South Africa, or Africa in general, has always been a huge dream of mine. Not a lot of people know that I originally wanted to do a voluntary year in Africa right after graduating High School, instead of being an AuPair in America. It (un)fortunately never worked out and so Africa stayed a dream for a really long time. Even on this trip, I never originally considered South Africa as a stop, as I did not have the money nor the time. But as most things in life, nothing really goes as “originally” planned and so I found myself boarding a plane to Capetown in April. Two weeks of South African fun on a budget – here we go.

As mentioned, I did not intend to travel to South Africa and therefore had no budget planned for these two weeks. Knowing, that this wasn’t the cheapest destination to travel as a backpacker, I just knew that I wanted to see as much as possible in the most affordable way. So, in order to save money for some highlights, I firstly looked up all activities in the Cape Town area (and overall southern cape) free of charge or very affordable.

Free Walking Tours 

You know that I am a fan of free walking tours, because you get great insights, when you are new to a city or country and mostly meet cool people while doing so. I really enjoyed the tours of “Free Walking Tours” by nielsontours South Africa and actually joined two of them. They offer tours during three times of the day: at 11 am, 2:00 pm and 4:20 pm. They meet in front of the Motherland cafe every day, you don’t need to sign up, just come by and join any of their 5 tours (check out which tour is starting to what time). I did the historic city tour, which was great and the apartheid to freedom tour, which was incredibly moving. Besides these tours, you can also choose Jewellery and Diamond History, Bo Kaap and the Taste of Cape Town tour. These tours are based on tips, so if you loved the tour, be kind and give your guide the tip he or she deserves.

Hiking up Table Mountain and Lionshead

Going up Table Mountain when in Cape Town should definitely be on the bucket list. You can choose to take the cable car up there (ZAR180 roundtrip/ZAR85 one way), but if you want a nice little activity, you can hike up there for free. Just make sure to start your hike early enough and bring enough sun screen and water. This hike had me out of breath a couple of times, but definitely worth it. Turning back to enjoy the view while climbing up the (sometimes) rocky pathway was already amazing, but standing on top of table mountain is incredible. You have a beautiful view over Lionhead, the 12 Apostles and multiples beaches really wowed me.

Relaxing at one of many beaches (Camps Bay, Bouberg Beach, Hout Bay,…)

Visiting South Africa in April does not really suggest beach weather all days. It still can get fairly warm, but it also tends to get a little chillier, especially on the beach. This didn’t hold me back from grabbing my book and chilling there anyways. The sound of the ocean is so calming, looking at the water with the mountains in the back. Definitely watch the sunset on Camps Bay and join one of their outdoor Yoga classes on the beach (not 100% sure but they sometimes might even be for free). And for those of you that want to go for a drink after and have a bigger budget to spare, Cafe Caprice is quite famous in the summer and is supposed to have great parties on Sunday’s.

Hout Habour Market

During my first weekend in Cape Town, my South African friend took me to Hout Bay Habour Market. For starters, this was a highlight, because I was able to get a view of the stunning coastline for the first time. But also the market itself is very cute. You can get a beer, listen to music, have lunch or shop some souvenirs, arts and craft or Jewellery. Also, if you drive along the coast, there are always opportunities to stop and take pictures of the beautiful view.

Strolling along the V&A waterfront 

The waterfront offers a variety of restaurants, a huge mall, the habour with its many boats, where you can take a ride during the day but especially also during sunset. In addition, you can visit one of many little souvenir shops, listen to music on the promenade or visit a variety of different museums.

Exploring the colorful houses of Bo Kaap 

The historic area of Bo Kaap, also known as Malay quarter, is well know for its Islamic culture and heritage. The area became home to many Muslims and former slaves after slavery was abolished. Nowadays, you can walk around and take a look at the colorful houses and visit the Bo Kaap museum. Also, you should definitely try some food around there if you get the chance.

District Six Museum

This was recommended to me before I came to Cape Town and I am so happy that I went. The history of South Africa and their very dark apartheid days are still visible today by just looking at the many townships on the outskirts of the city. From 1948 until the 1990s, apartheid was a social system under the white minority rule, which institutionalized racial segregation (meaning the separation between white and black or other ethnically groups). To really understand how people were (and still are) effected by this terrible regime, the District Six Museum gives detailed and emotional insights, introducing different stories of the people who used to live in the multi-working class district six. During the apartheid regime, over 60,000 people were forcefully removed and sent into townships. This visit really had an impact on me, it’s very touching and would highly recommend checking it out. I’ve learned a lot about this period that I did not know before. The museum is open Monday until Saturday from 09:00 until 16:00 and costs R40.

