Original subtitles

From the moment that railways

first appeared on the world stage...

..travel would never be the same again.

Trains would connect cities...

..and countries.

Moving goods...

..and people...

..across continents.

But from their earliest days,

when the well-heeled

and even royalty travelled by rail,

trains were upgraded

to being palaces on wheels.

A legacy that has survived

to this day.

For the guests, it's amazing. It's incredible.

It's very, very special.

We will now take you on five

extraordinary train journeys -

from the breathtaking mountains of

Switzerland and Canada

to the wild landscapes of Africa,

Northern Spain,

and Mexico... It doesn't get any better than that!

..aboard luxury trains,

where gastronomy

and decor are unrivalled.

It's just really got style.

The service and the drinks and all, perfect.

These are no ordinary train journeys.

These are five of the most luxurious

scenic railway journeys

in the world.

Our luxury journey starts in Spain,

on the grandest of all European trains,

the El Transcantabrico.

Entering service in 1983,

this 250-metres long,

2.5-metres wide train is

a jewel of railway heritage...

..and a five-star hotel on rails.

The El Transcantabrico runs from Leon

to Santiago de Compostela.

A journey that takes eight days,

passes through the Cantabrian Mountains

and Basque Country,

and along the spectacular

Atlantic coastline of Asturias

and Galicia.

The train overnights in stations along the way.

Seven nights aboard

will set you back around £5,000 per person,

sharing a deluxe suite. It's one of the world's

most expensive

luxury train journeys.

When the train is full

it could be around 46 people.

Yeah, when it's full, it's a bit of a...

yeah, of a roller-coaster. Yeah!

While the train's hardwood

panelled suites are meticulously prepared...

..it's time to welcome the passengers onboard

the classic 1920s Pullman carriages.

All eager to experience

the finest food and the best vistas

Northern Spain has to offer.

And with a clink of the champagne glasses, we're off.

The train follows a route constructed

during the 19th century...

..when railway pioneers opened up

Northern Spain to trade and commerce.

Railways here still use

the original narrow-gauge track.

It moves quite a lot because of the track,

which is one metre,

and it's quite narrow, and the stability of the train

is not the same as a conventional train.

THEY SPEAK SPANISH

People get a little bit dizzy because of the movement.

The first day, it may be a bit worse,

and it's getting better and better, you know,

that you're used to it, yeah.

The El Transcantabrico shares this single track

with regular commuter trains

and is one of the longest narrow-gauge railways in Spain.

As we begin making our ascent

into the Cantabrian Mountains...

..we're heading along one of the most dramatic parts of the line,

towards the railway's birthplace,

in the tiny town of Cistierna,

our first stop.

Ever since it opened, in 1894,

the railway has been at the heart of life here.

People who get the train

on a daily basis know everyone from

different villages, so they meet on the train and they chat.

But as locals Judit and Barbara know, the line wasn't

originally built for luxury passenger travel.

This area,

it was full of coal mines, and they wanted to transport the coal

from here, from Leon,

to the Basque Country,

so they decided that the cheapest way of doing it,

it was to build a railway.

But determined to keep the price down,

they imported a narrow-gauge railway from Britain.

They reduced 60% of the...

budget for the construction of the train. So, it was clever, I guess!

The trains were British, but it was up to Spanish engineers

to work out the 300-mile route to the Basque Country.

They told me that to design the line, as it was

full of mountains, they were sending

horses, to see how the horses, they

were going around the mountain... Mm, the path.

The path, yeah, to decide the path.

Following the horses paid off and, when the line opened,

Cistierna became Spain's first

railway boom town.

Suddenly, after

the station and after the railway, it became a town.

It had almost 8,000 inhabitants.

They came from all around Spain to work here in the coal mines.

Many, many immigrants came here.

These days, the coal trains have long gone...

..but the El Transcantabrico still follows

the same route they took from Cistierna to Bilbao.

As we cross the epic Ebro Viaduct

and continue to follow a meandering path set out by horses...

..the El Transcantabrico heads west,

through the beautiful green

foothills of Cantabria.

