Cape Town · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Cape Town is a backpacker capital — cheap beds on Long Street, free mountains and a rand that stretches.
Sleep on Long Street
The hostel strip runs the length of Long Street and up towards Kloof Nek, walkable to the mountain, the Company's Garden and the night buses.
What a day costs
Dorms R250–450, food R120–250, MyCiTi fares R20–40. Budget R450–800 a day, roughly $25–45; a hiking day costs far less.
Getting around cheap
MyCiTi buses run on a rechargeable card and cover the Atlantic seaboard and airport; minibus taxis are cheaper, and ride-hailing fills the gaps after dark.
Free by day
The Sea Point promenade, the Company's Garden, and the Pipe Track and Lion's Head paths — the full-moon walk up Lion's Head is a local ritual.
Long Street and Kloof Street
Hostel bars on Long Street run the free walking tours and shared Cape Point trips; Kloof Street's terraces are where the evening ends up.