Reviews of Kruger Shalati - Train on The Bridge & Garden Suites

Everything is outstanding: the staff, the rooms, the game drives. The food, it’s amazing. Lunch, dinner , the menu change all the days with lots of incredible options. Caesar our driver, unbelievable. Incredibly friendly and always doing his best for the group

The spa services are not in the same level as the rest of the services.

Everything was perfect! Place is beautiful for itself! Staff highly friendly, they made us fell better our home!

I think previous communication about how tips work is good because some cultures don’t have this practice and we could be more prepared about this issue.

This was our second time at Shalati and again it did not dissapoint. We were treated like royalty. We also enjoyed the new dinner surprise. We celebrated my brothers birthday and they went out of their way to make it spesial. Our Game drives were unforgettable with amazing sightings. We cannot wait to go back.

Absolutely nothing. We did not want to leave.

I was delighted with Kruger Shalati. All the staff were very helpful, the room was super comfortable and clean, and the vegetarian food was excellent and plentiful, but the highlight was the game drives. The vehicles are great, and the guide Sizwe is excellent. It was incredibly moving to see the animals in their natural habitat and know I was disturbing them as little as possible. It was incredibly moving to see hyenas nursing, impalas and baboons playing, and giraffes feeding. I managed to see many elephants, which was the animal I most wanted to see. On Saturday night, there was a traditional music performance, and I was deeply moved by the beauty of the music. Everything was perfect, and I can't wait to go back.

Nothing, everything was perfect.

The people, the food, Victor our ranger was the best! And JJ treated us amazing too! The view and the fact that they thought about everything so we could relax!

An amazing experience of spoiling and special times. Mk was a superb guide and Angie made us feel like royalty.. Super spoil for our whole family

Leaving made us v sad. Room 6 has one loose tile near the bath.

Everyone was exceptionally friendly. We felt like royalty. Train cabins were absolutely luxurious with an amazing view over the river. My husband had his birthday, and they prepared something special for him to help celebrate his birthday. What an amazing getaway.

Location

Toilet door handle broken

Fantastic Location, Super Luxurious bedroom, Game Drives were fabulous. Value good when the cost of drives and extras are considered. Staff excellent.

Food selection not huge although quality excellent. Would have preferred a buffet style breakfast supplemented by cooked portion

They went over board they made our stay a memorable one

Nothing

We had a great time. It was to short.

Exceptional service from the staff

A bit costly for local tourists but still worth every cent

The word Shalati means Queen and that is how I felt from the moment we stepped off the plane in Skukuza. The whole experience at Shalati was soul touching and life changing. From MKs warm smile at the airport to Jane's welcome at Shalati, we knew we were destined for 5 amazing days at this fabulous lodge. Every little touch was thoughtful and over the top to ensure we had the best experience, with Benedicks smile.Dining with Glenda and Gratitude, whose warmth & kindness blessed us each meal. We even got to meet Glenda's mother on a community tour between drives. Glenda noticed we were not finishing our meals & asked if everything was meeting our needs - which YES - all meals were healthy and fresh and amazing. She then inquired if we would prefer smaller portions, which is so thoughtful as we did not want to be wasteful. Gratitude was newly promoted but you would never know that she wasn't a professional. We loved every moment with these two wonderful women. Then there is Sipho, our ranger/guide, his knowledge of the animals, his amazing eye and willingness to track down an animal was above and beyond. Over the 5 days of our morning and afternoon drives plus one 6 hr private drive, we formed a deep bond with Sipho. His smile and laugh always brought joy to the cold cold mornings. Our biggest regret is not booking for private drive time with Sipho. We also saw the Big 5 on our first drive out with him but his eye for other animals is undeniably keen - a porcupine in the dark with its spindles out! An ardvark!! When we booked there was only 1 night available on the train bridge so we took full advantage & also got massages on the train bridge. The Shalati team worked to see if there was a way for us to continue our stay on the train but in the end we moved over to the cottages for our last 3 nights. We quickly realized we loved the spacious beautiful cottage and were beyond happy!

The word Shalati means Queen and that is how I felt from the moment we stepped off the plane in Skukuza. The whole experience at Shalati was soul touching and life changing. From MKs warm smile at the airport to Jane's welcome at Shalati, we knew we were destined for 5 amazing days at this fabulous lodge. Every little touch was thoughtful and over the top to ensure we had the best experience, with Benedicks smile.Dining with Glenda and Gratitude, whose warmth & kindness blessed us each meal. We even got to meet Glenda's mother on a community tour between drives. Glenda noticed we were not finishing our meals & asked if everything was meeting our needs - which YES - all meals were healthy and fresh and amazing. She then inquired if we would prefer smaller portions, which is so thoughtful as we did not want to be wasteful. Gratitude was newly promoted but you would never know that she wasn't a professional. We loved every moment with these two wonderful women. Then there is Sipho, our ranger/guide, his knowledge of the animals, his amazing eye and willingness to track down an animal was above and beyond. Over the 5 days of our morning and afternoon drives plus one 6 hr private drive, we formed a deep bond with Sipho. His smile and laugh always brought joy to the cold cold mornings. Our biggest regret is not booking for private drive time with Sipho. We also saw the Big 5 on our first drive out with him but his eye for other animals is undeniably keen - a porcupine in the dark with its spindles out! An ardvark!! When we booked there was only 1 night available on the train bridge so we took full advantage & also got massages on the train bridge. The Shalati team worked to see if there was a way for us to continue our stay on the train but in the end we moved over to the cottages for our last 3 nights. We quickly realized we loved the spacious beautiful cottage and were beyond happy!

Food was amazing and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

The accommodation is breathtaking with views over the river. You can watch elephants and hippo graze below you. The food is fantastic, every meal was an experience and the hotel staff are attentive and cater for every need. If you are looking for out of this world accommodation and food, with exceptional service than this is a must visit.

For what you pay the game drives are not up to standard. Our game viewer was noisy, with things rattling constantly. The ranger did not pack enough tonic for the afternoon drive so I could not have a drink (I don’t drink any of the other options he had and we were not asked what we would like to drink on prior to the drive). On the morning drive he did not pack enough cups so one of the guests had to drink out of a takeaway cup. We also drove the exact same roads as you would if you were doing a self drive and had our drink stop at Nkuhlu in the morning. These are all this you can do without having to pay Shalati’s price. Similarly priced lodges in Sabi Sands give a much better game viewing experience with more professional rangers. If we had to book at Shalati again we would try and book a self drive option and rather drive ourselves around the park. Since the lodge is located in the Kruger Park and have to share roads with the public, they need to put extra effort into their drives that set them apart from all the other game viewers and self-drive options. At this stage they don’t compete with other lodges in similar price ranges in Sabi Sands and for game viewing we would rather book there.

Everything was great but menu very foreign for local people if need to give a constructive comment

Morning drive was cancelled due to majority of the group deciding dont want to go…