Backpacking through South Africa

 Hello all! It's me, Maesha.

To be honest, I had every intention of regularly maintaining this blog since its inception during my baby years of 2013 but a combination of laziness and not entirely knowing what direction I wanted to take it in kept me from doing so. I'm more realistic now so I'll be honest and say I don't know when my next post will be :)))))) BUT a lot of friends have asked about my trip & what I did because they want to visit SA so I decided to consolidate my thoughts into a post. 

So first, why South Africa? I was initially hesitant to visit because I knew that the effects of apartheid are still overwhelmingly apparent and I had personal ethical dilemmas with being a tourist where that was the case (I think about the political space I occupy when being a tourist & think it's important to be conscious of that. Turkey (Kurdish occupation) & Israel (Palestinian occupation) are the highest on my list of places to boycott) but post-visiting, I saw that South African politics/society are actually extremely parallel to US politics/society and I was able to relate to South Africans on a very personal level. I really learned from every conversation I had with my South African pals so I encourage those of you who will be going to have them too. 

That being said, I had a really great time. I traveled with The Baz Bus which I liked primarily because it allowed me to meet other backpackers going my route BUT if you can drive and/or have a pal or two with you, a manual car rents for about $15 a day & automatic ones for $30. If I could drive, I'd choose the latter option. In addition, if I did my trip over, I'd just travel with Greyhound/Intercape busses because it's significantly cheaper to do so. You meet people either way if you stay in backpackers/hostels. If you decide to drive, I recommend waiting until you get to South Africa to rent as the rates are significantly cheaper in person (you can book directly from your accommodation). If you plan to visit other countries along the way, I still recommend renting from SA because the rates are cheaper in comparison to neighboring countries. 

I was in South Africa for a total of 18 days (and Namibia for 2 weeks before that) & the days FLEW by. I generally start to get homesick after the 14 day mark of traveling but after a random bout of it, I started actually dreading the prospect of my trip ending!! For my Zabiha-eating Muslim pals, my homesickness is almost always attributed to the food options in countries where the diet is primarily meat based. In SA, you'd be hard-pressed to find non-halal options. SA is also very accommodating towards vegetarian/vegan diets so there are a plethora of options for everyone.

Here is a sketch of the route I took:

The green line illustrates my initial route from Cape Town to Northern Drakensberg and the purple line shows you the route I took back. 

Some important things to note: I traveled during July, which meant that it was winter in the Southern hemisphere (think 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit). That means it was low season (I prefer to travel during low seasons) but in South Africa, it was extremely low. There were hostels I stayed in where I was the only person spending the night. I stopped along the Garden Route (Cape Town to Port Elizabeth) a lot because the stops on the Baz Bus were plentiful & I didn't plan my trip in advance so I took advice as I went. The Garden Route is made up of cute little coastal towns and stretches of beautiful beaches but it was desolate during July because of the weather. I didn't really love it there but the Wild Coast (PE to Durban) was so beautiful. If I did my trip over, I'd spend a lot more time THERE and a LOT less time in the Garden Route. I would also stray from the coast and take Greyhounds or Intercapes inland because I've heard of how beautiful it is out there.

Here are some highlights of my favorite towns from this trip: 

Cederberg: This isn't on my map because it was actually a part of the Namibia overland package but it was so beautiful. We camped along the Orange River but I have no idea exactly where. That's okay though because regardless of where along it you decide to stay, you will be in awe of all the natural beauty surrounding you. Whew. 

Hermanus (Garden Route): Whale town!!! It is maybe 1.5-2.5 hours from Cape Town and extremely small but I had an amazing time. I went during the absolute beginning of whale season which means the whales had only just begun their journey to the South African shore so I didn't get to see any BUT this little town is apparently teeming with my favorite animals in the world around August/September. I stayed at the Hermanus Backpackers (after a really shady encounter with a CouchSurfing host) and it was super nice. Also had the world's most AMAAAAAZING veggie burger at Char'd. Ugh!

Knysna (Garden Route): The weather in Knysna was much nicer than a lot of the stops before it. A little bigger than Hermanus. Lots of great coffee + food. I met some really dope people here! I took The John Benn cruise which I actually wouldn't recommend because it was a little boring. If I did it over, I'd just hike one of their many trails. Also ended up visiting/learning about a local Rastafarian community at Judah Square with a new friend where I learned a lot! 

Storms River (Garden Route): There's a cafe inspired by Marilyn Monroe called Marilyn's 60's Diner. Food was okay but the diner was soooo cute. Almost had a wild encounter with a Baboon here during a hike. I didn't get to visit Tsitsikamma National park but I hear it's stunning so if you have a bigger budget than I did/are keen to hike through it then I definitely recommend that.

Coffee Bay (Wild Coast): Ugh. Probably my favorite part of South Africa. You have to take a bus to the Mtatha gas station and then, a 2 hour shuttle (100rand) by the end of which you'll be exhausted but you must stay at the Coffee Shack. Spent a couple of nights & met so many cool people there. I actually ended up not doing much but making new friends/watching sunsets & listening to local drum players here but the Hole in the Wall hike is pretty popular. The shack wasn't offering that hike during my couple of days there but if you have someone to go with, highly recommend just doing it by yourself.

Durban: A lot of people said they felt "meh" about Durban but I loved it so much there. It's a big city so if you don't like big cities, you might skip it. I stayed at the Curiocity which was such a cute, spacious hostel. They have free breakfast (I had so many pancakes topped w/ butter & brown sugar) which actually isn't too common in SA and the most well equipped kitchen I've ever seen. Durban boasts the largest Indian population outside of India so the food goes NUTS. I made really cool friends and a really kind CouchSurfing host drove me around the city explaining the history of Bunny Chow (which I have not had a chance to have to this DAY but you have to) & how Indians were brought there as indentured servants. Durban is also always sunny so even when every other place before it had a slight chill, Durban did not disappoint with the constant beach weather.

Northern Drakensberg: Okay this is only on my list because I plan to go back to it one day. I stayed at the Amphitheatre Backpackers which was a good stay (btw their kitchen is so big but absolutely unequipped) but I didn't get a chance to go on any of the hikes because they were so expensive. You CAN do hikes by yourself for so much cheaper although the backpackers will insist it's not recommended. I met so many people who'd done them that I felt sad I hadn't met them earlier to take me along with. So, if you're in town, you must. 

Cape Town: I saved this for last even though I spent the most time in Cape Town. I love Cape Town & can see myself living there. I fell in love with the friends I made, the AMAZING coffee I drank, the plethora of options for food I found...Cape Town is such a special city. It reminded me a little of New York because it's busy but it's surrounded by mountains which makes it 10x better. Everyone is outdoorsy and grows up hiking to Table Mountain or Lion's head. My favorite things to do were: watching the sunset over Camp's Bay, picnicking over Signal Hill, catching the sunrise over Lion's Head, and walking through the colors of Bo Kaap. I had the best vegan food in the world here. It's a perfect city. 

As you can tell, most of my favorite experiences in my favorite towns were people-centric. I love traveling mainly because I'm in love with discovering Earth's varying landscapes and South Africa had a beautiful mix of greenery, mountains, hills, beaches, etc. but I met people (tourists and locals alike) that I could really relate to. I felt so, so at home that the very idea of homesickness was far away from me. This was one of my most favorite trips I've taken thus far in life & I hope that I was able to help some of you with some ideas to plan your itinerary! 

Next time I'm in South Africa, I want to do all of the inland spots I didn't get to. For those of you who have yet to go, add Hogsback to your list.

Maesha