Amapondo Backpackers

Port St Johns is about a five hour drive south of Durban. Amapondo is a great beach getaway, as well as being a base for charity work. The Amapondo Backpackers hostel offers free daily activities to explore the area, and many guests end up staying longer than planned.

This hostel is not too close to the town and takes approximately forty minutes to walk there, but it is less than a five minute walk to the beach, with sea views from the balcony. There is off road parking and the hostel runs a free shuttle to the Baz Bus stop at another hostel five minutes' drive away. The only way to get to Port St Johns is by Baz Bus, self-drive, or a long distance minibus, but being so remote makes this a safe idyllic town.

The dorms are large and spacious, with a mixture of bunks and singles. There are no locks to the doors but guests can leave valuables with the owner to put in the safe. There is a unisex toilet block with interesting tiled floor and murals past the dorm rooms. It has three WCs and two sinks, plus a sink for washing clothes. There are three external showers with half the front wall being open, being at the top of a slope and overlooking trees, and having hooks for hanging clothes and large enough to change in. There is another unisex toilet and shower block in the middle of the complex, near the open seating area.

By the car park are the private rooms and behind this is a large open self-catering kitchen. There is a decked walkway along the front of the hostel, which passes the outside sitting area. This has a bonfire with wooden seatings, lit at night with drum sessions often happening. There are also picnic tables on a deck area. Next to this is the bar / restaurant with two sofas as the only indoor seating area. Further along is the reception, which has a book exchange and a few curios for sale. After this there are hammocks and outside sofas off the walkway, with the dorms and end toilets and external showers. The bar can get busy in the evenings, but the atmosphere is generally relaxed, chilled and sociable. Socialising and meeting other people is helped by the daily free activities the hostel run, such as a guided walk to a waterfall, visiting a local mudcave, and a drive to watch the sunset from the top of the mountain.

This hostel is a favourite of many and it is easy to see why. It is both close to the beach and remote enough for those who want to enjoy relaxed seclusion, but with all the activities and nightly drum playing around the open fire, it is also easy to meet new people, as well as getting out and about.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review