The Kruger Shalati will see a former train station be repurposed into a luxury hotel set on an unused historic railway bridge. The bridge, which crosses the Sabie River near the Skukuza Rest Camp, will be the hotel’s permanent base, providing a breath-taking setting and unparalleled experience for guests looking for a deluxe African safari.
The hotel will honour African excellence in every aspect, paying homage to the early adventurers who explored the surrounding wildlife park nearly a century year ago. The Kruger Shalati train-hotel is positioned in the exact location where the locomotive would park overnight in the early 1920s when visitors first began coming to the now world-renowned park.
The hotel will boast 24 permanently fixed, glass-walled train carriage rooms with cascading views across the waterway, bringing together the idyllic combination of Africa’s most awe-inspiring natural splendours with definitive luxuries. The interior of each expansive coach will be fashioned as a sumptuous den, adorned with organic furnishings, patterns and textures. Afro-chic with characterize the décor and in tribute to African design, local art and crafting skills will be on display throughout the hotel.
Exclusively for persons 12 years and older, the Train on the Bridge will boast a variety of lavish facilities, including an overhanging pool complete with an extensive deck and plush loungers. With crocodile, hippos, buffalos and elephants sauntering in the waters below, the pool will provide a swimming experience unlike any other.
The destination will also have a land-based segment housed in the former train station. Titled the Bridge House, it will host the reception area along with 7 guest rooms, one of which will be a dedicated Honeymoon Suite and another suite kitted for families. All 34 of the hotel’s rooms have been designed to immerse guests in utter comfort while fostering a deeply visceral experience.
Nestled in the southern Kruger, this region is ripe for the exploring. The perfect spot from which to embark on endless days of slow safari travel, guests have an abundance of activities to choose from nearby. Game drives, guided walks and all the Big Five action one could dream of are at your fingertips.
Kruger Shalati is accessed via the Paul Kruger and Phabeni gates of Kruger National Park, a 5-hour drive from Johannesburg, 2 hours from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and just 4 kilometres from Skukuza Airport.
The hotel was initially set to open in December 2019, but has been postponed as a result of the current pandemic. The prospective date for launch is now in the last quarter of 2020, but is subject to change depending on the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on tourism.
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For more details visit Kruger Shalati’s website here or Thebe Tourism Group here.
Images © Thebe Tourism Group