Hostelling Through South Africa by Bus

Youths who want to travel independently in South Africa but want the security of established tourist services can have both, thanks to the Baz Bus, which operates a national hop-on-hop-off service that takes backpackers to any of 180 hostels on its route.

Hostelling International (HI) South Africa is offering combined accommodations and Baz Bus packages, City Discovery packages, and a deal that gives youths seven nights for the price of six at its 24 hostels.

You can start from any place on the Baz Bus route and stop as often as you like in more than 40 cities, towns and villages. You can take as long as you like too; there are no time restrictions. The service runs along the coast between Cape Town and Johannesburg by way of Swaziland or Northern Drakensberg.

For details, log onto https://www.bazbus.com or contact Baz Bus, 8 Rosedene Road, Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa 8005, telephone 011-27-21-439-2323, fax 011-27-21-439-2343.

The HI-Baz Bus packages include airport pickup, transportation, HI accommodations and one day trip. For travel between Cape Town and Johannesburg via Swaziland, the package costs $252 to $336 for 14 to 28 days. Via Drakensberg the cost is $221 to $305.

At HI hostels, men and women stay in separate dorms. Many hostels also have double rooms, pubs, swimming pools and travel centers.

The HI City Discovery packages include accommodations for two nights, continental breakfasts, airport transfers, a day tour and other discounts. Prices are valid until Dec. 31.

A Johannesburg package for a single traveler using dormitory accommodations is about $54; for two using a double room, it’s $116. Day tour choices include a trip to Soweto, with a visit to Nelson Mandela’s house; the Gold Reef City history-themed amusement park; Museum Africa; or the Sun City entertainment complex. The three participating HI Johannesburg hostels are HI-Backpackers Ritz, in a mansion with a beautiful garden overlooking the city; HI-Inchanga Ranch, 20 minutes from the city center (with horseback riding available); and HI-Airport Backpackers, which is near the airport and convenient to craft centers and restaurants.

A Cape Town package for a single with dormitory accommodation costs $53; a double is $120. The package includes a day tour to Cape Point on a Baz Bus, with a picnic lunch and bicycles. (There’s a support van.) There’s also a visit to Boulders Beach to see a colony of endangered jackass penguins.

The Durban package, for a single person in a dorm, costs $51. For a double room, it’s $110. Tour choices include a walk in the Valley of 1,000 Hills, with a meal with a Zulu family (part of the tour fee is donated to community development); a visit to a wildlife reserve; or a cultural tour of Durban.

The Pretoria package is $54 for a single or $116 for two. You can choose between a tour of Pretoria City, Cullinan Diamonds (home to the world’s largest gems), Ndebele Tribal Village (known for its artwork), a cheetah research center, the Sun City complex or Soweto and Johannesburg.

HI packages must be purchased before you arrive in South Africa. Each package has a booking form that can be completed online (https://www.hisa.org.za) and forwarded to the national office by fax.

You must have HI membership, available from your local association (https://www.hiayh.org). For more information, contact HI South Africa, P.O. Box 4402, Cape Town, South Africa 8000; tel. 011-27-21-424-2511, fax 011-27-21-424-4119.

For general information on South Africa, log onto the South Africa Tourism Board at https://southafrica.net.