Who are we

Who are we?

"We are an accredited Fair Trade Backpackers that invests in people and communities, giving meaningful and relaxed travel experiences. As a traveler, your choices matter: to people and communities, species and ecosystems, and to the climate as a whole. And the choices that travelers make influence the behavior of the millions of businesses that make up the tourism industry, arguably the largest industry in the world. ”
Choose to make a difference

Lee and I (Toni) began South Africa’s original backpacker back in 1990, after Lee had to leave Australia due to visa constraints and I was tired of working with heartless people! I moved onto Lee’s turf in Sea Point when I was 14 and 30 years later we have proved the books wrong – that best friends can do business together.
With a mere 3000 Euros we fearlessly bought the first house, which had been a commune for 25 years and housed a few political activists in the 70’s. The 80’s saw the house transform into some party place. Timing and luck was on our side –after 3 weeks we were full – all 13 beds! Work was easy in those days… we were closed between 10 and 2 everyday. Lee and I would have gardening competitions and clean the house with Margie (whom you will find behind the bar and reception and has looked after Lee and her family for more than 37 years)!

There were not too many backpackers around in the early 90’s. South Africa was not a free country, but Nelson Mandela had just been released! The majority of South Africans were ecstatic! We used to bribe the train master with a 6 pack of beer ever Friday, to lure anyone sporting a backpack to come our way. Our little VW beetle was the shuttle. The traveler had time – staying with us for 3 months or more….the average stay in Cape Town is now 3 days!

Nearly 20 years later, we have managed to stay friends, grown from 13 to 100 beds, hire more than 25 staff, and we own (or should I say the Bank owns), 4 beautiful Victorian houses

Vision

“Choose a meaningful experience and make a difference with The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre”

We are proud of our Fair Trade Accreditation – a trademark awarded to Tourism businesses adhering to Fair Trade principles: fair wages and working conditions; fair operations in the purchasing and distribution of benefits; ethical business practice; respect for human rights; culture and the environment.

We are so grateful to all our fantastic staff – Mary who has been Lee’s friend since they were 5 years old (heads up all the front of house staff), Jane in Housekeeping and Brendan taking charge of the bar, restaurant and entertainment. We proudly hire many refugees from Africa –Malawi; The Democratic Republic of Congo; Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

We have invested in a Value Program whereby all the staff were involved in the process of selecting 8 values by which they work; Honesty, Trust, Integrity, Responsibility, Health, Recognition, Service and Upliftment. An ongoing program, with workshops in literacy, health and social welfare. Upliftment and training are essential to our success.

If you are deciding where to stay on your travels in Cape Town, we hope you choose us. By doing so, you will be making a difference to many of our lives. Thank you to those thousands who already have!

“Choose to make a difference”

Lee and Toni