great rail journeys
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reclining seat and access to an onboard café for meals, while passengers in Platinum and Gold service get a private cabin with bed or bunks and private bathroom, all meals and drinks included along with a selection of off train excursions. Clients who book more than six months prior to travel can save up to AUD$650pp on a Gold service journey.
greatsouthernrail.com.au
starts from $3272pp; Sleeper Plus (Based on a cabin for two) costs $1588 (discounted fare) and an Economy Seat is from $728. The Canadian can be booked through specialist Canada operators or at
viarail.ca
American tour operators such as Andean Trails, Cox and Kings, Great Rail Journeys, Imagine Latin America, Journey Latin America and Rainbow Tours. Several operators combine Tren Crucero with visits to the Amazon rainforest and the Galapagos.
trenecuador.com/crucero/en. For trade enquiries:
philip@thedmg.co.uk
Canada THE CANADIAN Via Rail Canada, generally shortened to Via Rail, offers intercity passenger rail services across eight Canadian provinces. For tourists, the most popular train is The Canadian, which runs between Toronto to Vancouver. The 2765-mile journey provides an exciting way to see ‘the Real Canada’. Those who complete the whole trip will stay four nights on the train. They will see passing scenery that changes from the lakes and forests of Ontario, to the prairies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the Rockies in Alberta and British Columbia. Wildlife such as bears, moose and elk can often be seen from the train. The transcontinental train stops in Winnipeg for most of the morning, allowing plenty of time for sightseeing. Alternatively, break the journey in Jasper and spend time exploring the Rocky Mountains, or stop for a city break in Edmonton. Departures are year- round from both Vancouver and Toronto.
Be sure to mention: The fi rst departure of The Canadian equipped with the new Prestige Sleeper Class departed in late 2014. It features a spacious cabin (50% larger than the current cabin for two), a corner sofa in the daytime and a double bed at night; larger windows; private washroom with shower; fl at-screen TV with video selection; a mini-bar stocked with a selection of beverages and more. Travellers will also get to experience the newly-refurbished Park Car, which features a new cocktail bar. Journeys in Prestige Class can begin from either Toronto or Vancouver and from spring 2015 will be available on all departures. Booking it: Passengers choose from three classes. For the entire Toronto to Vancouver trip, Prestige Sleeper Class
Ecuador TREN CRUCERO Launched last June, this tourist-only, vintage train journey links Guayaquil on the Pacifi c Seaboard with Quito in the heart of the Andes. It has already received plenty of interest from UK operators and tourists: last year over 20% of all Tren Crucero international passengers were from the UK. Tren Crucero is unusual in that it takes four days to travel just over 380 miles. All meals are taken off the train in local restaurants, and the three overnight stays are in traditional hacienda-style hotels. The train also stops frequently to visit cultural and heritage venues, indigenous communities and places of interest such as rose farms and cocoa plantations. Clients fl y to either Guayaquil or Quito. The train departs from Duran station, just a short taxi ride from Guayaquil airport, on Monday morning and the return journey departs from Quito on Tuesday mornings.
Be sure to mention: After the immediate success of Tren Crucero, Ferrocarriles del Ecuador has announced more routes, more departures and more services for 2015. These are designed to link up with Tren Crucero before going deeper into the south of Ecuador or north into the Andean uplands. For example, The Tren de la Libertad, which gets its name from Ecuador’s struggle for liberty and independence from Spain 200 years ago, is a new tourist service that takes passengers from Ibara to Salinas in the high Andes. A section of this route, from Otavalo to Ibarra, will also be used for special departures using Colonial-style carriages pulled by traditional steam locomotives. Booking it: The full four-day journey in 2015 costs $1393 (sharing double room) with $106 single supplement and $1045 for a child. These prices convert to approx £890, £69 and £667 respectively. There is no website/on-line booking facility, so agents should book via specialist Latin
sellingtravel.co.uk
Turkey to Iran THE PERSIAN EXPRESS The rail journey begins in the bustling city of Istanbul. Passengers can visit Istanbul’s Old Town situated on the rocks rising from the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn, explore the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque before transferring to the private train. The journey includes stops in a number of locations as the train journeys from Turkey to Iran. Stops in Cappadocia allow a visit to Uchisar Castle and Goreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as enjoying an optional early morning balloon ride; it journeys through the Cilician Gate along the Baghdad Railway; visits Nemrut Mountain, the grand burial site of Antiochus; continues on to the gorges of the Euphrates River in Kurdistan, and upon arrival transfers by coach to Lake Van enable boat trips to the Island of Akdamer. The journey ends in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, with visits to Golestan Palace and the Treasury of Iranian National Jewels.
Be sure to mention: One of the highlights of the tour is a visit to the Iranian desert city of Yadz, with its wind domes and winding lanes that dominate the city founded by Alexander the Great, and the remarkable city of Isfahan, which includes Imam Square (Image of the World) the world’s second largest square. Booking it: Regent Holidays offers a 14-day rail journey from Istanbul to Isfahan, priced from £5979pp. The deal includes accommodation on the train on a full-board basis, two overnight hotel stays, entrance fees, English-speaking tour guides, door to door UK airport transfers within 75 miles of the departure airport and international return fl ights from Heathrow.
regent-holidays.co.uk
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