Nelspruit Backpackers

Situated in a quiet suburb Nelspruit Backpackers is situated on the Baz bus route. The building is colorful and a nice welcome is in store for you upon arrival. Both the dorm rooms and private rooms are quite bare but are maintained to a reasonable standard. The prices are average for South Africa, being neither too cheap nor too expensive. It is also close to all the local amenities (about five minutes walk through a very safe neighborhood).

The outside area is not too well maintained and the pool did not look like it had been cleaned for a while -- the water was green. The "bar" leaves a lot to be desired as the owner does not have a licence to sell alcohol so it is teetotal. The indoor lounge area has a TV with a poor reception and a pool table that gets used for pretty much everything except for pool. The kitchen area is tidy and spacious and they do offer free tea and coffee.

The owner of the hostel also organizes and runs his own tour company that takes trips into Kruger. From various feedback I received as well as experiencing it firsthand, it is quite poor in comparison to several other companies. There is a travel desk but there seems to be little organized about it.

Overall, it is situated in a nice area with local amenities on offer but as a place to organize your stay trips to Kruger National Park or elsewhere, it is not the place to stay. With a "dry" bar it is not a lively place either.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review