See animals from a train bridge over Kruger National Park—without even leaving the hotel pool.
“ This hotel is insane , ” I texted my friend . “ Even more unbelievable than I expected . ”
To motor the stage home , I sent along photos and picture of the famedKruger Shalati , a glass - walled wagon train - expressive style hotel on a railroad bridge perch high above South Africa ’s stunningKruger National Park . I show off my luxury elbow room with its rain shower , the jaw - dropping view , and the substantial determining factor : the pool deck . Suspended over the Sabie river , the wood - encased infinity consortium protrudes out from a carriage that ’s been converted to an Art Deco , Roaring Twenties - fashion ginmill . The apparatus is outrageously photogenic , but nothing compares to the magic of seeing it in real life .
“ occlude you now , ” my friend replied when the bragging got to be too much . bonny enough .
Photo courtesy of Kruger Shalati
I rank a Methedrine of sparkling wine and slithered into the pool , swimming lazily to the bound to bet out over the Kruger and into the swirling waters below , where the eyes of hippos and crocodiles gaze back at me .
The Kruger Shalati , also known as “ Train on the Bridge , ” is easily the most unique hotel in Kruger National Park and maybe all of South Africa . Restored to its former glory — and , arguably , surpassing it — the caravan is parked on the historic Selati bridge deck . A stay at this bucket - list hotel is a truly unforgettable experience that lets you log Z’s and drown directly above elephants , Hippopotamus amphibius , and the sights and sounds of South Africa ’s expansive Bushveld . you’re able to sip on local wines , try the likes of ostrich carpaccio and traditional South African afters , and enjoy the kind of hospitality the Rainbow Nation is famed for . More than just a opulence getaway though , it ’s a unique way to compensate court to the historical site and South Africa ’s complex past .
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The concept for the hotel was inspired by the location ’s early chronicle . After the find of amber in the Northern Transvaal , the railway bridge deck was built back in 1893 , link Komatipoort with Tzaneen . Tourism was ready to keep abreast , and by 1923 , guests could enter on a nine - sidereal day duty tour through the Sabie Game Reserve that included an nightlong stop on the bridge for wildlife viewing . It proved so democratic with those early - day Internet Explorer that it make a touristry boom of form . Some say that this helped fire the move to declare Kruger a National Park in 1926 . The train and bridge , however , were eventually close due to the dangers posed to wildlife .
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Kruger Shalati was make in the precise same blot that the wagon train used to stop overnight , with the intention of bringing back the safari magic . It offers guest a monitor of the 1920s rail safari , but its hick exterior belies a seriously swank interior , where innovative African décor that highlight local artisans ( suppose handmade Basotho blankets by Bonolo Chepape and embellish wall art by Sakhile Cebekhulu ) is mixed with more traditional touches .
Adjacent to the bridge circuit with its suites , guests are ushered through gardens of aloe and succulents upon arrival , into the melodic line - conditioned response area . Its leather and Cu melodic theme defies khaki and wood safari décor while still feeling cohesive with the surround .
The safari element here is n’t in the internal design so much as the animate being encounters . In addition to the animals you may look at from the hotel itself , Kruger Shalati proffer plot drive to client . I was treated to a rare daytime sighting of hyaena with a month - old laddie , and gazed upon a pride of Leo the Lion napping on a jumpy rock outcrop where we ’d initially planned to stop for dawn coffee . Elephants were around almost every recess , from solitary fuzz to Brobdingnagian herds with flyspeck trumpeting untried . I was even fortunate enough to see godforsaken hound , truly an strange treat in the bush .
Photo by Chris Kane-Berman, courtesy of Kruger Shalati
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But Kruger Shalati is different from most other bush vacation , where game drives are the primary highlighting of the trip . Here , it ’s not so childlike . You couldhop in a Jeepto look for lions and rhinos , certain . But if you choose instead to indulge in strain - conditioned rooms overlooking the park , take another dip in the pool , or watch the sunlight go down over the wagon train , you wo n’t be sorry .
My advice ? There ’s no rationality you should n’t do it all . Whether indoors or out , above the park or on the ground , every panorama of the stay is worth experiencing at least once .
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Photo by Chris Kane-Berman, courtesy of Kruger Shalati
Photo by Jeremy Austin, courtesy of Kruger Shalati
Photo courtesy of Kruger Shalati
Photo by Kyle Lewin, courtesy of Kruger Shalati
Photo by Chris Kane-Berman, courtesy of Kruger Shalati
