{"id":843137,"date":"2025-11-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=843137"},"modified":"2025-11-21T15:49:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T13:49:20","slug":"inside-the-abandoned-train-turned-luxury-lodge-that-costs-up-to-r16000-per-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/843137\/inside-the-abandoned-train-turned-luxury-lodge-that-costs-up-to-r16000-per-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the abandoned train turned luxury lodge that costs up to R16,000 per night"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Visitors are flocking to the Kruger National Park to stay at Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge, which is an old railway train turned into a luxury lodge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once part of the Selati railway line that carried visitors into the park a century ago, the train now stands permanently on the Selati Bridge at Skukuza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lodge recently earned global attention after Lonely Planet included it in its Best in Travel 2026 guide, ranking it among the top 25 travel experiences worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recognition places the converted train alongside international landmarks and experiences that range from adventure activities to world-renowned hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying there, however, comes at a steep price. Rates range from around R9,500 to R12,900 per person sharing for most visitors, while single rooms can pay as much as R16,000 a night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this depends on the season and room type, as well as whether the guest is a local or international visitor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the high cost, the lodge attracts steady interest, especially from international guests drawn to its unusual setting and design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea for the project originated from Thebe Tourism Group, which aimed to preserve the history of the old train while offering a unique way to experience the Kruger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1920s, visitors to the park would sleep overnight in the train on the bridge, often after a night of performances and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The modern version revives that concept, but with comforts more in line with a five-star hotel than an old rail carriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kruger Shalati offers two main accommodation types \u2013 24 Carriage Suites on the bridge itself and seven Bridge House Suites nearby on the riverbank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The train\u2019s carriages have been redesigned to be far larger than traditional compartments, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that look directly over the Sabie River and surrounding bushveld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to expect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Guests often spot elephants, hippos, and other wildlife from inside their rooms or from the infinity pool, which is built into the timber deck of the bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside, the d\u00e9cor combines local and natural materials, with carved wooden screens, woven rugs, and patterned blankets inspired by southern African designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bridge House Suites, positioned next to the bridge in a garden setting, provide the same views and access to the lodge\u2019s main areas, including the dining and lounge spaces and two swimming pools overlooking the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project has been praised for how it reuses an existing structure rather than building something entirely new in a protected area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its appeal lies not only in luxury but in the novelty of staying on a bridge in the middle of a national park, a rare setting even by global standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While traditional game drives are still offered, the experience at Kruger Shalati is less about covering ground and more about staying still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lodge\u2019s fixed position encourages guests to watch and listen rather than chase sightings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recognition from Lonely Planet highlights the growing international appetite for South African destinations that combine heritage, creativity, and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Visitors are flocking to the Kruger National Park to stay at Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge, which is an old railway train turned into a luxury lodge.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":843182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[18498,24114,853],"class_list":["post-843137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-kruger-national-park","tag-kruger-shalati-the-train-on-the-bridge","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843137"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":844021,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843137\/revisions\/844021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}