As the passengers sit back and relax,

it gives Elena - our onboard tour guide -

some time to enjoy the journey.

This is amazing. You can see the different landscapes

all around the north of Spain,

and you can also feel the feeling, or the environment,

of being transported to the beginning of the 20th century.

For me, it's the most beautiful region in Spain,

because you have very close the sea and the mountains.

Very few regions in the world can afford that.

It's really special to drive into the mountains

and, for the guests, it's amazing. It's incredible.

It's very, very special.

What could be a more fitting accompaniment to Spain's

great landscapes than some of

the country's famous cuisine?

The El Transcantabrico has been

perfecting its onboard dining for over 30 years.

The train stops for lunches

along the way in local gastronomic haunts,

but sumptuous meals are also served on board.

RINGING

Bonjour, mesdames et messieurs.

Lunch will served in the lunch car. Merci.

RINGING

The El Transcantabrico crew take food

very seriously indeed.

Though chefs like Andres have to contend

with plating up top-notch cuisine

at a rather shaky 50mph.

The hardest part is, er,

knowing the dynamics, how much to work with beforehand.

One gets better with practice.

On board the rocking and rolling train,

it's up to the team of five waiters

to ensure chef Andres' creations

make it safely to the tables.

The main worry is that you drop something on top of a customer.

You know, that is... Ha-ha! That is our worst fear!

But hopefully, fingers crossed, it won't happen today!

I am less comfortable when this doesn't move because,

sometimes, I am very...

clumsy. Clumsy, in English? Clumsy? Yes.

Nevertheless, the passengers

seem to have survived their ordeal.

It's just really got style. The service

and the drinks and all, perfect.

And there is even more first-class indulgence...

..as they cross hills,

mountains

and coastlines, and stop at

some of Spain's most amazing towns and cities -

including the cosmopolitan cultural capital of

Northern Spain, Bilbao,

and its world-famous

Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art -

before once again boarding the El Transcantabrico,

the train that has come to define

luxury travel.

Coming up next, a railway journey

oozing old-fashioned style and romance,

aboard a luxury vintage train

that travels across the great

African wilderness.

Going through a game reserve, viewing all these

wonderful, magnificent creatures,

which is part of the reason we came to South Africa.

The second of our five most

luxurious scenic railway journeys

takes us to South Africa,

aboard a beautiful vintage train

that brings movie-style romance to luxury travel.

Rovos Rail.

This private railway

is based in Pretoria...

..where the Vos family operate

a fleet of renovated

old-fashioned trains...

..on a service that has been running

since 1989.

When my dad was starting the business, he was absolutely in love

with steam locomotion. It was what

actually got him interested in trains to begin with.

The three-day journey from Pretoria

to Durban crosses

lush grasslands,

a private wildlife sanctuary

in KwaZulu-Natal,

and the Drakensberg mountains...

..to arrive on South Africa's

eastern coast.

The train overnights

in exotic locations along the way...

..including a stopover on the edge of a game reserve.

Sharing an air-conditioned Royal Suite will cost you

around £2,000 per person,

all meals included.

This is vintage travel

at its best.

Every train in the Rovos Rail fleet

has been painstakingly formed,

using old railway carriages

and locomotives found in

scrapyards across the world.

Dedication and ingenuity go hand in hand at the workshops.

Nothing goes to waste at Rovos HQ.

Don't throw things away.

Don't cut things up. You know,

if you don't have immediate use for it, put it under a shed

somewhere and someone like us somewhere will come across it

and bring it back to life and really get people to enjoy it.

The pride and joy of Rovos Rail

are the carriages that have been converted into

safari viewing platforms, located at the back of the train,

as Joe explains.

This is a 1924 dining car, originally,

and it was a 44-seater dining car.

We converted it into

an observation car. We took

that wall, we put it in, so that we can have an open-air balcony.

Thank you very much. Enjoy!

As passengers board the luxury train,

Deputy Manager Khangwelo is making last-minute checks.

We've got different departments.

