Look inside the luxury hotel built out of 1950s train cars that will sit atop a historic bridge in the heart of South Africa's biggest national park

Melissa WileyMay 15, 2020, 19:34 IST

Rendering: The Kruger Shalati Train on the Bridge rooms will overlook the Sabie River in the heart of Kruger National Park.Courtesy Kruger Shalati Lodge

Safari lovers, take note: A first-of-its-kind luxury hotel, suspended 50 feet above South Africa's Kruger National Park, is taking reservations for 2021.
The "Train on the Bridge," scheduled to open in December 2020 or early next year, will consist of 24 rooms built in converted train carriages atop the historic Skukuza Bridge.
The bridge is where some of Kruger National Park's first visitors, arriving by train in the 1920s, would stay overnight.
Together with the "Bridge House," a collection of seven land-based rooms nearby, the Train on the Bridge will form Kruger Shalati boutique hotel. Nightly rates start at $430 per adult.
Here's an early look at the Kruger Shalati boutique hotel located in the heart of South Africa's largest nature reserve.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Read the original article on Business Insider

... as well as two game drives daily in open Land Rovers. Private game drive vehicles can be booked in advance for an additional $460 per day.

A leopard crosses the road on a game drive in Kruger National Park. sirtravelalot/Shutterstock

Rates for all 31 rooms include meals, drinks and select spirits, transfers to and from the Skukuza Airport ...

View of the Skukuza Bridge. Courtesy Kruger Shalati Lodge

Six of the Bridge House rooms can be interconnected for large families. The seventh, a Honeymoon Suite, costs $485 per adult per night.

Rendering of a Bridge House room. Courtesy Kruger Shalati Lodge

The nearby Bridge House rooms cost $430 per adult for double occupancy and are open to children of any age.

Rendering of the Bridge House dining area and pool. Courtesy Kruger Shalati Lodge

... and furnishings will celebrate local art and design.

Rendering of a Train on the Bridge room looking west. Courtesy Kruger Shalati Lodge

River-facing walls will be lined with floor-to-ceiling windows ...

Rendering of a Kruger Shalati Train on the Bridge room. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

Train at the Bridge rooms cost $485 per person for double occupancy, with a minimum age requirement of 12.

Rendering of a Kruger Shalati Train on the Bridge room. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

While the opening date for Kruger Shalati is up in the air due to the coronavirus pandemic, Barnes said that they are accepting reservations for 2021.

View of the Skukuza Bridge. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

Both locations offer plenty of opportunity for wildlife sightings, like this elephant crossing Barnes witnessed last weekend from the bridge:

Once renovated, the Train on the Bridge will feature a central lounge car, observation deck, and pool connected to rooms by outside walkways. Dining will take place on land at the Bridge House, like it did in the early days of the railway.

A rendering of the Kruger Shalati lounge car, observation deck, and pool. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

Once renovated, the Train on the Bridge will feature a central lounge car, observation deck, and pool connected to rooms by outside walkways. Dining will take place on land at the Bridge House, like it did in the early days of the railway.

Before rest camps and tourist facilities existed, visitors would arrive on Selati Railway, dine by bonfires on solid ground near the bridge, and then return to sleep in the train carriages, Kruger Shalati general manager Judiet Barnes told Business Insider.

An aerial view of the Skukuza Bridge in Kruger National Park. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

Before rest camps and tourist facilities existed, visitors would arrive on Selati Railway, dine by bonfires on solid ground near the bridge, and then return to sleep in the train carriages, Kruger Shalati general manager Judiet Barnes told Business Insider.

The Skukuza Bridge, suspended 50 feet above the Sabie River, is where some of the park's first visitors stayed overnight back in the 1920s.

Courtesy Kruger Shalati

The park is home to hundreds of species and cultural sites and drew over 1.8 million visitors in the 12 months leading up to March 2019.

Zebras congregate in Kruger National Park Martin Prochazkacz/Shutterstock

Kruger became South Africa's first national park in 1926. At 7,700 square miles (roughly the size of Slovenia), it is one of the largest wildlife reserves in Africa.

Elephants drink water at the Red Rocks lookout point in the Kruger National Park. mezzotint/Shutterstock

The future site of Kruger Shalati is a five-hour drive from Johannesburg, in the heart of Suzuka, the largest rest camp in Kruger.

Google Maps

The Train on the Bridge consists of 13 train cars from the 1950s and, together with seven Bridge House rooms built on land nearby, will be known as the Kruger Shalati boutique hotel.

A rendering of the Shalati Bridge with the converted train cars. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

The Train on the Bridge consists of 13 train cars from the 1950s and, together with seven Bridge House rooms built on land nearby, will be known as the Kruger Shalati boutique hotel.

Twenty-four hotel rooms built in converted train carriages will open on the historic Skukuza Bridge in South Africa's Kruger National Park either later this year or in early 2021, pending South Africa's reopening plans.

An aerial view of the Skukuza Bridge in Kruger National Park. Courtesy Kruger Shalati

Twenty-four hotel rooms built in converted train carriages will open on the historic Skukuza Bridge in South Africa's Kruger National Park either later this year or in early 2021, pending South Africa's reopening plans.

14 ways people around the world have spread joy to brighten up your week

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Look inside the luxury hotel built out of 1950s train cars that will sit atop a historic bridge in the heart of South Africa's biggest national park

... as well as two game drives daily in open Land Rovers. Private game drive vehicles can be booked in advance for an additional $460 per day.

Rates for all 31 rooms include meals, drinks and select spirits, transfers to and from the Skukuza Airport ...

Six of the Bridge House rooms can be interconnected for large families. The seventh, a Honeymoon Suite, costs $485 per adult per night.

The nearby Bridge House rooms cost $430 per adult for double occupancy and are open to children of any age.

... and furnishings will celebrate local art and design.

River-facing walls will be lined with floor-to-ceiling windows ...

Train at the Bridge rooms cost $485 per person for double occupancy, with a minimum age requirement of 12.

While the opening date for Kruger Shalati is up in the air due to the coronavirus pandemic, Barnes said that they are accepting reservations for 2021.

Both locations offer plenty of opportunity for wildlife sightings, like this elephant crossing Barnes witnessed last weekend from the bridge:

Once renovated, the Train on the Bridge will feature a central lounge car, observation deck, and pool connected to rooms by outside walkways. Dining will take place on land at the Bridge House, like it did in the early days of the railway.

Before rest camps and tourist facilities existed, visitors would arrive on Selati Railway, dine by bonfires on solid ground near the bridge, and then return to sleep in the train carriages, Kruger Shalati general manager Judiet Barnes told Business Insider.

The Skukuza Bridge, suspended 50 feet above the Sabie River, is where some of the park's first visitors stayed overnight back in the 1920s.

The park is home to hundreds of species and cultural sites and drew over 1.8 million visitors in the 12 months leading up to March 2019.

Kruger became South Africa's first national park in 1926. At 7,700 square miles (roughly the size of Slovenia), it is one of the largest wildlife reserves in Africa.

The future site of Kruger Shalati is a five-hour drive from Johannesburg, in the heart of Suzuka, the largest rest camp in Kruger.

The Train on the Bridge consists of 13 train cars from the 1950s and, together with seven Bridge House rooms built on land nearby, will be known as the Kruger Shalati boutique hotel.

Twenty-four hotel rooms built in converted train carriages will open on the historic Skukuza Bridge in South Africa's Kruger National Park either later this year or in early 2021, pending South Africa's reopening plans.