Slave Lodge Cape Town Museum

During a rainy day, I went to check out the Slave Lodge Museum and can definitely recommend this one as well. The museum works under the slogan “From human wrongs to human rights” and firstly focuses on the long history of slavery in South Africa, but also focuses on other human rights topics (when I was there, they had an additional exhibition about abused women and in addition about sex workers and their life stories). Entrance fee is R30 and it’s open Monday until Saturday from 09:00 until 17:00.

Braai with a South African family 

This, of course, is not possible for everybody, but I am lucky enough to know a local from South Africa and so I got invited to join him and his family for Sunday Braai. Braai is the Afrikaans word for roast or BBQ and is a social occasion based on specific social norms for South African families and friends. Braai is cooked by men (braaier- BBQer in charge) of the family, who will also attend the fire, while women are responsible to prepare side dishes. Just like Asado in Argentina, I just love these kinds of traditions. Bringing the family and friends together on a regular basis to enjoy some food and share stories, update each other, is very special and a true value of their cultures. Thanks again for having me, it’s been great.

Botanical Garden Kirstenbosch

Also a nice activity if you want to have a relaxing day in nature. The botanical garden Kirstenbosch, founded in 1913, is located approximately 20 minutes from Cape Town, right against the eastern slope of table mountain. During nice summer days, you are granted a breathtaking view of the mountains and you can enjoy a wide variety of different plants and tree. The newest addition to the garden is the canopy walkway, which gives you an even better view over the premises. I took a book and really enjoyed the silence, getting out of the city. Entrance fee is R65 and the park is open from 08:00 until 19:00 during summer and 08:00 until 18:00 during winter.

Wine tasting in Stellenbosch 

All wine lovers will probably shake their head now, but I really don’t care about wine. Like, not at all. While I can do the occasional white wine quite enjoy it (but you could probably put a 3 euro bottle and a 80 euro bottle in front of me and I would not know what was going on), I can’t really stand red wine. BUT, South Africa is famous for its wine and so of course I had to join a trip to Stellenbosch. We went to two wineries (Delaire Graff Estate and Tokara Wine Estate) and I was surprised how cheap their deals actually were. Both estates were surrounded by beautiful sceneries, wine fields as far as the eye can see with majestic mountains in the background. But even if you don’t want to try wine, Stellenbosch is a super cute city and approximately 45 minutes away from Cape Town.

Hostels in Cape Town

In general, I found that accommodation in Cape Town and along the Garden Route is not super cheap in comparison to other countries (well, I guess you can’t really compare anything to Asia haha). I stayed in three different hostels during my time in Cape Town, mainly because I tried to find a more social hostel each time. The best hostel based on facility was probably Cape Town Backpackers. The staff is really helpful, they have a bar, a kitchen, a small restaurant for breakfast and offer a lot of different tours and tips on what to do in South Africa. It was, however, very quiet, which was probably due to low season, but after three days I had enough (Price point: R 190/night). After my trip to the garden tour, I decided on the Carnival Court hostel (Price point: R160/night) based on its reputation of being a party hostel, located right on Long street. Facility wise, this hostel is a real mess, I am sorry to say it. The rooms were old, uncomfy beds, nasty bathrooms and no party atmosphere at all, while I was staying there. Which led me to stay in my final hostel, just down Long street – the Cat and Moose hostel (Price point: R150/night). I really liked this hostel, not because it had any special facilities or the rooms were especially nice, but because they tried really hard to make their guests feel comfortable, which was super nice. They also offer a variety of different tours that you can book at reception and can also give you tips on where to go and what to do (especially when you are on a budget).

