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”.
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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SA Blog is touring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Smitswinkel Bay
Now that you have toured along with me on the entire Baz Bus route (Leg One | Leg Two | Leg Three), it is time to head back to Cape Town and take the Baz Bus Cape Peninsula Tour, the best of its kind.
Peninsula Tour Essential Info
Cost: R350 per person
Discount: R30 off the tour with any Baz Bus tour over R500
Penguin Sighting
Duration: Full Day Tour (8am – 5pm)
Runs: Daily except Mondays.
Includes: Light breakfast, scrumptious lunch, South African tour guide, bicycles, all entrance fees.
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”.
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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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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SA Blog is exploring South Africa on the Baz Bus, following the adventures of intrepid Baz Blogger Kathy - a.k.a. “Trekker”.
Leg One of the Baz Bus route has a total of 17 stops and goes through two provinces.
Balancing Act
The Western Cape route includes 14 stops, from Cape Town to Storms River. Within this, the Garden Route (Map | SA Blog) - part of the Western Cape - encompasses the stops from Mossel Bay to Storms River.
From there we enter the Eastern Cape, with 3 stops, before we get to the mandatory stop in Port Elizabeth (the Nelson Mandela Metropole).
See Baz Bus route map | Book Baz Bus ticket
For this entry I am going to focus on activities and highlights From Cape Town to Oudtshoorn.
Penguins
Hi-ho hi-ho, it’s off to the Western Cape we go…
Waking up around 6 a.m., be prepared for your Baz Bus pick-up anytime between 6.30am - 7h30 a.m. But remember that sometimes traffic causes delays, so don’t stress!
Be sure to have your Baz Bus ticket or number ready for the driver. Never fear if it gets lost in the shuffle, the drivers are very helpful (I should know).
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