The Baz Bus is the best way of seeing a lot of South Africa. It is a long-distance hop-on hop-off bus service covering more than 40 towns from Johannesburg to Cape Town via Durban, Port Elizabeth. Your travel companions range from crazed backpackers to the care-free middle-aged, you get driven right to the door of your youth hostel (in South African that is the safe way to travel).
A travel pass ticket is valid for one week, two weeks or three weeks (starting on the day of your travel). You can travel in any direction you want as often as you want during the validity period.
You buy one ticket to your destination, you can hop on and hop off the bus at many times as you want on the way to your destination, and there is no time limit.
A day tour through the Cape Peninsula including cycling and hiking.
Flexi tours provide you with a combination of a Baz Bus ticket, and various tours/events through South Africa (e.g. Kruger National Park wildlife safari, township tours, Cape Peninsula tours and visiting the Royal Kingdom of Swaziland).
The Baz Bus stops at over 180 youth hostels in over 40 towns, including: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Nelspruit (see accommodation Nelspruit), St Lucia, Eshowe, Ballito, Umkomaas, Umzumbe, Port Shepstone, Margate, Port Edward, Port St Johns, Umtata, Port Alfred (see accommodation Port Alfred), Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay, Cape St Francis (see accommodation Cape St Francis), Storms River, Nature's Valley, Plettenberg Bay (see accommodation Plettenberg Bay), Knysna (see Knysna hotels for a place to stay), George, Mossel Bay (see Mossel Bay accommodation for a place to stay) and Swellendam.
Baz Bus's busses are 20-seater Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, pulling a trailer on the back.
It is more expensive than taking a Greyhound or Intercape Bus between cities, but Greyhound and Intercape buses don't operate a hop-on hop-off system.
At peak times, you have to book your seat well ahead, as the Baz buses fill up quickly, limiting your spontaneity.
The Baz buses are a little more cramped than Intercape and Greyhound busses.
You get to meet other backpackers and and teach each other obscure drinking games.
Baz Bus will take you straight to your backpacker youth hostel.
No need to do route planning and buy maps.
You can snog and doze away whilst someone else does the driving.
You can spontaneously decide to jump off at any town on route, should you see a place that inspires you to do so.
Unlike the more staid options like Intercity or Greyhounds busses, the Baz Bus doesn't bat an eyelid at carting along guitars, surfboards and bicycles (they pull a trailer).
There is an onboard video player.