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 Wiley  Â
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.
... 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
Source: Kruger Shalati
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
Source: Kruger Shalati
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
Source: Kruger Shalati
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
Source: Kruger Shalati
... and furnishings will celebrate local art and design.
Rendering of a Train on the Bridge room looking west.
Courtesy Kruger Shalati Lodge
Source: Kruger Shalati
River-facing walls will be lined with floor-to-ceiling windows ...
Rendering of a Kruger Shalati Train on the Bridge room.
Courtesy Kruger Shalati
Source: 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
Source: 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
Source: 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.
A rendering of the Kruger Shalati lounge car, observation deck, and pool.
Courtesy Kruger Shalati
Source: 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.
An aerial view of the Skukuza Bridge in Kruger National Park.
Courtesy Kruger Shalati
The Selati Railway ceased operations in 1973.
Source: SAN Parks, Kruger Shalati, Kruger Safaris
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
Source: SAN Parks, 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
Source: SAN Parks
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
Source: SAN Parks, Worldometers
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
Source: Kruger Shalati, SAN Parks
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
Source: 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.
An aerial view of the Skukuza Bridge in Kruger National Park.
Courtesy Kruger Shalati
On March 26, South Africa implemented one of the world's strictest coronavirus lockdowns, banning outdoor exercise and sales of alcohol, cigarettes, and clothing. Beginning May 1, the country transitioned from a "level 5" to "level 4" lockdown, meaning that some businesses have been allowed to resume operations, but extreme precautions are still being taken to limit the spread of the virus.
In an address to the nation on May 13, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that he hopes to move most of the country to a "level 3" lockdown by the end of the month.
Source: Kruger Shalati, Business Insider, Reuters, Government of South Africa
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement