5 Best Backpacker Hostels in Takaka & Golden Bay 🎒 [2024]

1. Annies Nirvana Lodge

Annies Nirvana Lodge is worth a visit for its artistic vibe alone. With wooden art throughout the garden packed with lounging furniture and locally inspired mural paintings, you’ll love every second of your stay. This puts guests in a great mood and the atmosphere where everybody talks to everybody. The no-frills rooms consist of dormitories, as well as private single, double, twin, triple and family rooms – something for everyone! Plus, BBH members get a discount.

Check Annies Nirvana Lodge out:

• Annies Nirvana Lodge on Booking.com
• Annies Nirvana Lodge on Trip.com

© Annies Nirvana Lodge

2. The Innlet, Country Apartments and Cottages

Just a 30-minute drive from Takaka and just past Collingwood is the charming backpacker hostel and budget accommodation The Innlet! There are a variety of accommodation types on the property, from private cabins to a farmhouse hostel. The hostel is small so it will never feel overcrowded, which is just the vibe you’ll want when relaxing in this accommodation surrounded by lush native forest.

Check The Innlet, Country Apartments and Cottages out:

• The Innlet on Booking.com
• The Innlet on Trip.com
• The Innlet on Expedia

© The Innlet

3. Barefoot Backpackers

Come for the Golden Bay, stay for the muesli! Barefoot Backpackers offers everything that travellers need in Golden Bay and more. With a free pool table, free Wifi and absolutely divine free homemade muesli every morning, there are plenty of drawcards to this hostel. Enjoy the very homely vibe with a cosy lounge with a fireplace connecting to the small yet functional kitchen. There’s also a deck with garden furniture to relax outside in the summer months too. Aside from dorm rooms of various configurations, there are caravans to stay in. Tents are also welcome in the garden.

4. [UPDATE] Shambhala Retreat

[Update: Shambhala Retreat no longer offers backpacker dorms but private double and twin rooms. For more cheap stays with alternative types of rooms, head to the 10 Best Budget Accommodations in Takaka.]

Far off the beaten track and on a private beach, Shambhala is a dream hostel – a real slice of paradise where backpackers from all over the world come to relax and unwind. It is no surprise that with such a setting, the eco-backpackers has become a relaxation retreat perfect for meditation and yoga lovers.

© Shambhala

[CLOSED] Kiwiana Backpackers

Technically the closest hostel to the Abel Tasman National Park in the whole Golden Bay area, Kiwiana Backpackers is a quirky little place that thrives in summer. Gather around the BBQ or play table tennis. It’s like summer camp all over again.

[CLOSED] Gazebo Backpackers

Gazebo Backpackers provides a welcoming environment from all, which is not too many in this small but friendly hostel in Takaka town. There are only two private double rooms, a dorm room and tent sites, making dinner time in the modern kitchen and living spaces not too crowded. Plus with free walking tours, free bikes, free Wifi and located just a few minutes off the beach, it is a great-value hostel.