{"id":283,"date":"2020-03-10T08:28:38","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T08:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/?p=283"},"modified":"2020-03-10T08:28:38","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T08:28:38","slug":"south-africa-part-ii-amatola-trail-eastern-cape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/10\/south-africa-part-ii-amatola-trail-eastern-cape\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa Part II &#8211; Amatola Trail, Eastern Cape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When we started looking at backpacking trips in South Africa, it was surprisingly difficult to find a true backpacking loop. South Africa refers to backpacking as hiking between places and staying in a hostel every night. Far different than what we had in mind. But thankfully we found a hut-to-hut trip along the <a href=\"https:\/\/amatolatrails.co.za\/wp\/#top\">Amatola Trail<\/a> through the Away with the Fairies Hostel. Our version of backpacking is carrying our own tent, food, and everything we need, but the hut trip was actually pretty nice because we didn&#8217;t need to carry a tent which cut down considerably on weight. Bonus for Tom! The Amatola also requires a minimum of 3 people to hike, in case something happens to someone, but we convinced Dan that we were experienced enough and had a SPOT tracker with us that we could signal for a helicopter evacuation if necessary. He said &#8220;okay&#8221;! Dan owns the hostel and set it up so everything to hike Amatola is coordinated through him &#8211; airport pick up and drop-off (it&#8217;s about 1.5 hrs from the East London Airport), permit payment, accommodations before and after. All of this was a huge help and made it a no-brainer to do this hike. We looked into a lot of other ones that sounded really pretty, but they were all booked out and didn&#8217;t include all these perks. So we had a plan! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"327\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_8972\/\" class=\"wp-image-327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8972.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">biltong at the liquor store<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"326\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_8988\/\" class=\"wp-image-326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_8988.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">don&#8217;t mess with the dog on her couch<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After getting picked up from Dan, we ran a few errands with him for the hostel (it was cool to see how &#8220;the locals&#8221; did things) and ended up at a liquor store where the guy also made and sold his own biltong &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s version of cured meats. We tried a on of different ones &#8211; salami type, bacon, even cow tongue. We ended up getting some smoked bacon for the hike since we hadn&#8217;t found jerky at the store, so we lucked out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9013-1024x769.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"329\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9013.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_9013\/\" class=\"wp-image-329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9013-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9013-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9013-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9013.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"669\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967-1024x669.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"325\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0439_v2f_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967\/\" class=\"wp-image-325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967-1024x669.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967-768x502.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0439_V2F_2020-02-22_11-47-48_967.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The 6-day Amatola Trail is considered the toughest hike in South America and traverses the Amatola Mountain Range outside of Hogsback. I&#8217;m not sure if it was the toughest hike\/ backpack we&#8217;ve ever done, but it certainly was the most raw either of us have done. We didn&#8217;t see a single person the entire time! Some parts were so overgrown, we literally bush-bashed our way through by holding our hiking sticks in front of us, pushing the brush away and trying not to get stabbed by thorns or slip down the side of the mountain. The entire trail is marked with yellow feet that appear on trees and rocks. Without them, the trail would be impossible! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"339\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0603\/\" class=\"wp-image-339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603-1536x1148.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0603.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9005-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"330\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9005.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_9005\/\" class=\"wp-image-330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9005-768x1025.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9005-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9005-1151x1536.jpg 1151w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9005.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">a crab in the middle of the rainforest? <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"835\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473-1024x835.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"333\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0473\/\" class=\"wp-image-333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473-1024x835.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473-768x626.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473-1536x1252.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0473.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"332\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0502\/\" class=\"wp-image-332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0502.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"331\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0499\/\" class=\"wp-image-331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0499.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the hike, we went through so many different types of terrain that the entire time we kept saying &#8220;where the hell are we?&#8221;. We went through the rainforest jungle walking through clouds, through mountain pine trees smelling like Colorado, above tree line to get a summit view and through multiple waterfalls. It was  so mind-blowing how walking just a few miles, or even feet, can drastically change the ecosystem. We also saw so many random species &#8211; crabs, spiders, the craziest grasshoppers, beautiful birds, cows and a lonely dog roaming the woods. Some days were easy, mellow rollers and some days had such steep sections you were holding onto your walking sticks and trees to get yourself up or down which offered a nice variety over the multiple days. But the best parts were walking along the waterfalls and swimming on the pools after long, hot days! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"341\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_9038\/\" class=\"wp-image-341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9038.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Cata Hut on the third night<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9021-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"334\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9021.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_9021\/\" class=\"wp-image-334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9021-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9021-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9021-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_9021.jpg 1402w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">gotta let those clothes dry out<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We were pleasantly surprised to find some of the huts quite luxurious, as far as backpacking goes. They were full on structures with bunkbeds, picnic tables, rainwater catchment and a donkey boiler to heat up water via a fire and have a hot shower. We only used the donkey boiler one day as the wood was too wet to burn most days (being in the rainforest and all) and we were usually ready to call it a night shortly after the sun went down anyway. Some even had flushing toilets and one was cleaner than our house! Although it was really strange having flushing toilets literally in the middle of nowhere, where pit toilets would make more sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"338\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0600\/\" class=\"wp-image-338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0600.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E99D88C-3C1B-4FDC-9A90-DFC89294B7FF-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"337\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E99D88C-3C1B-4FDC-9A90-DFC89294B7FF.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/0e99d88c-3c1b-4fdc-9a90-dfc89294b7ff\/\" class=\"wp-image-337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E99D88C-3C1B-4FDC-9A90-DFC89294B7FF-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E99D88C-3C1B-4FDC-9A90-DFC89294B7FF-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E99D88C-3C1B-4FDC-9A90-DFC89294B7FF-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E99D88C-3C1B-4FDC-9A90-DFC89294B7FF.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After the trip we gave Dan our two cents on the trail &#8211; how overgrown some parts were (annoyingly and frustratingly so), that trees were cut down for logging in another area so we lost the trail for a bit, where trail maintenance could be improved, etc. He had a meeting with the government about him taking over the Amatola Trail responsibilities so he wanted to go in with up-to-date knowledge. Glad we could help Dan! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"336\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0611\/\" class=\"wp-image-336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0611.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"335\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/www.anniandtom.com\/img_0553\/\" class=\"wp-image-335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0553.jpg 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From there we spent a few low key days in Johannesburg. I found the best Airbnb with the nicest host (I&#8217;d like to think we&#8217;d be friends in real life) and we just relaxed, did laundry, caught up on the internet and took a breather from backpacking to get ready for our upcoming self-guided safari through Botswana for the next week. We stayed in the little Melville neighborhood which was perfect! It wasn&#8217;t big at all, but had a few blocks of restaurants, cafes and shops that we were able to walk to safely from where we were staying. After being well rested, onto the next adventure! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we started looking at backpacking trips in South Africa, it was surprisingly difficult to find a true backpacking loop. South Africa refers to backpacking&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[27,44,21,42],"class_list":["post-283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-backpacking","tag-camp","tag-hike","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":344,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions\/344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anniandtom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}