Disclosure
Jade Peak writes about places, experiences, and the people behind them, so hotels, operators, and companies come up often. We have no financial relationship with any entity named in this article. If that ever changes, we'll say so plainly, right here at the top.
There comes a point where travel stops being about collecting destinations.
At Jade Peak, that is partly why we built this company. The endless list of countries, cities, and landmarks feels older than our grandparents at this point. What interests us more is figuring out how to build memories people still talk about years later.
Train journeys happen to be very good at that.
Here are a few of our favourites.
TranzAlpine, New Zealand
The TranzAlpine crosses New Zealand's South Island in under five hours, connecting Christchurch and Greymouth through some of the country's most spectacular mountain scenery.
What we like about this train is that the views feel remarkably similar to what you would normally have to earn through a long hike. Mountains, river valleys, dramatic passes, and landscapes that make you instinctively reach for your camera every twenty minutes.
For people who love being in the mountains but do not necessarily want to spend eight hours climbing one that day, this might be your train.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Some experiences feel luxurious.
For a brief moment, you get a glimpse of why Europe's upper classes spent so much of their lives travelling by train. Looking at Venice Simplon Orient Express it what it makes us feel.
The restored carriages, polished wood interiors, cocktail bars, and dining rooms make you understand very quickly why people become obsessed with this train.
You know that feeling when you walk into a VIP lounge and briefly convince yourself that this is simply who you are now? Imagine that sensation lasting for the entire journey.
The food deserves its own mention. The food that reminds you there is a difference between eating and dining.
Nowadays only a handful of experiences still treat the journey itself as the main attraction. Cruises do it. Trains like this do it. Most of modern travel does not.
Rovos Rail, South Africa
Wait.
What stood out to us at Jade Peak about this experience is how differently you see South Africa from a train. Instead of rushing through in a car, you get to witness how the terrain slowly shifts and changes in a way that feels more connected and less fragmented
The journeys cross huge sections of South Africa, moving from the grasslands of the Highveld through the vast Karoo and eventually towards Cape Town and its surrounding winelands.
The train itself feels like stepping into another era, with wood-panelled suites, observation cars, and enough time to actually appreciate how large and varied the country is.
Flying would be faster but you will miss the point to distinguish yourself.
The Mauritania Iron Ore Train
And then there is the complete opposite of everything above and it’s scary. The Mauritania Iron Ore Train exists to transport iron ore across the Sahara; it is not for tourists.
The train stretches for more than 2.5 kilometres through the desert and some travellers choose to ride directly on top of the iron wagons themselves.
We should probably clarify that we are not recommending this. We read a lot of blogs and got inspired by this experience traveler to undergo this journey.
It is dusty, uncomfortable, physically demanding, and there is a reasonable chance you will question several life decisions if you do it.
But crossing 700 kilometres of the Sahara sitting on top of one of the longest trains in the world is also the sort of story that immediately gets everyone's attention when you mention it at dinner.
Originally published at jadepeak.com.
