South Africa Backpacking and Budget Travel (original) (raw)

South Africa is a favourite destination for backpackers from around the globe. This exciting country offers a wide range of attractions and adventures for the traveller, as well as an established network of backpackers lodges and hostels, budget tours and transport options for the backpacker or budget traveller.

Backpackers hostels and lodges are clean, well run and generally fun and often offer single and double rooms, as well as the traditional dormitory, with shared bathrooms. All of the backpackers lodges which appear on SA-Venues.com are registered, accredited establishments.

Over the last few years, so many hostels have opened that you can travel the length and breadth of the country staying only in backpackers hostels. The best way to travel between them is on a special bus, the Baz Bus, which provides a hop-on, hop-off, door to door service between hostels.

Search our directory of South Africa Tours for package tours and day trips by category. Adventure tours, budget tours, camping tours, hiking tours, self drive tours and student tours are categories recommended for the backpacker and/or budget traveller.

Bed & Breakfast / Self Catering

Sani Lodge Backpackers

The Lodge provides a wide range of clean, comfortable budget accommodation as well as 3 charming, self catering cottages, deep in the majestic So...

Self Catering

Isinkwe Backpackers Bushcamp

Isinkwe Bushcamp Backpackers, home to the bushbaby, offers budget accommodation. This s a rustic bush lodge based 15km South of Hluhluwe and only...

Bed & Breakfast / Self Catering

Amakaya Backpackers

Amakaya Backpackers hostel and self-catering accommodation is 300m from the shops, restaurants and pubs of Main Street, Plettenberg Bay and 800m ...

Self Catering

Fairy Knowe Backpackers

Fairy Knowe Backpackers offers a variety of accommodation in Wilderness. Choose from double en-suite rooms, twin rooms, family en-suite rooms, fa...

Backpackers Lodge

Barrydale Backpackers

Barrydale Backpackers offers quality and affordable accommodation and is an ideal stop for guests looking to explore Route 62. The establishment ...

Bed & Breakfast / Self Catering

Freedom O Clock Backpackers

Freedom O Clock Backpackers Retreat is a small, rustic and eco-minded family run spot offering double rooms, family rooms, rondavels and camping ...

View Backpackers Lodges by Province

Western Cape

Pictured: Hout Bay Backpackers in Hout Bay, Cape Town
Backpackers are well catered for in the vibrant 'Mother City', home to Table Mountain and a must for any traveller, with many hostels and backpackers lodges not just in the Cape Peninsula, but also in the surrounding regions of the Wineland...

Garden Route

Pictured: Nothando Backpackers Hostel in Plettenberg Bay
The Garden Route is very popular with backpackers and student travellers due to its extraordinary array of outdoor activities, including the 216m Bloukrans Bungee Jump. Backpackers lodges and hostels have sprung up in the coastal towns of ...

Eastern Cape

Pictured: Tube n Axe in Tsitsikamma
Port Elizabeth, South Africa's 'Friendly City', beckons backpackers with the promise of year-round holiday fun (it boasts more sunshine than any other coastal town in the country) and the Eastern Cape coastline is ideal for watersports from...

KwaZulu Natal

Pictured: Monzi Safaris Backpackers in St Lucia
Throughout the year, holiday-makers flock to their favourite KwaZula Natal coastal haunts to cultivate a tan, ride the waves, eat, drink and generally have fun. Further north, KwaZulu Natal's game rich Zululand and Elephant Coast provide an...

Gauteng

Pictured: The Pretoria Backpackers in Pretoria
Gauteng is the entertainment epicentre of South Africa and home to O.R. Tambo International Airport, the primary airport for international travel to or from South Africa, which makes Johannesburg the ideal starting point for backpackers tra...

Mpumalanga

Pictured: Sabie Gypsy's Backpackers in Sabie
Mpumalanga, known as "Paradise Country" and home to the world renowned Kruger National Park, is a must-see for backpackers. Hostels and backpackers lodges abound in the quaint towns of the Panorama Route, with its scenic attractions - God's...

Limpopo

Pictured: Elephant Walk in Phalaborwa
The Limpopo Province appeals to the adventurer (it is a land of legends, myths and ancient civilizations) and nature lover (it has an abundance of wildlife). It is also the gateway to the neighbouring countries of Mozambique, Botswana and ...

North West Province

Pictured: Pilanesberg Tented Safari Camp in Pilanesberg
The Hartbeespoort Dam and the Sun City Resort are favourite weekend destinations for Johannesburg residents and also summon backpackers from around the world. Travellers are also drawn to the North West Province for its wildlife and cultura...

Free State

Pictured: Mosamane Guest Farm in Rosendal
Any traveller who heard Nelson Mandela's famous words "The Free State landscape gladdens my heart", will surely want to include this rural province in their itinerary. Wide horizons, blue skies, mountains and golden farmlands are the backdr...

Northern Cape

Pictured: Orange River Rafting Lodge in Vioolsdrift
The contrasting landscapes of the Northern Cape draw adventurers from around the globe. From trips on the Orange River to 4x4 trails in the dunes, backpackers are sure to find an activity to suit their interests and a hostel or camping site...

Why Book with SA-Venues.com

Get detailed information about each backpacker lodge, good quality images (exteriors and interiors), read guest reviews, compare rates and discounts, and make direct bookings with your chosen backpackers lodge in South Africa. You pay no booking fees when making your reservations via the SA-Venues.com site and all properties are verified backpacker lodges.

Hiking in South Africa

South Africa boasts absolutely exquisite and picturesque terrains. Whilst modern advancements allow for such scenery to be viewed from the comfort of a 4x4, most prefer to explore this rugged beauty, on foot. Hiking in South Africa around the ...

Camping in South Africa

South Africa offers over 700 camping sites in popular holiday destinations - in or near nature reserves and wildlife parks, near some of South Africa's attractions and most famous landmarks, on the coast and on popular tourism routes ...

View all backpacking lodges by province, indicated with red markers on the map below. Blue markers show some popular backpackers around the country.