We've got laundry, kitchen, passage,

the bar, dining rooms,

so you have to be hands-on in all departments

when you're on the train as Deputy.

Banghi, Rohan wants us to leave at nine. OK. Thank you.

Train manager Adam is taking one last look, to ensure

everything is ready in time for departure.

My Deputy Manager will do it

as well, but I'm also giving it a once-over while I'm

going through... Listen, Rohan wants the train to leave at 9:00.

Everything looks perfect,

so we're ready to roll with the guests.

As the last suitcases are safely stowed away, it's time

for everyone to get onboard.

Timba, Timba... Come in, please, Timba...

All tight, Timba, there we go. Everyone's onboard

so, when you're ready, you can pull forward.

TRAIN TOOTS

Thank you.

We're now going to Durban.

This is the beginning of our journey.

Soon, our train is sweeping across

vast African landscapes.

Travelling, on average, at only

25mph, this is not about speed...

Thank you. Oh, you're very, very welcome.

..it's about luxury train travel

and enjoying time onboard.

As the sights roll by, guests enjoy a fine lunch.

All the food is locally sourced, as are the wines,

served by wine waiter Ethan.

May I top you up on some wine, sir? Pinot Noir.

Every single wine on the train

is from South Africa,

mostly Western Cape area.

Would you like a top-up on wine, sir? Yes, please. All right, sure.

But the onboard experience

is only just beginning...

..as the train journeys deeper

into the African bush.

The landscape now, it begins to change. Even the environment,

you can see, starts to get more greener,

a lot of mountains.

It just changes your mood.

It's time to sit back, relax,

and enjoy the magnificent views.

And this is where the open carriages come into their own.

Hotel balconies...

..on wheels.

It's all part of the old-fashioned romance of rail travel.

But the views

are about to get even more tantalising...

..when our luxury train pulls over

in the African bush and stops

at a tiny rural station...

..Elandslaagte, on the outskirts of

a Big 5 wildlife reserve

called Nambiti.

We should be going through

a game reserve, viewing all these wonderful, magnificent creatures,

which was part of the reason we came to South Africa.

The reserve spreads over 26,000 acres,

and is home to over 40 species

of game living in the wild.

While the passengers head off on

their wildlife safari,

armed with cameras, we join rangers Brett and Dave

on a more serious mission -

protecting one of the most endangered

animals in the world, the rhino.

Poaching, at the moment,

from the stats from last year,

there's over 1,000 rhinos have died in South Africa.

So, it is a very, very big problem at the moment, and

I can't see it getting any better.

It's quick money, it's good money.

Rhinos are being hunted for their valuable horns.

Estimated to be worth up to

$65,000 a kilo on the black market...

They might be up there, on that road up there.

..they have been driven to near-extinction.

There's a big storm brewing out behind us here at the moment.

They're normally quite quick, but they've got some serious downpour,

when they do come past.

As the rain clears,

more and more animals come out to feast on the lush grasslands.

We've got a big bull elephant here.

They're absolutely beautiful creatures. You can see

this guy's lost both his tusks now. They often break them off

fighting, or just pushing over things. I mean,

when you're that size, you know,

it's fun to push things over, I suppose. They are big animals

and they can cause a lot of damage if they want to,

so you've got to give them a lot of respect.

Hopefully, we can find the rhino. None yet, but we'll get there.

Nambiti's Anti-Poaching Unit

undergoes paramilitary-style training,

and these rangers are at the forefront of the poaching war.

There we are.

WHISTLING

They went inside here.

It looks like they were sleeping on there.

The rangers spot a female rhino and her calf in the distance.

They seem to be doing fine.

If we just hang back a little bit.

Black rhino are generally much more aggressive than white rhino.

Black rhinos can be very hostile,

especially a female looking after her calf.

It's going to charge us.

Just watch out. Watch out...

Quickly.

Dave then spots another threat.

Something moved, and this big black rhino bull,

he's clearly not very happy with us being here. They've paired up,

by the looks of things. Maybe we interrupted them, the romantic

getaway or something here, which is why he might be very upset with us.