Transportation

It is a little complicated to figure out what a safe mode of transportation in South Africa is. The backpacker bus to move around within South Africa and from city to city is safe but quite expensive, so I didn’t even bother. I took a lot of ubers in my time there, which is probably also not the cheapest but safer ways to get around. I also walked a lot of places during the day, as I had time and wasn’t in a rush. Regarding public transportation, I heard people taking the train or a public bus and said it was fine, I also heard people to definitely not take either. I took a bus from Port Elisabeth to Cape Town and that was totally fine and comfortable. By the end of the day, the most comfortable way of traveling was probably by car. If you meet a group of people going in the same direction, renting a car is probably your best bet. But maybe you have some suggestions what your favorite mode of transportation there was?

The Garden Route

What a lucky day when I met Thu in my first hostel in Cape Town. Not only did we hike up Table mountain together, but also he was kind enough to take me on a 4 day road trip along garden route, even though he’s already seen most of it. Again, I think renting a car with a couple of people is the best way to get around here. It gives you more flexibility and is therefore probably the cheapest mode of transportation if you split costs. He already had a car rented and so we made our way towards Port Elisabeth – road trip whooop. Even luckier for me, all he let me do was to chip in for gas, which was beyond nice and I am very grateful.

The garden route, even though pretty touristy, offers beautiful sceneries and, if you are lucky, wild life and I am happy that I got to go after all. Our first stop was Kogelberg Natural Reserve, where we were able to watch a bunch of penguins chilling in the sun. We just spent an hour here before continuing, but if you want to see penguins besides Boulders beach, then this is a good alternative.

During day one we also stopped in Hermanus to have lunch and walked along the promenade and drove further to Cape Agulhas, which is the southernmost point of the African continent, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. Also, get fish and chips there if you get the chance at one of the tiny fish shops leading up to the left geht house. Really cool place to see and to walk around after a long day of sitting in a car.

From Cape Agulhas, we drove all the way down to Mossel Bay, where we spent the night in the Sundowner Loft. The next day, we then made our way over to the Mossel Bay lighthouse and St. Blaize trail, where you can hike along the coastline and beautiful beaches and even see whales, when it’s the season. From there, drove over to Victoriabaai, to eat lunch on the beach, and to wilderness beach to take some pictures. Our last stop of the second day was Knysna, where we went to the view point and had dinner at 34 South, located at the harbor. Even though this is not budget at all, you have to try the Oysters there. It’s a thing haha.

On day three, we drove over to Plettenberg Bay, Keurboomstrand and visited Tsitsikamma National Park. Here, you can do canoe tours, hike along different trails (for example the Otter trail) and cross Storms river via the suspension bridges. Also, the park is located fairly close to one of South Africa’s greatest adventures – the Bloukrans Bungy, the worlds highest commercial bridge, where people daily go on bungee jumps (I still didn’t dare).

We spent the night on day three in Jeffrey’s Bay, especially popular as surf town with a variety of beaches, outlet stores (Billabong, etc.)

On our last day, we drove up to Addo Elephant Park to spent the day there. I knew I wouldn’t have the budget to fly up to Kruger National Park, but definitely feel Addo already gave me amazing insights into the African wildlife. From lions, to elephants, to zebras, to buffalos, we saw quite a lot of animals, which makes me super happy. You can either book safaris or drive through the park with your own car and at the gate you will find a map with all the animals and locations, which were spotted the day before. Entrance fee is R 275 and the park is open from 07:00 until 18:00. Definitely worth a visit.

The last night, we then spent in Port Elisabeth, before I was taking a bus back to Cape Town and Thu flew over to Johannesburg. Again, thank you so much for taking me on this trip, if it wasn’t for you I don’t think I could have made it.

Even though my time in South Africa was limited, I had amazing two weeks there and even though being an a budget is tough, it’s definitely possible if you are willing to make sacrifices. In general, I have to say, South Africa is not your typical backpacker destination, especially when it comes to getting around cheap and easy and I sometimes found it hard to step outside the touristy bubble of Cape Town and the Garden route and look behind the scenes of South African opportunities and struggles. I had a very interesting conversation with one of my Uber drivers, who grew up in the townships of Johannesburg. Hearing about the level of poverty, about the struggles of his family and about his path to even make it as a driver really puts everything into perspective and makes you rethink how you get to know a country as a tourist versus when you actually take the time get to dive in deep. I would have loved to break out of my touristy state of mind even more to see the real South Africa for what it is, but for that I think I need more time, have to travel further into the country and talk to a variety of different people, because there are just so many stories and so many different sides. So, South Africa, I will be back.