Hotel review: Kruger Shalati – The Train on the Bridge, a safari in high style

CHECK-IN

Kruger Shalati – The Train on the Bridge opened in December 2020 on the historic Selati Bridge in South Africa's Kruger National Park. This one-of-a-kind stay comprises 24 train carriage suites – lined up along the bridge as though a train has simply paused here momentarily – and seven Bridge House suites along the riverbank that are geared towards honeymooners and families. From the viewing deck and overhanging pool spectacularly located halfway along the bridge, you can spy hippos, crocodiles, buffalos, elephants and birds in and around the waters below – as well as distant motorists who have pulled over to peer at your lodgings.

Kruger Shalati is found towards the south of Kruger National Park, which snuggles against the border with Mozambique. The train-hotel is a 5.5-hour drive north-east of Johannesburg but the easiest option for international visitors is to board a one-hour domestic flight from Johannesburg to Skukuza (a contender for the world's cutest airport). Hotel staff will meet you here and whisk you to your digs 4 kilometres away. As you cross the Sabie River, you'll see the train parked on the bridge to the west and feel very smug that it's your home for the night.

THE LOOK

The steel bridge, which opened to railway traffic in 1910, is suspended above the river on handsome sandstone-clad piers. In 1923 (three years before Kruger National Park was proclaimed), rail safaris known as "Round in Nine" took passengers on nine-day tours of the Lowveld – they became incredibly popular due to the game-viewing opportunities. The bridge was one of the overnight stops for these safaris. Guests would feast at a makeshift boma (enclosed gathering place) where Kruger Station now stands. This complex includes a restaurant and bar open to all park visitors, a steam locomotive and a train carriage that was once the State Funeral Coach.

THE ROOM

Everything in the train carriage suites – bed (draped with a bespoke Seana Marena blanket), bath, shower and double basin - is geared towards that glorious view. The rooms also celebrate African design, with artisans name-checked in the compendium (the wall-art embroidery, for instance, is by Johannesburg artist and clothing designer Sakhile Cebekhulu). There's a silky patterned bathrobe to slink around in and a handy birding guide parked on the coffee table between two armchairs.

FOOD + DRINK