2 places · 1 with rooms, 1 camping, 1 with meals on the Maden Dam (trailhead) section of the Amatola Trail, in Hogsback. Phone and WhatsApp numbers are listed so you can book ahead.
The trail's booking agent sells the 6-day package: permits and huts, the 8 am shuttle from Hogsback to Maden Dam (about 2 hours), safe parking, a 6 pm briefing and WhatsApp help. Book by email (amatolatrails@gmail.com) or the website form; it also arranges goodie drops to the huts and paid 4x4 extractions.
Backpacker lodge on the Hogsback cliffs where every Amatola group sleeps the night before and after the trail; the 4-, 6- and 8-bed dorms are in the package, and the shuttle to Maden Dam (about 2 hours) leaves from here. Also en-suite rooms, cottages, camping and the Green Dragon Café, which sells gas, maps and trail meals.
Checked online in October 2026. Places marked "not confirmed by the operator" have a website or an OpenStreetMap listing but show no 2025–2026 date or prices, so call before you count on them. The huts on the Amatola Trail sleep up to 24 and have bunks with mattresses, toilets, a braai area and a wood-fired donkey boiler for hot water, but no electricity, cooking gear or shop. Bring a gas stove, all your food and a sleeping bag, and carry out all your rubbish.
The Amatola Trail route works offline in Outest, with these places on the map and a trail guide you can ask about water, weather and the next village.