Hostels in Rustenburg, South Africa

Used as a base for a recent World Cup by the England national team, Rustenburg, South Africa, is a pretty nondescript sort of place near the Magaliesberg Mountains in North West Province. It's a useful base from which to visit the scenic area around the Olifants Nek Dam, which has some nice hiking options. The dam is twenty kilometers south of Rustenburg on the R24, and is accessible for non-drivers by minibus taxi from the main station.

If you do find yourself staying in Rustenburg, there are two old churches that are worth a look -- the Anglican Church, built in the late nineteenth century, on Beyers Naude Drive, and the Dutch Reformed Church on Fatima Bhayat Street. Construction on this was started in the late nineteenth century, but was interrupted by the Boer War, occupied by British forces, and finally completed a few years later in the early twentieth century. The Rustenburg Museum is on Karee Avenue and the Paul Kruger House Museum is on Dawes Avenue. There is a tourist information center near the southwestern end of Nelson Mandela Drive.

At ten kilometers south of Rustenburg is the Kgaswane Mountain Reserve, on the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg Mountains; it boasts eighty-four species of mammal, three hundred bird species and fifty-six reptile species. It also has hiking trails ranging from one to two days, with accommodation in overnight huts in the mountains. There are also accommodation options in the park ranging from private rooms to camping space. A minibus taxi to Waterfall Mall and then a two-kilometer walk will get you to the main entrance.

For budget travelers, there is one guesthouse in Rustenburg with backpacker hostel facilities, and there's another backpackers' hostel near Olifants Nek Dam. Both of these Rustenburg, South Africa hostels have dorm accommodation and can point you in the direction of things to see and do around Rustenburg. The Rustenburg, South Africa, hostels are long established and have self-catering facilities, though the one at Olifants Nek is quite remote, so do your shopping in Rustenburg beforehand.

From Pretoria and Johannesburg, it's a one-hundred-minute, one-hundred-twenty-kilometer minibus taxi trip from Bosman Street and Park Station respectively.