Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge

Hotel · Ehlanzeni

Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge

Hotel · Ehlanzeni

5

Kruger National Park, Selati Bridge Precinct, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa

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Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by KYLE LEWIN
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null
Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge by null

Highlights

Unique train hotel offers luxury stays & incredible wildlife viewing  

Featured in Conde Nast Traveler
Featured in Afar
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Kruger National Park, Selati Bridge Precinct, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa Get directions

krugershalati.com
@kruger_shalati

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Kruger National Park, Selati Bridge Precinct, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa Get directions

+27 13 591 6000
krugershalati.com
@kruger_shalati

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Last updated

Sep 7, 2025

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@afar

The 8 Most Unique Hotels Around the World - AFAR

"Set permanently on a bridge overlooking a flowing river, this locomotive-styled property recreates the feel of vintage sleeper trains with 31 earth-toned, glass-walled rooms that offer panoramic views of elephants, leopards, buffalo and other wildlife. Guests can take game drives, enjoy South African–inspired cuisine, unwind with in-room facials or clawfoot-tub soaks, and relax by a circular pool that appears suspended above the wildlife-filled terrain; the concept echoes the rail pauses that historically occurred on the nearby bridge in the 1920s." - Nora Zelevansky

https://www.afar.com/magazine/most-unique-hotels-around-the-world
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@harpersbazaar

"A true feat of design, this unusual property is built into a train that sits atop a bridge in Kruger National Park. Described as a sanctuary from the world, it’s easy to see why: Jaw-dropping views, indulgent facilities, and exceptional dining are on offer for guests in the rooms of this boutique wonder. All the while, the Kruger Shalati's articulate design gives a comfortable nod to its industrial heritage. If you’re looking for something very new and very different, this is it."

The Best New Hotel Openings of 2021
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@afar

The 14 Best New Hotels of 2021 Are All Sustainable - AFAR

"The most innovative way to stay in South Africa’s Kruger National Park offers a rare look at the social history of the country’s famous wilderness. Kruger Shalati hovers 50 feet above the Sabie River on a retired train track that carried Kruger’s earliest visitors into the park about a century ago. Developed by Motsamayi Tourism Group, which describes itself as South Africa’s oldest Black-empowered tourism group, Kruger Shalati offers 31 guest rooms (some fashioned out of refurbished train carriages) where travelers can look down at waters filled with crocs, hippos, and elephants." - Jennifer Flowers

https://www.afar.com/magazine/2021-stay-list-sustainable-hotels
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@cntraveler

Black-Owned Hotels Throughout the World

"One of 2020's most innovative openings, the Kruger Shalati in Kruger National Park has transformed a historic train sitting on the Selati Bridge into a modern hotel."

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/black-owned-hotels
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@tablethotels

Kruger Shalati - The Train on The Bridge (Skukuza, Kruger National Park) Verified Reviews | Tablet Hotels

"They mean it quite literally: Kruger Shalati - the Train on the Bridge is very much a train on a bridge, now immobilized and transformed into a truly one-of-a-kind luxury boutique hotel. The setting is South Africa’s Kruger National Park, and the train is, it must be said, a welcome departure from the tented-camp concept and aesthetic. It’s as luxurious as any of them, of course, but with the added inducement of a truly unique vantage point, on a bridge straddling the Sabie River, whose waters are full of crocodiles, hippos, elephants, and other wildlife." - Tablet Hotels

https://www.tablethotels.com/en/Skukuza-hotels/kruger-shalati-the-train-on-the-bridge
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cwsg

Google
Truly incredible experience at Kruger Shalati. We saw the full Big Five from our train carriage window: the staff are wonderful, and the food is a very high five-star level, as you would expect to find in a major international city. ||A particular thank you must go to our guide, Sidney, who was there with a smile every morning at 5am, ready for our morning safari. In our short six day trip, we saw more than 25 lions, 7 leopards, 7 rhino (5 black and 2 white) and numerous other rare sightings, including wild dogs. Sidney was so hospitable, incredibly knowledgeable, and he was clearly so passionate about the animals in the bush: he would go above and beyond to make sure that we always had the best view of the animals and to get ahead of their movements for a good photo angle. He really made our trip special.

bodhi_sam

Google
The location can’t be beat. From the train trestle you get a non stop show of elephants, hippos and crocodiles daily, countless birds, vervet monkeys trying to steal anything they can their hands on. Then there’s the special visitors like the buffalo and genet we spotted. ||The rooms and food are five stars. Dining staff are lovely and our guide Sizwe was THE BEST!!!!! ||All staff is very nice accept the massage therapists who came to our room only to make us feel very awkward. DO NOT get the head massage. Painful and they pull your hair out of your head. It was supposed to be a relaxing scalp and leg massage but when they weren’t pulling our hair they were barely massaging our legs and feet, as they spent half the time at the sink rinsing clothes, preparing lotions etc. The whole “treatment” felt like a waste. ||Housekeeping was another weird adventure. We used a washcloth the first night and left it on the floor to be taken. Housekeeping didn’t replace it so we asked for more. It took 2 days to actually get another washcloth. They kept giving us sparkling water tho we only drank the still. Our phone stopped working the first night and it took them 2 days to fix that too. It worked half a day then broke again.

