Hogsback

by Johnny

Needing a spot to spend a couple nights to break up the long drive from the Garden Route to Coffee Bay, we headed inland to the tiny village of Hogsback, perched 1,300 meters up in the Amathole Mountains. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit author JRR Tolkien lived his early years in nearby Bloemfontein, and legend has it his books were inspired by childhood visits to Hogsback’s indigenous rainforests, rolling green grasslands and steep mountain peaks.

We settled in at our hostel, Away with the Fairies, which had amazing mountain views, a bar and restaurant with yummy food, hiking trails starting in its garden, and the world’s scariest tree house. It had everything we needed right there on the grounds, and it was great not having to get back in the car for a couple days. We spent our time hiking to nearby waterfalls, relaxing in the garden, braving the climb to the tree house and enjoying the company of fellow travelers from Australia, Holland and England. Unfortunately we didn’t encounter any hobbits, but we did see a family of goats as well as about 30 Samengo monkeys swinging from tree to tree.