After our recent stay at Kruger Untamed, Thorsten and I spent a night at Kruger Shalati, a.k.a. the Train on the Bridge. I was VERY excited about this experience. I usually avoid the term “bucket list”, but if there is a quintessential South African bucket-list destination in the truest sense of the word, Kruger Shalati is it.

Thorsten on the bridge at Kruger Shalati.

Kruger Shalati is a retired train coach, converted into a luxury hotel, perched on a historic railway bridge 15 meters (about 50 feet) over the Sabie River in the Kruger National Park. Each former train car is now a guest suite, sumptuously furnished and with floor-to-ceiling windows facing east over the park. The center car of the train has been converted into a bar and pool area, with an Instagram-famous plunge pool overlooking the river.

Our “Carriage Suite” at Kruger Shalati.

A closer look at the bathroom, which has a great view from both the bath and shower. The toilet is in a separate cubicle to the right. (Thank goodness. Exposed hotel toilets are my worst pet peeve.)

The bar car.

The pool. (Read on to see a picture of me actually swimming in it.)

Staying at Shalati was exciting not only because it’s insanely luxurious, but also because it’s so novel. There are no high-rise hotels in the Kruger — it’s normally impossible to see the park from any perspective other than ground level. Looking down at the park, listening to hippos cavorting below while relaxing in our train-car-suite, is something I can’t imagine experiencing anywhere else on earth. My only complaint about our stay was how short it was.

Looking at the train from the Kruger Shalati restaurant, which is beside the bridge.

Thorsten bird-watching from bed.

The History of Kruger Shalati

The Train on the Bridge has a fascinating story. I recommend reading the entire narrative here, but in summary: Construction of the Selati railway line and bridge, where Kruger Shalati sits, started before the turn of the 20th century in response to a gold rush in the area. Due to corruption, war, and various acts of God, the Selati line took almost 20 years to complete. By the time the railway line and bridge opened to traffic around 1910, the gold rush was basically over. The Selati Bridge became a white elephant, with no good reason for it to exist.

Looking out at Kruger Shalati from the road bridge.

Looking out at the train from the road bridge entering Kruger’s Skukuza Camp, where Shalati is located. It was impossible to get a good photo, especially at the times of day we were there, but I wanted to show what the Selati Bridge looks like from a distance.

In the 1920s, the railway became a tourist attraction — called the “Round in Nine” train, because to was a nine-day trip — carrying holiday-makers from Joburg around the bush to look at animals and take nature walks. The Round in Nine train stopped overnight on the Selati Bridge and guests would eat dinner and be entertained in an adjacent boma before setting off again in the morning. These train trips were exceedingly popular (in fact their popularity probably contributed to the proclamation of the Kruger National Park in 1926), and ran regularly until 1973, when the train tracks through the Kruger were mostly dismantled. The bridge then stood unused for nearly 50 years.

In 2020, in the middle of COVID, Kruger Shalati — together with Kruger Station, a restaurant and shopping area where the Round in Nine boma used to be — opened to the public.

Thorsten’s architectural sketch of Shalati. The restored train cars come from a 1950s passenger train, recovered from a train graveyard in the town of Ladysmith. (See more of Thorsten’s sketches from our Kruger trip at @theThinking_Hand.)

Our Stay at Kruger Shalati

We arrived at Shalati at around 2:30 p.m., after a couple of hours’ drive from points further north, and had a great crocodile sighting as we came across the road bridge into Skukuza.

Our one-croc Shalati welcoming committee.

We skipped lunch and went straight to our suite — I wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible. There are 24 two-person suites in total on the bridge, as well as several accommodation units of varying sizes that sit just off the bridge, next to the restaurant. We stayed in suite #10, near the center of the bridge.

Thorsten in the entrance to our room at Shalati

Thorsten at the entrance to our suite.

This is the “back” of the train bridge, which faces west and has great views of the sunset. (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)

After taking many pictures and oohing/ahhing the room for a bit, we went to the bar/pool area for sundowners. Afternoon and morning game drives are included in the rate at Shalati, but Thorsten and I had done many game drives already on this trip so we opted to stay behind. This was a great decision, even though we heard later that the game drive guests saw a leopard and wild dogs. We loved having the whole train to ourselves as the sun went down.

Can you spot the hippo? We watched this big male walk/float (hippos don’t swim) all the way downriver — passing below the bridge and eventually out of sight.

Clement, the friendly barman, served us G&Ts (food and drinks are included in the rate) at golden hour. The Shalati staff is fantastic.

Sunset behind the train.

The only I other people we saw enjoying the Shalati sunset.

Meals at Shalati are elaborate affairs, with multiple gourmet courses and an impressive wine list. I loved everything I put into my mouth at both dinner and breakfast.

Dessert: “Smoked caramel lava pudding”. It was insane.

One of multiple breakfast courses: “Machadadorp trout and cured zucchini bagel”.

We also skipped the morning game drive — I was excited to experience sunrise in our east-facing room. It was overcast that morning (tragically), but daybreak was still lovely and we enjoyed an early-morning coffee at the pool. I even braved the water, for the sake of the ‘Gram, which was actually quite pleasant because the pool is heated.

Cappuccino courtesy of Clement.

The morning air was chilly, so this moment was the only unpleasant part. The water wasn’t warm, per se, but it was warmish — warmer than the air. (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)

Heather in the pool with the river below.

Even without the sun, it was worth it. (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)

We checked out (very reluctantly) at 11:00 a.m. and slowly made our way back to Joburg, catching another hour or two of game-viewing on our way out of the park. This was a wonderful trip.

Heather and Thorsten on the train bridge.

(Sorry to whomever took this picture — I’ve forgotten your name.)

The current Kruger Shalati rack rate for locals (SADC residents) is about R11,000 a night per person sharing. Not cheap, I know, but worth a big splurge if sleeping on a luxury train car high above the Kruger National Park is the type of thing on your bucket list. Also, Shalati has a sale on and you can save a few hundred rand for bookings between now and 15 December.

Our stay at Kruger Shalati was complimentary as part of a media invitation. Opinions expressed are mine.