Page 37 - Blue Valley News August/September 2021

TRAVEL

Each carriage is an en suite apartment
with a glass wall allowing guests to either
sit in armchairs or lie in bed observing the
elephants bathing and watching the ever-
present fish eagles patrolling the river.
On the south side of the carriages, guests
can stroll along the bridge’s walkway
or lean against the railing watching for
whatever might be moving about down
below.

For a birder, this alone was a thrill and I
now wonder which is the better birding
vantage point - Selati Bridge or, 10 minutes’
drive away, Lake Panic’s famous bird hide.
In the hazy distance to the west, one
can watch spectacular sunsets over the
kilometre-high Drakensberg escarpment
while, to the east, one can see the
crest of the Lebombo Mountains on
the Mozambique border stretching
southwards to eSwatini (formerly
Swaziland) and Zululand.

At the end of the Boer War, there was Their descendants are, nowadays, the world’s heaviest flying bird, the almost
uncontrolled hunting along the Sabie conservationists and form most of the 20kg kori bustard.
and the government called in a Scot, team that manages the Train on the
Lieutenant-colonel James Stevenson- Bridge. They also patrol the now 360km- Driving along this river, one frequently
Hamilton, to stop the killing which, long reserve, watching for poachers. sees lion, leopard, buffalo, zebra, herds of
incredibly, he did. A quarter-century later, impala and wildebeest and several other
he became the first warden when the This lower reach of the Sabie River is, kinds of antelope. Not that one is assured
region was proclaimed as a national park. biotically, the richest river in Southern of seeing all this from the bridge. Even an
I met him on his 90th birthday and heard Africa. Above and below its fast-moving elephant can hide and a pride of lions,
first-hand how he took control. water, an abundance of wildlife flourishes from even half-a-dozen metres away, can
– just as it has for millennia. blend invisibly into the savanna.
He was called ‘Skukuza’ by the local people.
One interpretation of his name is: ‘the man Potentially, it is possible to see from the The wonder of the Train on the Bridge
who turned everything upside down’. bridge snatches of the richest wildlife experience is that all this wildlife is there
Fair enough. But some historians believe show on earth for this is the habitat of and at some stage might appear. Once
the name given to him by the tribe living the world’s three largest land mammals – international tourism picks up, overseas
there and who, for centuries, had freely elephant, white rhino and hippo, as well visitors are in for a treat but, in the interim,
hunted using bows and arrows, spears as the world’s tallest animal, the giraffe. South Africans are able to get in there at
and, later, rifles, was less complimentary. I have seen along this river the world’s hugely discounted prices.
Their translation was ‘the man who wrecks fastest mammal, the cheetah, and the
everything’. world’s biggest bird, the ostrich, as well as Guests have access to the train’s smart
lounge carriage where drinks are served.
Breakfasts, lunches, afternoon tea and
dinner prepared by chefs are part of the
deal. One can swim in the train’s circular
pool perched 15m above where crocodiles
and hippo are doing the same.
At a later stage, seven land-based family
rooms will be available next to the bridge
in what will be known as Bridge House,
which will overlook the river and include
a honeymoon suite. (Children are not
allowed on the bridge itself).
Kruger Station (the old Selati railway
station) down below is open to anybody
visiting Kruger Park and so is the Selati
Train Restaurant and a bar for casual meals,
as well as a novel play zone for children
and a 360-degree family cinema. BV

For more information visit:
www.krugershalati.com.

BLUE VALLEY NEWS • Issue 4 2021 • 35