Most people would prefer a bath (with the drought, not something I have done in a very long time*) in the privacy of their own bathroom behind a closed door. Most people don’t mean everybody though. There are those who would jump at the opportunity to take a bath in what is probably the most famous open-air bath in South Africa.
I’ve only seen photos of it, but on my last visit to Hogsback I decided to swing by Away with the Fairies and see the bath for myself, hoping that it wasn’t occupied and thus off limits. The barrier rope was down so I slipped down the path and there it was sitting on the edge. The special part isn’t the physical bath but rather what you see when you soak in. The valley below, ancient forests and the three Hogsback mountains on the other side.
If you want to make use of the bath it is essential to make a booking with Away with the Fairies, with preference obviously given to their guests. 30-minute slots are available from 10am until 8pm. They light a traditional donkey nice and early to warm up the water and bathers are asked to keep it stoked so that others can also have a hot bath. The one prerequisite is that you have to use bio-degradable soaps if you’re going to actually wash. Most people just like soaking in the bath while soaking in the view. All pun attended. Best of all, it is FREE.
*I do shower though, even if it’s only under slow running (more like barely dripping) shower.