Belmond Trains will be back and better than ever in 2024, with the return of Eastern & Oriental Express in Malaysia, elegant new suites inspired by the Scottish Highlands on board The Royal Scotsman and Venice Simplon-Orient-Express's new routes to Brussels and Venice
With more travellers taking longer, multi-destination trips, some modes of transport are finally getting their share of the spotlight, with luxury sleeper trains making a triumphant return to bucket lists around the world.
Also making a triumphant return is the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train: the company recently announced that, after a four- year hiatus, it will launch two new seasonal journeys in Malaysia in 2024.
Both routes will depart from Singapore before journeying through Malaysia’s ever-changing landscapes— from vibrant cities to fiery-hued sunsets tucked behind historic towns and lush plantations.
Its first route, Wild Malaysia, was curated in partnership with the global tiger conservation organisation Save Wild Tigers. Taking the country’s Jungle Railway toward the eastern side of the peninsula, guests will have the opportunity to visit Taman Negara National Park—one of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world, and home to rare species including tigers, leopards and Sumatran rhinos.
Its second route, Essence of Malaysia, travels from Singapore’s Woodlands station to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi—disembarking in Alor Setar before boarding a private cruise to the island, where travellers will snorkel among the marine life that calls the Pulau Payar Marine Park home. Both journeys end in Penang, where visitors can explore the artistic and culinary heritage of the so-called Pearl of the Orient.
To say the Eastern & Oriental Express is returning with a new look wouldn’t be quite right. Like the rest of Belmond’s fleet of five-star trains, the design on board the Eastern & Oriental Express embraces the romance of days gone by, with intricate marquetry, luxurious fabrics, including Malaysian embroidery and fine silks, and other vintage-inspired finishings.