Mdumbi Backpackers

Mdumbi Backpackers offers an opportunity to become better acquainted with the local Xhosa community, whether as a casual observer or working onsite as a volunteer on community projects. Local people come to the site every day to avail themselves of facilities that have been set up for their benefit, including a library, computer center and pre-school. In addition, there is an excellent beach, coastal hiking, and guided canoe trips on the Mdumbi River. It is a friendly place with helpful management with an appeal for all age-groups and families who like quiet enjoyment of rural pursuits rather than partying.

The Location

Mdumbi Backpackers is located on an elevated site surrounded by a wooden stockade on the outskirts of Thsani village, a rural Xhosa community in Mthatha district close to and with panoramic nearby views of the scenic Mdumbi river estuary and beach. It is reached by driving for around two hours along the very scenic but horrendously potholed Coffee Bay Road, which turns off the main N2 highway near Mthatha district capital, and turning left for a short while approximately five kilometers before Coffee Bay.

The hostel is well signposted along the way, and the difficult drive with its additional hazards including reckless local drivers and stray domestic animals on the road is negotiable with care using a standard two-wheel drive vehicle and is best regarded as part of an opportunity to experience rural Africa. There is ample parking on the property. Guests without their own transportation will need to arrange a shuttle pickup in Coffee Bay or Mthatha, where there is a backpackers’ Baz stop.

Rooms and Bathrooms

Most of the sleeping accommodation is housed in comfortable, clean, round, traditionally constructed, thatched Xhosa houses known as rondavels and sometimes called “mud huts,” including several simply furnished multi-bed, mixed-sex dorms as well as some doubles. The “ethnic” feel is part of the attraction. There is a separate tent camping area within the property, and campers are able to use all the shared facilities. The dorms are not usually locked, nor are there lockers, but management will on request store residents’ valuables.

There is a separate shared mixed-sex rondavel bathroom/shower block and a simple shack elsewhere on the property also providing showers, and there is ample is space to change in the shower area, where there are hooks for clothes and soap dishes. Sometimes the shower is cold due to power outages.

Common Spaces

The kitchen/dining area is well equipped and has gas stoves, which is useful at times of power outage (candles are provided for such occurrences). There is a large common room/dining area/bar adjacent to the reception office, where guests can order meals and drinks, with an internet computer guests can use for payment, provided it is functioning; a library of tourist literature; and a book exchange. In addition, there is ample outside seating and in areas -- such as the games room -- that are covered but exposed on all sides. The hostel is kept clean and tidy, and smoking is not permitted in enclosed areas. Genaerally, the hostel does not seem unduly smoky.

Summary

Mdumbi Backpackers provides comfortable, quiet, reasonably priced, relaxing accommodation and is recommended for those looking for an authentic African experience and an unspoilt, non-commercial beach vacation.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2010