No-one wants to cramp

this rhino's style.

The rangers go to great lengths to protect him

and the other rhinos' safety.

This includes regularly dehorning

the animals, making then worthless to poachers.

To keep them safe, the Anti-Poaching Unit monitor their rhino population

24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Meanwhile, at sunset, our passengers

have their own duties to attend to -

all part of the African safari experience.

Thank you ever so much! The obligatory sundowner.

That was quite nice. I really enjoyed it.

That was really good.

What is this one again? It is Gentleman Jack whiskey.

Back in the luxury of the train, the passengers

get dressed up for post-safari fancy cocktails.

I think Ian thinks he's James Bond,

because he's got vodka martini. Well, Miss Moneypenny,

I have a vodka martini - shaken, not stirred!

While passengers on Rovos Rail

are wined and dined long into the African night,

aboard an old-fashioned train

that brings back movie-style romance to rail travel...

..we're switching continents, to North America,

aboard a brilliantly designed modern luxury train,

which travels through some of the most thrilling

mountain landscapes on Earth.

On the third of our five scenic railway journeys,

we're going from opulent travel

on restored trains to modern luxury

and purpose-built, in Canada.

We're aboard an award-winning train

that is often described as one of the best in the world -

the Rocky Mountaineer.

Powered by two 3,000-horsepower GP40-2 engines,

this premier double-decker train has been designed from the bottom up,

to transport passengers in ultimate

comfort across the Canadian Rockies.

You can see in the distance

that the forest is really thinning out,

and the peaks in the distance is becoming that semi-arid desert.

The Rocky Mountaineer travels from Vancouver to Banff.

A three-day, 600-mile journey...

..that passes crystal-clear lakes

and white-water ravines...

..Canada's famous peaks,

and three National Parks.

A ticket costs around

£2,300 per person,

for the full gold-plated package,

which includes overnight

hotel stays in Vancouver and Banff.

So, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Rocky Mountaineer!

Hello, how are you? Good. Good, good, excellent.

So, my name is Jocelyn. My wonderful partner here making you

some drinks right now, this is Pete.

So, we will be with you for the journey into the Canadian Rockies.

So, we're going to be passing out the wonderful

Rocky Mountaineer tradition that is the sunrise toast of peach bubbly.

We'd like to raise a glass and toast to you. Good afternoon,

welcome aboard, and cheers! Cheers!

Glass in hand, the wild journey begins.

The route follows in the footsteps of the intrepid pioneers

who built the Canadian Pacific Railway, over a century ago.

The construction of this coast-to-coast

railway line was arguably Canada's

greatest feat of engineering. It also must have been

quite a sweat to build. Tackling

8,000-foot mountains and steep river rapids,

it took thousands of men to create.

Rather incredibly, we're at about

1,100 feet above sea level now,

but we're going to take our guests another 4,500 feet,

before we reach our highest point,

when we'll be in the Rocky Mountains.

To enjoy these spectacular sights,

the train features specially designed

double-decker observation carriages,

with full glass-dome windows,

offering 180-degree

panoramic vistas.

And the gob-smacking views

are perfect for building up a hearty appetite.

We don't like guests to go more than

an hour without anything.

An hour? It feels like 45 minutes.

45 minutes! We're pretty relentless in the feeding.

We often like to put people's, like, nerves at ease

by saying there are no calories on the train,

but it's certainly a land of indulgence.

Executive Chef Daniel Stierhof

has created a unique menu for the journey.

Produce and proteins are sourced from along our route.

We get some of our beef from Alberta,

so we get that beautiful AAA Canadian beef.

But cooking on a train is slightly tricky.

It truly is a unique experience.

I've worked in kitchens that are much smaller, that aren't moving,

but this is the creme de la creme

and definitely top-notch when it comes to working on trains.

The food's been terrific, and so has the service.

I didn't know we'd be fed so much food!

And, like the food,

the historical sights just keep on coming.

This is the site of Craigellachie,

and what that is, it's the site of the last spike.

