This 100-Year-Old African Train is Now a Luxury Hotel

South Africa is known for its vast landscapes and assortment of wildlife. While there are many places in the country to explore its breathtaking nature, the Kruger National Park has to be the best. 

As a UNESCO heritage site, the Kruger Park spans more than 7,500 square miles and boasts the Big 5, as well as 147 other species. Visitors can choose to go camping (or glamping) or stay in resorts and hotels within the park. One such hotel may be worth venturing to the Kruger just to stay at.

You may be familiar with the Orient Express, on which passengers traveled in opulence through Europe. The Kruger Shalati was a luxury train in its former life and is now an equally luxurious hotel. Situated on the Selati Bridge, above the Sabie River, it marks the exact spot where the train used to stop overnight. 

“In the 1920s, as the national park was declared, this was the only way you could visit as a guest—by train, which would park on this same bridge overnight as part of the rail journey—it was one of the most popular legs of the nine-day route that used to run on this line. We’ve taken the concept and given it a contemporary interpretation,” the hotel stated. 

Although it no longer entirely resembles the train from yesteryear, the Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge is still every bit worth the ride.