The train that "goes nowhere"

Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge is a hotel located within Kruger National Park.

South Africa is home to some of the most nostalgic and luxurious train journeys in the world . For some enthusiasts, the "train that goes nowhere" is a highlight of this southern African country.

According to CNN, Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge is a hotel in Skukuza within Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest wildlife reserves and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The train consists of carriages converted into 24 modern suites with balconies and swimming pools overlooking the Sabie River. It combines luxurious accommodation with wildlife, where guests can admire the "Big Five" of Africa – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo.

Jerry Mabena, CEO of Motsamayi Tourism Group – the company that owns the hotel – said the joint venture aims to create a space “back to the park’s early days,” when steam trains passed through Kruger in the 1920s on the Selati railway.

Trains used to be very important for tourists visiting Kruger and would even stop overnight on the same bridge where the hotel is located today.

A new railway line built on the edge of Kruger in the 1970s rendered the Selati line and the bridge inoperable, but in 2016, an idea emerged to restore the bridge to its former glory.

Mabena said: “Our idea was to recreate the experience in one form or another. When we had the opportunity to buy old, broken-down train cars from Transnet – the company that operates rail logistics services in South Africa – we couldn’t say no to the idea.”

Mabena said the train cars' interiors had been renovated with a modern style, although with some touches of Art Deco.

"Art Deco" – short for French Arts Décoratifs – is a style of visual art, architecture, and product design that first emerged in Paris (France) before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe from the 1920s to the early 1930s.

According to Mabena: "We are trying to present a non-colonial image."

Tourists experience the "Train on the Bridge" ride.

If guests leave the curtains open, they can wake up at dawn and be greeted by the first signs of life outside from the floor-to-ceiling windows facing east.

The river is the heart of the wildlife, and visitors can spend the day lounging on the balcony or swimming in the pool while exploring the activities below.

Mabena said, "The hippos snarling beneath the train cars will appeal to those who want to immerse themselves in wildlife but don't want to drown in it."

However, many tourists also prefer to "tie their boots" and get into a vehicle heading into the jungle with a guide.

Among the company's staff is the experienced tour guide Thuli Mnisi. Mnisi was hired as part of an effort to engage the local community in the business. She had worked as a tour guide for other companies since 2014 before joining Kruger Shalati.

“(It’s) completely different from other vacation spots,” she said. “When (visitors) first come to the ship, it’s spectacular and the scenery is unique.”

Kruger National Park allows visitors to experience self-driving tours, but Mnisi says having a guide would be best. She says, “We communicate with each other, we know where we can find animals.”

"If you drive yourself, you can only go around Kruger National Park, and it's a very large area. If you go with a guide, they know what they're doing, they know where to find what, and exactly at what time."

The gardeners have planted native species on the hotel grounds and maintained the kitchen garden, with the produce served in Kruger Shalati's upscale dining restaurant. Local delicacies include crocodile, venison, and antelope carpaccio…

Chef Vusi Mbatha said: “Mother Nature is the true artist – that’s one of the philosophies we share: Take simple ingredients and transform them into something extraordinary.”

Wildlife in Kruger

After delays in development due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel opened in December 2020 and is now welcoming guests for its fourth summer.

Double and twin cabins on the ship start at 9,950 Rand (US$530) per person per night for international guests, with discounts for longer stays. One of the seven rooms in the adjacent Bridge House is even cheaper. The price includes all meals, some drinks, two excursions, and airport transfers.

If visitors feel their vacation has "too much wildlife" and "not enough trains," Motsamayi also boasts Kruger Station, just south of the bridge, which is where the last train service in the park departs.

Stuck after most of the park's tracks were removed in the 1970s, South African Railways' No. 24 steam locomotive has "lived many lives" and is now "enjoying a happy retirement" next to a restaurant and bar.

Mabena said, "I think steamship culture and historic ship culture are starting to make a comeback."

"We don't have steam-powered ships yet, but I think we will someday."

TB (according to Vietnam+)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/doan-tau-khong-di-den-dau-diem-den-hut-khach-o-vuon-quoc-gia-kruger-374515.html