Every single rail tie that gets

put underneath the rails, on top of the ballast with the rails on top,

all those get held in place with a spike, a single iron spike,

and it's here that the very last spike was banged in,

completing effectively what was the Trans-Canadian railroad.

On November 7th, 1885,

at 9:22 in the morning,

railroad financier Donald Smith

drove in the ceremonial final spike,

marking the end of all the engineering challenges,

money crises and natural disasters

to hit the construction.

At last, the nation's railroads

ran the breadth of the country.

As passengers on board

the Rocky Mountaineer follow in the footsteps of history,

and take in the glorious views...

..our journey heads south,

to Mexico...

..where we swap the longest mountain range in North America

for the deepest.

Mexico's Chihuahua-Pacifico railway,

or El Chepe for short,

is a luxury train that travels from Creel,

in the country's north-west, to Los Mochis,

on the Pacific Coast.

It passes through the spectacular Copper Canyon,

the deepest gorge in the Americas.

But the train itself

is also a destination in its own right.

It's just always been

on my bucket list of trains to, uh,

to try and ride.

It's kind of the stuff of dreams for a rail fan.

With three classes - First,

Executive and Tourist -

and capable of carrying 340 passengers,

El Chepe is Mexico's answer to The Orient Express.

It has six carriages, a bar,

a restaurant that doubles as the observation car.

Of our journeys, this is certainly the best value for money.

A first-class ticket, for the nine-hour trip,

works out at just £150 per person,

and an even cheaper economy-class carriage exists

for budget travellers.

Most passengers overnight along the way,

in hotels close to

the wonders of Copper Canyon.

But many of the canyon's

spectacular views can

only be enjoyed from the train itself.

Along the 220-mile route, El Chepe

passes through an incredible 86 tunnels,

and over 37 bridges,

as it weaves its way towards the coast.

To accompany the views

is some of the finest regional gastronomy

in the world.

Gourmet chef Raul is cooking up

a smoky storm in the galley kitchen.

The menu for today is grilled

ribeye steak, with roasted cactus

and onions,

guacamole and a spicy salsa.

They believe it's the only

genuinely chargrilled steak

you can eat on any train in the world.

But you'll not hear any complaints from Jerry.

Outstanding.

Really outstanding. Wonderful.

I wasn't expecting the taste.

And the company is even better.

SHE LAUGHS Tell me about it!

And if they fancy a glass of wine with lunch, from their seats,

our passengers can peer down into the valley below where,

just 11 miles outside Bahuichivo,

some of Mexico's best wine is made.

Quality control is only

one of the responsibilities of local winemaker Bernardo.

He owns a hotel and vineyard

in the town of Cerocahui,

and tells a fascinating story of survival.

This church

is a Jesuit mission.

Dates back from the 1780s. It was erected by

the Jesuit fathers

who came and founded

this town of Cerocahui.

The settlers here soon realised

that, as well as food, the climate

was also perfect for the production of wine.

These vines, they are descended back when the Jesuits came here,

in 1780. So, they came.

They had their own vines because, you know, remember,

they had to make their own wine.

The King of Spain found out

that the whole continent was very good for making wine.

So, he saw that as a threat to his economies.

So, he prohibited, in America,

the growing of the grapevines.

And also, he expelled the Jesuits.

King Charles III, concerned that

the Jesuits had acquired too much wealth and influence,

and were a bit too good at making the local red,

expelled them from the area.

The Mexican vineyards fell into ruin.

However, the vines survived.

When we opened the hotel, back in 1975,

the gardener of the hotel, he came in with this small vine.

He says, "You know, they are vines from the old Jesuits."

And, er... So, we start replanting them.

Now, 45 years later,

Bernardo has five hectares of vines

and produces one of the finest wines in the country.

It's a long story, but it's a beautiful story.

Everything related with wine is beautiful.

Well fed

and sumptuously dined...

..passengers on Mexico's most luxurious train

can sit back and watch the world roll by.

But on our

final journey, we continue on the edge of our seats -

on a jaw-dropping route, that was the first

to bring luxury train travel to the roof of Europe.

