for checking in and any formalities before boarding. All safety and hygiene information that guests need to know will be shared before departure. The hygiene information regarding Covid-19 prevention protocols and provisions will also be shared during this time. During the formal proceedings, guests are offered canapes and beverages, serenaded by a live performance from the artist who will be traveling with them. Once boarding begins, guests are assigned their private butlers and ushered into their different suites for orientation. A light brunch with finger food is served in the Lounge Car as The Blue Train leaves the Pretoria station.
The train will slowly wind its way to Sun City and dock at the Sun City Halt, where guests will be chaperoned to Sun City to spend the day at leisure. Guests can visit the Palace of the Lost City, surrounded by lush botanical gardens with hiking trails, a Big-5 game drive at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve for close encounters with lions, leopards and elephants, or for adrenalin seekers, the world’s fastest zipline, Zip2000, from a 280m perch reaching a thrilling speed of 120km/h across a 2km stretch.
In the evening, guests will be transferred from get ready for a dinner seating. On The Blue Train, dinner is an elegant affair where all guests are encourage to dress in formal-wear or in traditional attire. The food onboard is an experience of its own kind, delivered by The Blue Train’s Executive Chef, Cresan Ramjathan. Each plate is a work of art showcasing a glimpse of Africa’s finest. Meals are freshly prepared and served silver service, across five courses, all paired with some of South Africa’s finest wines.
Following dinner, are the post-dinner drinks across the three lounges on the train. The post-dinner highlight could be a game of poker in the Club Car, with a range of Cuban cigars and fine cognacs and whiskeys. Butlers begin the turn down service from 9.00pm and guests can retire to bed at leisure post-dinner.
Day 2
Guests wake up either breakfast in bed served by their butler, or breakfast served in the dining car. The morning is spent at leisure before the train departs for Pretoria Station. The views of the North West into Gauteng are breath-taking, and guests take that in while indulging in gourmet snacks and a selection of beverages. The train docks at the Pretoria Station in the afternoon where guests disembark to their transfers back home.
Guests who require more information can contact The Blue Train’s reservations team at the Pretoria office on +27(0)12-334-8459 or the Cape Town office on +27(0)21-449-2672 or on email az.oc.niarteulb@ofni.
