Online booking is not offered for this Hostel. Contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed below).
Please see Grace Valley for other available Grace Valley hostels and accommodations.
Please see Grace Valley for other available Grace Valley hostels and accommodations.
The Hostelz.com Review
Drakensberg International Backpackers is the closest one to nature reserves including Kamberg with its excellent guided tours of the Game Pass Shelter with its well preserved Bushman Rock art and Highmoor, which offers excellent hiking possibilities. A day trip to the picturesque Giant’s Castle mountainous area with its many hiking trails is also a reasonable proposition. It is suitable for people of all age groups and for families.
The Location
Drakensberg International Backpackers enjoys a beautiful, remote rural location beside an artificial lake with a mountain backdrop. It is a large property with extensive grounds, consisting of a large thatched family house known as Dragonfly Lodge, 21 Highmoor Road, Grace Valley, Highmoor and various ancillary buildings. Public transportation is not a serious option. Travelers with their own vehicles need to drive thirty-five kilometers from the main freeway linking Durban and Pietermaritzburg with northern KwaZulu Natal and Johannesburg, the last three-and-a-half kilometers being on a gravel road.
There is ample parking next to the dormitory block and on the grass beside the family house, but since there is a lot of rain during the summer, wheels can become stuck in the ground. Employees are usually on hand to push vehicles if necessary. Self-caterers are advised to stock up in a supermarket in a city such as Pietermaritzburg before undertaking the long drive to this hostel.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dormitory block -- housing a multi-bed, mixed-sex dorm with bathroom and kitchen -- is at some distance from the family house, where the reception and a number of the common areas are located. There is a room lock but no lockers. Guests would need to approach the owners regarding safekeeping of their valuables. In addition, there are various rustic log cabins and rondavels -- traditional round, thatched African-style houses -- dotted around the property, some of them picturesquely located near the artificial lake and offering a variety of accommodation including double and twin rooms and a few bunks, and there is a huge amount of space for tent camping.
There is a mixed-sex bathroom block with two showers and two toilets close to the family house. There is space to change in the shower rooms, and there are hooks for clothes and soap dishes. However, since the bathrooms are shared by campers and occupants of the cabins, congestion must be inevitable at busy periods. Perhaps this is rarely a problem, as the hostel appears to be less frequented than it deserves to be, due to difficult access
Common Spaces
Meals and drinks are provided by the family. These may be consumed in the family dining room or on the terrace outside, where there are ample dining spaces. Self-catering campers or those using the cabins share the family’s well-equipped kitchen and are also welcome to sit in the family’s lounge and even watch their television. The family is very friendly and welcoming and not at all obtrusive. The house is kept spotlessly clean, as indeed is all the accommodation, and the servants are even willing to wash guests’ dishes. Smoking is not permitted in the house. The previous owners had a sound system, which would have been ideal for partying and dancing, but this is no longer in use, making this a more suitable hostel for those who like it quiet.
Summary
This hostel is a friendly, comfortable, if remote place. The rates are reasonable for the standard of accommodation offered, although we were subjected to a small, unexpected charge for use of gas and electricity.
The Location
Drakensberg International Backpackers enjoys a beautiful, remote rural location beside an artificial lake with a mountain backdrop. It is a large property with extensive grounds, consisting of a large thatched family house known as Dragonfly Lodge, 21 Highmoor Road, Grace Valley, Highmoor and various ancillary buildings. Public transportation is not a serious option. Travelers with their own vehicles need to drive thirty-five kilometers from the main freeway linking Durban and Pietermaritzburg with northern KwaZulu Natal and Johannesburg, the last three-and-a-half kilometers being on a gravel road.
There is ample parking next to the dormitory block and on the grass beside the family house, but since there is a lot of rain during the summer, wheels can become stuck in the ground. Employees are usually on hand to push vehicles if necessary. Self-caterers are advised to stock up in a supermarket in a city such as Pietermaritzburg before undertaking the long drive to this hostel.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dormitory block -- housing a multi-bed, mixed-sex dorm with bathroom and kitchen -- is at some distance from the family house, where the reception and a number of the common areas are located. There is a room lock but no lockers. Guests would need to approach the owners regarding safekeeping of their valuables. In addition, there are various rustic log cabins and rondavels -- traditional round, thatched African-style houses -- dotted around the property, some of them picturesquely located near the artificial lake and offering a variety of accommodation including double and twin rooms and a few bunks, and there is a huge amount of space for tent camping.
There is a mixed-sex bathroom block with two showers and two toilets close to the family house. There is space to change in the shower rooms, and there are hooks for clothes and soap dishes. However, since the bathrooms are shared by campers and occupants of the cabins, congestion must be inevitable at busy periods. Perhaps this is rarely a problem, as the hostel appears to be less frequented than it deserves to be, due to difficult access
Common Spaces
Meals and drinks are provided by the family. These may be consumed in the family dining room or on the terrace outside, where there are ample dining spaces. Self-catering campers or those using the cabins share the family’s well-equipped kitchen and are also welcome to sit in the family’s lounge and even watch their television. The family is very friendly and welcoming and not at all obtrusive. The house is kept spotlessly clean, as indeed is all the accommodation, and the servants are even willing to wash guests’ dishes. Smoking is not permitted in the house. The previous owners had a sound system, which would have been ideal for partying and dancing, but this is no longer in use, making this a more suitable hostel for those who like it quiet.
Summary
This hostel is a friendly, comfortable, if remote place. The rates are reasonable for the standard of accommodation offered, although we were subjected to a small, unexpected charge for use of gas and electricity.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2010
Drakensberg International Backpackers Details
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Location/Contact| Address | Dragonfly Lodge, 21 Highmoor Road, Highmoor, Grace Valley, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa |
| Website | None (if you know the URL of their website, tell us and we'll add it) |
| Telephone | 033 267 7241; 074 158 3982 (cell) |
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
I went to South Africa to visit my brother who's working there, I spend fifteen days visiting the country, I've seen a lot of different places, things, people but one of my best memories is this place "The Drakensberg International Backpackers" and the guys I met there. The place is so good, and beautiful, really if you're planning to spend time in the central Drakensberg, just follow this way. From Rosetta, take Kamberg turn off thirty kilometer tar road, take Highmoor turn off four kilometers to Grace Valley sign. — Marine (from Belgium) (2006-08-03)