Whoa, look at this, look at the valley!

This must be one of the greatest

railway journeys anywhere.

Our fifth and final luxury train journey is a breathtaking finale...

..that takes us to the dizzying

heights of the Alps in Switzerland,

and the highest pass in Europe.

It's one of the most spectacular routes in the world.

Whoa, look at this, look at the valley!

That's amazing!

Back of the viaduct, right?

Must be one of the greatest railway journeys anywhere.

This incredible voyage across the roof of Europe

starts in Tirano,

on the Italian border...

..aboard the electric

Bernina Express...

..before it ascends Europe's

highest railway pass...

..to arrive at St Moritz,

where passengers complete the route

to Zermatt aboard

the Glacier Express.

Tickets for both trains on this 13-hour route

cost around £350

in first class.

But for the price, you get some of

the best views in the world...

..on trains with plush seating...

..giant panoramic windows,

and Swiss-style cuisine.

This is phenomenal.

I don't think you can be in a better restaurant than this.

There is, however, one other restaurant

along the route that, for some passengers,

is the gastronomic highlight

of their trip. Alp Grum is one of

the highest restaurants in Europe.

Unless you hike there, the only way to arrive is by train.

Dear passengers, next stop, Alp Grum.

You have time to make some photos.

Please be back in the train at 11:40. Thank you.

Greeting the passengers, as always,

at Alp Grum is Primo. He has the perfect job. Since 2006,

he's been managing this far-flung station,

which is also a restaurant and hotel.

Here, we have our terrazza.

You can eat here, and you have the view on the

Palu Glacier.

We're still in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland,

so it's no surprise that Walter,

Alp Grum's chef, has a famous signature pasta dish -

Pizzoccheri Valtellinesi.

It's, er, like a pasta.

We make it without eggs.

Normally, a pasta have eggs.

And we make it only with water.

And you see it's not the first time he make it!

Unlike most pasta, this hearty dish

uses buckwheat and is served with

even more hearty proportions

of garlic, potato and cabbage.

All of these ingredients are local.

Local potatoes, local cabbage.

Boiling water in high altitudes

requires a little bit of patience.

We are, here, very high,

2,091 metres, so it's not the normally boiled water.

We need more time.

About five, ten minutes more.

There's a lavish lot of butter.

You see the calories...

Ha, ha! ..are swimming there!

Just a touch of Parmigiano

and black pepper,

and the pasta is ready to be served.

This is literally dining

at the highest level.

2,091 metres, to be exact.

SHE BLOWS WHISTLE

Leaving Alp Grum, we're now

only an hour from St Moritz,

but the train must travel even higher.

As we head to the Bernina Pass, it now enters a long, high

Alpine region called Engadin...

..until it finally reaches the

highest railway crossing in Europe,

at Lake Bianco...

..a reservoir fed by glacial meltwater that gives it

its brilliant blue colour.

On its shores is the station of Ospizio Bernina.

It may be tiny, but it stands proud

at 2,253 metres.

This is my favourite place here because,

on the other side, we can see the lake of the Lago Bianco.

This is a really beautiful place, and

it's really special here.

Our Alpine journey has reached

the highest point of any mainline railway in Europe.

From here, the train weaves its way

through the Swiss Alps...

..while you soak up views of the magnificent mountains

from the comfort of the Bernina

and Glacier Express.

All the way to Zermatt,

where passengers are greeted by a sight

few destinations can rival -

the majestic Matterhorn.

On the five luxury journeys around the world,

we have travelled through Northern Spain in palatial glamour,

on Spain's El Transcantabrico...

..marvelled at Africa's epic

landscapes aboard the vintage Rovos Railway...

..been dazzled by breathtaking

mountain views from the windows of the Rocky Mountaineer...

..gorged on regional food aboard

the exotic El Chepe, in Mexico...

..and rounded off our enviable tour in Alpine chic...

..aboard the Bernina

and Glacier Express.

It's been an extraordinary global voyage, aboard

five of the most luxurious railways

in the world.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media