Shels4ever

Google
Stayed here with my wife and thought it was excellent. The hotel is not all based on the train. The main reception and restaurant are buildings on the bank of the river along with a small amount of bedroom chalets in a semi circle beside the hotel. The hotel was spotless and the restaurant was on a platform overlooking the river.|| Our bedroom chalet was among the nicest rooms we've ever stayed in. The front section was the bedroom area looking out through a full glass front onto the central area. From the room it was not possible to look down into the River valley. The rear of the bedroom was a full width bathroom with huge bath, separate shower and wc. Spacious luxurious and very clean. There was a kettle and mini bar with complementary drinks and snacks. || The bridge has a central lounge car in the train but having a fear of heights, the walkway was high and I was glad we were in the land based room. The walk from the train bedrooms to the restaurant is about 100m I would guess so the land bedrooms are a little more convenient but lack the view of the wildlife with elephants and hippos visible below the train.||Service throughout was excellent and the staff were excellent. One night we were there, they had an outdoor buffet which was very good and traditional singers / dancers entertained us. Food was very good but range not quite as extensive as another hotel we stayed in. Breakfast was very nice but I felt it was limited by not having a buffet, this is the only feature I thought could be improved. Dinner was not buffet either but the food and service was very good.||Because the hotel is in the park, game drives were not limited by the park gate openings and this is a big advantage as the park is less busy and we were able to track two Lions hunting a buffalo herd, without having twenty other vehicles jostling for position. The game drives were excellent and much better than the drive we did with the drive we previously did starting outside the park.||Everything was included in the rate, food,drinks, drives and whilst expensive to us, it wasn't very different in cost to a hotel that charges for each drive, and had the big advantage of park access after dark. As the drives are the reason for our stay, we would consider the train on the bridge a better place to stay and would certainly stay here again.

Steven Hayes

Google
My daughter and I spent 3 nights here in May. The staff was exceptional. The room clean and comfortable. Food was very good. What really made it for us was our guide, Lawrence. He was so knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. What a great guide who went out of his way to insure we enjoyed our time there. You will be fortunate to have him as your guide.

devonpearman

Google
The resort is unique and beautiful, the views from the bridge over the Sabie river are breathtaking and often includes Hippos and Elephants. The Bridge house rooms were lovely as we had a young daughter that couldn't stay on the train, but you are able to access all the amenities of the train and pool. The food and service was truly exceptional and the game drive experiences were epic. We often are in the bush and generally in private lodges and this was a fantastic experience i highly recommend

AnitaC3306

Google
This must be the room with the best view in the world if safari is your thing. We could actually spend the day in bed, or the bath, and see all the animals coming to drink from the river below us. |Wow, the food, the staff, the facilities, the spacious room, all were amazing.|Game drives were great with lots of sightings. The one morning seeing 3 different leopards. Victor, our guide was informative and friendly. We will surely be back!

TravelingSince1980

Google
It was perfection! The people, the food, the safari,... I can't say enough about this place. I was traveling with my mother so we stayed in a garden suite because of the open concept showers on the train rooms. While the suites have an open concept shower as well, at least it's behind a wall. We also had a lot more space to spread out. We loved going to the central bar car to watch the hippos, elephants, water buffalo, etc below. I have dietary restrictions and they provided me with my own menu to choose from.||We had Victor as our safari guide. He gave us lots of information and answered all of our questions. We saw the Big 5! He arranged for us to go on a drive further into the park to look for rhinos. Interestingly, we saw a rhino just a few miles from the hotel! But I still enjoyed going on a longer adventure. ||Things I wish I had known beforehand:|The normal safaris start at 5:15am and 4:00pm.|Even though the park closes around 5pm, the hotels are allowed to drive around at night.|Weather channel lies and it's much colder than reported. The first safari was 42F when the Weather app said 60's! They give you a warm water bottle which helps.|I way over prepared for mosquitos and there were none.|The last day, they did a big boma dinner. I think they do this on weekends?|They clean your room twice a day. They do not like when you put the Do Not Disturb sign up if you are trying to decline the cleaning. Just do the room cleanings. LOL|We didn't realize there was more to the hotel until the last day. If you follow the tracks away from the train, it goes to another restaurant, an educational theater, and more shops.|They give you an option to tip the entire staff on your credit card when you're checking out.

sarah Pope

Google
Wow what an amazing experience me and my husband had. We booked the Shalati for our honeymoon. When we first got there we were blown away by the customer service that we got. The moment that we got there everyone knew our names, so many nice and kind people. The food was always presented perfectly and tasted amazing. Glenda and Gratitude were our waitresses. They were always so kind, always happy to see us, always had great recommending, and always remembered our usual drink order. They had great options for food and drinks. I loved how the menu was new every day (we stayed for 5 days) they were also very accommodating to any allergies. The pool bar was fast and the ice coffees were so good before a game driver. Every Wednesday and Sunday nights they bring in a choir and set up a beautiful buffet in the outdoor space they built, it was wonderful. Our game driver was Sipho. He was absolutely amazing. He had so much knowledge about the animals. He asked us every drive what we wanted to see and he made sure we got to see it! He knew where all the animals were hanging around and made sure we got the best photo! In the morning he provided blankets and a hot water pack to keep us warm ( it was really cold) in the afternoons we would stop for a drink and snacks. The safari vehicle was very nice and comfortable. Booking with a lodge you get to go out a hour before and stay a hour later than self drive and that’s when we got to see a lot of the rare animals that don’t like all the vehicle traffic. Our room was beautiful. When we got to our room the view was amazing #25 on the bridge. We were looking at more of the bush then the water, but the day we got there elephants were everywhere by our room! So no action missed! When we would come back from a meal it was re cleaned, bed made, new towels, mini bar stocked and even had fresh glasses and water bottles beside our bed. It was luxury. The service, once again was amazing (I think that’s what made our experience the best because of all the wonderful amazing staff they had) shout out to everyone there! Benedict always made sure we were having a great time, and if he could help in anyway, Lucky/KG also helped us book golf. I would recommend this place to everyone and anyone. I hope we can come back to experience this true magical place.