This is my second time staying at the Hippo Hide in Durban. This time I went without a reservation and luckily ran into Micky, the owner. Even though the lodge was booked up, he was very accommodating and told me to wait around for no-shows. He told me that if he couldn't get us beds that he'd call around for other hostels too. Fortunatetly, a group didn't show up and we were able to get a bed. All the while, Micky hung around with us and had a beer with us. He's a very friendly ownwer.

The hostel itself is in a good area of Durban. In the hills and pretty safe. The area is definetely secure. The hostel as a nice pool and some rope swings. You really feel like you are in the jungle. We spent one night in the dorms and one night in the ensuite double. Beds were comfortable and the facilities were clean. Also, they had excellent hot water and water pressure in the showers.

I also saw someone camping there with a pitched den in their yard. I would book in... more