3 African Hostels that Rock

Camping East and South Africa for 4 months didn’t mean that we had to miss out on discovering brilliant hostels or backpackers. In fact a lot of the hostels have gardens where you can pitch your tent for next to nothing. We love to camp, but we also love the communal backpacking aspect of hostels so this was the perfect budget arrangement. We’ve stayed in hundreds of guesthouses, hostels, and backpackers around the world and I think we can say these three we discovered  in Africa are the best we’ve ever stayed at. These three weren’t just a place to lay your head at night, they were a travel experiences that we continue to talk about for years later.

Mayoka Village, Nkhata Bay, Malawi

Mayoka Village

Mayoka is the kind of backpackers hideaway that embraces you and begs you to stay forever. We arrived at Nkhata Bay, on Lake Malawi, with the intentions of staying just a couple of days. It took us two weeks to finally, heels kicking, drag ourselves out from under the Mayoka’s spell and continue on our way.

Our terraced campsite

Mayoka sits on the rocky headland of the Bay down the end of a small, dusty track winding its way in from town. The water can only be reached by a scramble over the rocks or from a quick jump from your chalet’s balcony, that sits near to the water’s edge. The terraced campsite beside the lake was the place for our tented sleeping place for only $1 a night.

The owners, Gary and Katherine are all about giving. Giving to the local community and to their

Gary rocking out

backpacking guests. Walking tours of the local villages were given by the Mayoka staff , complimentary snorkelling gear and kayaks could be used to explore the nearby sandy beaches and natural diving platforms. Hostel volleyball competitions were played on the beach in town in effort to raise money as well as continue the vibrantly, happy family atmosphere of the backpackers. Locals were invited in every night to join the party while village bands and acrobatic duos entertained us. Gary was never short of a joke, a tale to tell, or whiskey shots on the house.

Ashanti Lodge, Cape Town, South Africa

Ashanti pool and balcony bar

The Ashanti Lodge in Cape Town is an old Victorian mansion with  palm trees lining the balconies that overlook the relaxing gardens. Table Mountain forms an impressive background as you swim in the pool or drink beers from the bar deck. Ashanti is also located only a few minutes walk from Long Street, the place of night time vibrancy.

Ashanti is a popular place for backpackers, and many even stop and work for awhile to pay for their lodging. The staff are incredibly helpful and friendly. They have an in house booking desk for the many tours and activities that can be done in and around the Cape Town area. I became quite ill with tick bite fever while staying here, and the staff could not do enough to make me feel comfortable, call in doctors and aid in my recovery. Ashanti has dorms, private rooms, and when we were there a small strip of land at the side of the building where we could pitch our tent.

Every night at the Ashanti was party night. There was no better place to be inspired to have a sunset drink then with the views of Table Mountain from the balcony bar, with

Aussie Day, Balcony party

all the guests of the hostel. Our Australia Day party there rang on through the wee hours of the morning into the next day and was filled with much laughter-created memories.

With the World Cup kicking off now, the Ashanti would be the perfect place for soccer lovers to stay. It’s affordable, fun, safe, laid back, and right in the thick of the Cape Town action. There’s no doubt plenty of soccer parties will be happening at this hostel.

Bibs Hostel, St Lucia, South Africa

The private hippo pool

Bibs Hostel is located in St Lucia, a small estuary town in the St Lucia wetlands in Zululand South Africa. St Lucia wetlands is a world heritage site and is uniquely comprised of 5 ecosystems, at your doorstep to explore. St Lucia is a very small town, full of relaxed charm, and completely in tune with its natural surroundings. We camped in the gardens by the river where hippos are known to frequently graze at night. Not only that hippos are often sighted roaming around town in the evening, eating from the gardens of the neighborhood homes, or even walking down the street outside the local pub.

Bibs Hostel gave us an experience of wild animal encounters, and family fun never to be forgotten. The workers there treated us daily with free activities to get to know the local area. Sean and Clinton,  our guides, had a wealth of knowledge of the diverse plant and animal life, which they freely shared with us on our many fascinating wildlife walks.

Wetland walk

We spent our days crawling through the underbrush and lantana of the dune forests, getting dunked in the surf of the wild coastline, on the hunt for leopards in the wetlands, (having to settle for crocs instead), drive by hippo hunting at night, and invading isolated hippo pools known only to the locals. Did I mention that this was all for free?

It wasn’t just out of the ordinary wild encounters that was so magical about St Lucia. The evenings were spent with other travelers enjoying cultural Zulu dancing shows put on by Bibs, games of volleyball at dusk by the banks of the rivers watched by the crowd of hippos and crocs, games of frisbee golf, night time braais, drinks, and bonfire parties on the beach. St Lucia and Bibs hostel is a place where any traveler could get lost for an indeterminate amount of time. My heart misses it’s wild and pleasant pulse.