A beloved luxury rail experience is returning to Southeast Asia—with extra bells and whistles. After a four-year hiatus, the famed Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train, will relaunch service in February 2024, with new Malaysian routes, including one that will take travelers to Taman Negara National Park for the first time.
After a prolonged pause that started in 2020 during pandemic-induced lockdowns and travel restrictions, the routes’ much anticipated return comes as travel to Asia has ramped up, allowing the upscale train service to start up its engines again. Belmond used the downtime to revamp both the trains and itineraries, providing passengers with a more enthralling overall experience.
“Offering a reimagined adventure of Southeast Asia in motion, the train will launch two new seasonal journeys departing from Singapore and traveling through Malaysia’s ever-changing landscapes and vibrant cities,” the company said in a release.
The first departure on February 19, 2024, will be on its Essence of Malaysia route, which includes an afternoon of island time in the middle of the rail journey. Starting at Singapore’s Woodlands Station, the train heads toward Kuala Lumpur, before passing by rice paddy fields and rural villages, and pulling into Alor Setar station on its second day. There, travelers will take a 25-minute boat ride to Pulau Payar Marine Park in Langkawi, best known for its thriving sea life, including parrot fish, moray eels, and angel fish.
Once on the island, passengers will be treated to a picnic, with the options to choose from activities such as snorkeling, paddle boarding, tai chi, meditation, and massages, before heading back on board to enjoy local entertainment. The following day, visitors will enjoy Penang Island, where excursions include a Peranakan cooking-themed culinary outing or a cultural and art-focused trip to Georgetown Old Quarter before reboarding at Butterworth and retracing the rails south back to Singapore after the final night. This itinerary will be offered annually from November through February.
Then from March through October, the Eastern & Oriental Express will switch to its new Wild Malaysia itinerary, with its first departure on March 4, 2024. Also departing from Singapore, this train will instead veer to the eastern side of the peninsula in an itinerary curated in collaboration with the conservation group Save Wild Tigers. After lunch on the second day, travelers will disembark at the Merapoh station to visit one of the world’s oldest rainforests—formed nearly 130 million years ago—at Taman Negara National Park, where leopards, tigers, Sumatran rhinos, water buffalo, hornbills, and macaques all cohabitate. Excursions include foraging, photography, and wildlife sightings. The third day then mimics the former itinerary on Penang Island before turning back to Singapore.
The trips all take place on the legendary trains, which have 15 “restyled” deep green carriages—including eight sleeping cars, two restaurant cars, a piano bar car, and an open-air observation car—all decked out with Malaysian embroidery and Asian silks to reflect the grandeur of the local surroundings.
All of the cherry wood-paneled cabins are equipped with air-conditioning and private bathrooms, and available in three classes. The Pullman cabins’ decor reflects that of Kuala Lumpur with red sofas and blue cushions and drapery to capture the city’s blue skies, while the State cabins channel Penang’s marine blue-and-green hues. Presidential cabins radiate with gold and embroidered opulence.
