Gems of India Tour, Maharajas’
Express
British tour operator Cox &
Kings spared no expense when it joined forces with Indian Railways
to create the most luxurious train in the world. Unveiled in 2010,
and limited to 88 passengers on each trip, the train features
lavish private suites with marble baths and panoramic windows. On
the four-day, three-night Gems of India loop, which starts and ends
in Dehli, passengers make
stops to visit the resplendent Taj Mahal at Agra, take a tiger
safari at Ranthambore National Park, and shop and watch an
elephant-polo match in Jaipur. Along the way, passengers can marvel
at the Hindu temples, village roads plied by camel carts and rivers
lined with fishing boats.
Canadian Rockies Getaway, Rocky
Mountaineer
One of the most scenic train trips
in North America, this nine-day loop out of
Vancouver brings you to
the stunning snowcapped peaks, glaciers, cobalt-colored lakes and
plentiful wildlife (bear, moose, elk, bald eagles) of the Canadian
Rockies. Aboard the train, both the SilverLeaf and GoldLeaf
services offer a glass-domed roof so you can take in the mountain
splendor in style. Instead of sleeper cars, guests spend nights at
resorts in the region (which may include premier Fairmont
properties at Lake Louise and Banff Hot Springs). Also included is a
drive on the legendary Icefields Parkway to the Athabasca Glacier,
a helicopter tour from Kananaskis and a gondola ride in
Banff.
Classic Whisky Journey, The
Royal Scotsman
As well as offering passengers more
than 30 single malt scotches to choose from on board, The Royal
Scotsman (operated by Orient-Express) runs a five-day Classic
Whisky Journey that explores every aspect of Scotland’s most famous
spirit. After departing from Edinburg, the train makes stops at some of the country’s
top scotch distilleries, including Glen Ord and Glenlivet; then,
heading east along the coast, it passes through the seaside
villages of Carnoustie, Arbroath and Aberdeen before arriving in
the heart of the Speyside whisky region. The line then skirts Loch
Luichart, the Torridon Mountains and the famous Eilean Donan
Castle, where you can savor the magnificent views with (naturally)
a glass in hand.
Alaska National Parks by Rail,
Alaska Railroad
Many visitors to Alaska arrive via
cruise ship along the Inside Passage, reaching only the
southwestern end of the state. But this six-day train trip, which
traverses both Denali and Kenai Fjords National Parks, allows
for true appreciation of Alaska’s natural beauty. The route takes
in the jagged peaks, lonely forest and rugged coastline, including
a stop at the base of 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, North America’s
tallest mountain. Passengers stop to cruise among the glaciers and
whales of Kenai Fjords, raft amid the icebergs at Spencer Glacier
and hike in Denali. Though the train has comfortable seating and a
luxe dining car, nights are spent at off-train lodging like the
Grande Denali Lodge and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood.
The Ghan, Australia’s Great
Southern Rail
Stretching 1,846 miles from
Adelade in South
Australia to Darwin at
the continent’s northeastern tip, the Ghan brings train travelers
straight through the “red center” of the Australian outback. Among
the landscapes plumbed on the three-day, two-night jaunt are vast
desert plains, the sere red-rock Flinders Ranges and the dazzling
waterfalls and river gorges of Nitmiluk National Park. Passengers
make stopovers in Alice Springs (where they can take a camel trek
or browse in Aboriginal art galleries), the opal-mining town of
Coober Pedy (which served as the backdrop for the postapocalyptic
Mad Max films) and the awe-inspiring Katherine Gorge. In the
evenings, they retire to their cozy sleeping quarters after dining
on locally raised beef and locally grown wine in the dining
car.
Tales of Laos Tour, Eastern
& Oriental Express
The sister train to Europe’s Venice
Simplon Orient-Express, the Eastern offers the same level of
service and comfort. Passengers can enjoy upscale cuisine in the
stylish dining car, cocktails on the rattan lounges of the open-air
observation car and posh wood-paneled, air-conditioned cabins with
en suite showers. What’s completely different about the Eastern, of
course, is the scenery that passengers can see through the train’s
large windows. Among the exotic sights on the four-day, three-night
Tales of Laos itinerary are bright-green terraced rice paddies and
locals riding atop elephants. A day excursion is made in the city
of Viatine, nestled on the
shores of the Mekong River, where monks in orange robes walk the
streets and gilded Hindu temples pierce the skies.
Zermatt to San Moritz Route,
Glacier Express
Seeing some of the Swiss Alps’ most
spectacular mountain scenery by rail doesn’t require an overnight
trip: An eight-hour ride on the Glacier Express fits the bill
beautifully. The train, which runs one-way between the famed ski
resorts of Zermatt and
St.Moritz (some 180
miles), passes through 91 tunnels and across 291 bridges on the way
— all at an altitude higher than 6,500 feet. Sweetening the deal is
the dining car, where passengers can enjoy fine Swiss cheeses,
chocolates and wine along with the views.
Cuzco to Machu Picchu Route,
Hiram Bingham
The blue- and gold-painted Hiram
Bingham, an Orient-Express train operating in Peru, leads guests on
a magical day trip from Cuzco to the ruins of Machu
Picchu During the
three-hour trip — which covers about 50 miles — the train winds
through thick jungle, alongside the rapids of the Urubamba River
and across two 13,000-foot-high mountain passes. Once it arrives at
the singular 15th-century Incan city of Machu Picchu, passengers
get a thorough orientation and a five-hour tour through the
fascinating site before heading back to Cuzco (enjoying a fine
Andean dinner along the way).
