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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Greetings and salutations all fellow travelers! Hope you are all on fantastic trips and awesome adventures.
This is going to be the last (sniff!) of the Baz Blog series - but never fear, any questions you might have can be posted here as comments (or anywhere, really), and Ben or I will get back to you.
In this post we revisit Baz Bus basics and take a second look at the options for backpacking travel in SA. But first, a links summary of my coverage of the complete Baz Bus route:
Leg One (Cape Town, Garden Route, and part of the Eastern Cape)Leg Two (the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast and Durban)Leg Three (”the Loop”: Durban to Joburg and back, via the Drakensberg, the Kruger Park, Swaziland and the game reserves of KwaZulu Natal)See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticketComplete Baz Bus coverage on SA BlogFind a backpackers/hostel in South Africa
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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Female Kudu
Technically, this is the last section of our Baz Bus route: we complete Leg Three at last, from Swaziland to Durban in the direction that I travelled. However, if you have the same ticket that I had, after Durban you would proceed back to Cape Town, going backwards on Leg Two and Leg One.
In this section of the Baz Bus tour, we explore an area of Kwazulu Natal known as Zululand. This is my hometown backyard and I was thrilled to get back and frolic in the sugar cane and on the old ocean shores again.
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Sani Pass, Lesotho
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” From Durban (the end of Leg Two on the Baz Bus route), you have a choice of two roads to follow for Leg Three: you can continue up the coast to Swaziland, or head inland through the Drakensberg Mountains and straight to Johannesburg, the city of gold.
I chose the latter of the two, planning to continue on towards Swaziland after Joburg.
Here we go again, then - waking up at the crack of dawn to hop on the Baz Bus and head into the mountains.
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
Side Note: Leaving Durban, be sure to check your time for the Baz Bus pick-up! If you are heading north to Joburg, pick-up is 7h30 a.m., and if to Swaziland, it’s 6.30am. I know from experience what it is like to get the times mixed up, luckily for me it meant an extra hour on the beach, rather than a rush to get out of bed.
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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Wild Coast Splendor
Beginning our Leg Two coverage of the Baz Bus route, we leave Port Elizabeth (a.k.a. NMMM) traverse the Sunshine Coast and head into the Wild Coast. This is the section of the Baz Bus route where if they offered frequent rider miles I would have earned 2 round trip tickets.
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
BAZ STOP: PORT ALFRED
During the numerous runs I made on the Baz Bus up and down this coast I never did get a chance to stop in at Port Alfred. Some call this small town “The Heart of the Sunshine Coast”, and from what I heard it lives up to its name. From excursions up the Kowie River to lazing on pristine beaches, activities abound in this little village. Hop on the train at the Station Backpackers and visit Bathurst with South Africa’s first pub, The Pig ‘n Whistle or for those who like to live dangerously…. visit the Bathurst Museum for The World’s BIGGEST PINEAPPLE!
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SA Blog is exploring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Continuing our Leg One coverage of the Baz Bus route, we pull out of the Garden Route, and into the Eastern Cape. But first a -
DINNER BREAK
Somewhere between Storms River and Cape St. Francis, the Baz Bus pulls into a little diner, where you can get some pretty good sandwiches, or go to the Steers for a hamburger.
We now enter the Eastern Cape (home of two major destination coasts: the Sunshine Coast and the Wild Coast), three stops away from our mandatory overnight.
See Baz Bus Route Map | Book Baz Bus Ticket
BAZ STOP: CAPE ST. FRANCIS
This first stop in the Eastern Cape is a relatively unknown surfers’ paradise. However, the legendary waves at Cape St. Francis can often be evasive. While I didn’t have a chance to stop here, I heard amazing things and it sounded like a good place to chill and maybe do a little fishing.
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Cherry posts a comment, asking - What’s a good backpacker’s in the Knysna-George region? Is it safe to take minibus taxis? Is there anything he should know, travel-precautions-wise, vis-a-vis the fact that he’s Indian?
Interesting questions, Cherry - and right up SA Blog’s alley!
Knysna Accommodation:
The first resource you’ll want to peruse is our own Trekker’s backpacking trip through the Garden Route, which has information on where to stay in Knysna, Plettenburg Bay and Storms River (where the Bloukrans Bridge is). Fortunately, the travel distances in the area aren’t too great: you can stay in one place and enjoy the activities in other places without too much inconvenience. Your backpackers will help you make arrangements.Trekker recommends: Wildside Backpackers in Knysna.Backpackers: more Knysna accommodation.Backpackers: more Garden Route accommodation.Tree canopy safaris: Storms River Adventures Company.
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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Kruger Circus
Following the second Leg Three Baz Bus route in reverse, we leave the City of Gold and Gauteng Province behind us, and enter Mpumalanga Province (pronounced mm-poo-mah-LONG-ah, try saying that three times fast after a tequila shot or two…). This province has breathtaking scenery as far as the eye can see - and is also home to the world-famous Kruger National Park, named after Paul Kruger, leader of the “South Africa Republic” in the late 1800s, who founded the park in 1898. Today’s post is loaded with Kruger pics!
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Continuing our Leg Two roamings, we depart the Eastern Cape and enter KwaZulu Natal, my home province. Yahoo!
KZN is also is the home province of the Zulus, who were molded into a fierce nation by Shaka kaSenzangakhona pheZulu in the early 1800s. Shaka was one of the most influential African kings ever born, and his military exploits led to a complete reorganization of many Southern African tribes. Today, the Inkatha Freedom Party holds the primary claim to Shaka’s legacy, though as a political force it is on the wane.
"Raggie"
Formerly split into Natal Province and the “homeland” of KwaZulu, the area amalgamated and was renamed Kwazulu Natal in 1994, after SA’s first democratic elections.
A province of great contrasts, KZN’s landscapes range from a warm tropical coastline, to fertile valleys filled with sugarcane as far as the eye can see, to the majestic (and, in winter, snow-bearing) Drakensberg Mountains, site of the famous uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park.
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
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The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre
74 New Church Street
Cape Town | Map
The Backpack
Accommodation type: Backpackers/Hostel
Number of stars: 4
Rooms starting from (per person sharing): R100
SA Blog recommends? Enthusiastically!
Snippet
The pool is huge, the food is good, the activities are many, the location is central and The Backpack is popular - not to mention Fair Trade-certified and a major Baz Bus port o’ call - so book ahead!
(See full review below.)
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SA Blog is exploring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Playing with Fire
Welcome back, fearless travelers, and strap yourselves in, because the next 10 Baz Bus stops promise hair-raising adventure and nature galore!
Continuing with Leg One of the Baz Bus route, and picking up where we left off (in Oudtshoorn, I believe it was), we probe deeper into the Garden Route.
See Baz Bus Route Map | Book Baz Bus Ticket
BAZ STOP: WILDERNESS
The start of South Africa’s Lake District, and right in the heart of the Garden Route, Wilderness is as beautiful as its name suggests.
Approaching with the Baz Bus from the west, the first thing you see are stunning beaches, breaking waves, lagoons and rolling hills. From surfing, abseiling, canoeing and kloofing to just sunbathing on the beach, there is much to do in Wilderness.
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