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*Note - most private lodge Safaris only offer clients a 3 hour Sunrise and Sunset Safari. Our Safaria experience offer clients full day safaris through the Southern region to maximise your experience and ensure that you see and understand as much as possible of this iconic wilderness. We will expose you to as much of the Southern Kruger as possible, from the camps to looks outs, hides and outposts. We will explore over 4 different eco-systems and provide endless sightings and photographic opportunities. An area that is rich in history and heritage we will share with you this historical locations and the fascinating history that accompanies this legendary safari destination. With us you will Learn, See and Understand so much more. It is however all flexible and designed around you so let us know how you would like to create the perfect experience and Andrew will make it happen!

4 Day customisable itinerary :

Day 1 : 

You will be collected  from your hotel in Johannesburg or directly from Nelspruit MQP or Skukuza Airport.  If transferring from Johannesburg via road transfer you will be collected between 06h00am and 07h00am on the morning or according to your landing time at either of the Airport's should you choose to fly. Your drive time is estimated at 5 hours and your flight time is roughly 45min from take-0ff to landing. 

Your private Guide Andrew Wagner will meet you on your arrival at either Paul Kruger Gate or the respective Airport. You will be collected on one of our luxurious Open Air Safari Vehicles and make our way immediately into the Park and on a Afternoon Safari as we make our way to Skukuza Camp and the Selati Line for check in on the Kruger Shalati Train hotel. We will try and spend as much time exploring the surrounds until sunset and dinner. Dinner will be on the train. 

Day 2 and 3

Over the course of Day 2 and 3 you will explore the surrounding savanna on Open Safari Vehicle with Andrew who will give you and in-depth understanding of the history and heritage of Kruger and the Selti Railway line whilst searching for Big 5 and all of Kruger hidden treasures. On both days you will head out early starting with coffee whilst listening to the dawn chorus. Each day will be different so that Andrew can expose you to as much of Krugers raw beauty as possible and ending with sundowners on the train overlooking the Sabie River. 

Day 4 

On your last day you will be collect after breakfast an make your way out on a sunrise safari drive to you final point of departure. From their you will either make your way to the Airport or back to Johannesburg via road transfer. 

The Safaria Experience - Why ?

The most important aspect of any Safari is your Guide and who you travel with. With Safaria you will be Guided by one of Krugers most sought after Safari Guides - Andrew Wagner. Have lead 100 of Safaris through Kruger, his ecological understanding of the this environment and his wonder-filled storyboard and attracted famous clientele and influential leaders from all over the world to spending a day or a few days in Kruger with him. A dedicated and lifelong scholar of this natural environment as well as the early history and establishment of the Park, Andrews knowledge on the Park is fascinating and sets the Safaria experience apart. Apart from that he's just a lovely chap to spend the day with, don't just take it from us bur have a look at what his clients say. 

The Origins of the Kruger Shalati Train hotel and the Selati Railway Line

The new Kruger Park Train Hotel called the Shalati Train Hotel in Kruger Park, is without a doubt an exciting addition to the classic Kruger Park Safari experience. This new form of experiential safari in Kruger Park offers guests a truly unique safari which encompasses the rich history or the region and its unrivalled biodiversity. The Railways of Kruger are an incredibly important part of the modern era of Kruger’s success. In fact some would argue that if it was for the ZAR (South African Railways) "Round in 9" route, its possible that Kruger could have taken a completely different direction. In order to understand their significance we must go back in history to realise their importance in the establishment of the Kruger National Park. 

In 1914 James Stevenson Hamilton, the first Warden of the Kruger National Park had to rejoin the British Army in France for the duration of the World War 1. During his absence from South Africa and the Sabi Game Reserve, the existing Union government in South Africa appointed a commission to decide wether or not the future of the Park was a viable one. Since James Stevenson Hamilton had a arrived, there had been a significant decline in poaching in the Park and subsequently due to the war, there had been a further decline in hunting as an economic driver. As a result the Park’s original purpose had stagnated and there was now increasing pressure to make the area available for farming as opposed to sustainable hunting. The decline in hunting meant that the Park became an expense to maintain and without a self sustaining financial model, it wouldn’t be a viable entity to continue with into the future. Unless land was making money it had no value. The pressure now mounted to have the reserve de-proclaimed. The survival of the Sabi and Shingwedzi reserves now hinged on a single regulation and what was considered to be a radical idea,the proclamation of a National Park, but even so it needed to be able to “learn to walk” by itself otherwise it would be a monolithic drain on the Union. 

The success of Kruger came in the form of many little victories all culminating at the same time and all being driven by James Stevenson-Hamilton and his unrelenting desire to make Kruger a success. At the same time that he was lobbying the American's for the Yellowstone National Park model he had also built a relationship with Harry Caldecott of the South African Railways. Together they had hatched a plan to use Kruger as a key point of interest and stop over on there Railways Tour known as the Round in 9 as it took none days to complete the tour that departed from Johannesburg to Lourenco Marques (Mozambique) and returning via a single night in the Kruger using the Selati Rail between Crocodile Bridge and Sabi Bridge.The Selati Railway line ran from Komatipoort to Skukuza or then known as Sabi Bridge over a distance of approximately 80 kilometers. The first plans for this railway commenced in 1893 with the project being awarded to the Belgium Oppenheim brothers. It was tendered for at 6,000 pound sterling per kilometre and was intended to connect Komatipoort in the south east corner of Kruger and the Selati goldfields some 300km north west of Komatipoort. 

Not even two years after starting the Oppenheim brothers had only laid 40km of track and no records of payments could be found in South Africa. The project was a scam and shortly after Government had smelt a rat, the Anglo Boer War broke out in 1899. For 15 years no construction took place but the 80km line between Sabi Bridge post and Komatipoort post was used by the British and they stationed the wild and crazy Baron Steinacker and his horsemen to defend line and the border between Mozambique and the old Transvaal. Such was the history of the old Selati Railway and it took the vision of Stevenson-Hamilton and Caldecott in the early 1920’s to see an opportunity to bring tourism to Kruger. What the “Round in 9” tour offered was exclusive use of the Selati Railway line entering at Komatioort and travelling all the way up to Sabi Bridge where the train would stop for the night. Guests would be treated to a wonderful dinner around a ranging fire with lots of liquor and stories of the wild African bushveld. It was an absolute success and gave Stevenson Hamilton the necessary leverage to propose a National Park that would support itself through tourism. One could almost say “ an the rest is history” as this all culminated in the Kruger National Parks promulgation in 1926 and is today one of the last iconic wonders of the African savanna.

Today the Shalati Train hotel in Kruger captures the essence of this early 1920’s railway safari through Kruger and takes guests back in time to a very unique and exclusive location. 

KRUGER SHALATI BOOKINGS - From September 2020

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