Pride of Africa Train Service

Luxury train travel is having a moment.

And why not? Air travel seems intent on only getting worse — enjoy your next flight home from Europe with your laptop stowed (safely? sure! totally safely!) in your checked bag. And oh, here’s news from the TSA that future carry-on screening could mean dumping all your stuff onto the X-ray scanner bed at security checkpoints. Enjoy that.

Which leaves us with the train. Luckily, luxury travel outfitters are more than willing to comply with rising demand for all-the-comforts-of-home-and-then-some train service, whether in Japan, Peru, or now, southern and eastern Africa, with the debut of Frontiers International Travel’s new Pride of Africa service from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. During the two weeks in between, guests will visit some of the continent’s most incredible spots, including the Madikwe Game Reserve, the Kimberley mines, Victoria Falls and the Great Rift Valley. This is a terrific itinerary.

The interior appointments — and the general vibe — are equally high-end. Guests are expected to dress for dinner (jackets required, thank you) and leave behind the conveniences/terrors of modern life: there’s no wifi, and passengers are kindly requested to keep cell phones in their guest rooms (ideally powered off).

For peace of mind, plus killer views? That’ll be $16,500 per person, double occupancy. We can think of worse ways to spend the money.