Discover Alexandria

Alexandria invites you to explore the surrounding landscape from two perspectives: as an expansive dune field and through hiking trails across forest and coastal dunes and along the seashore. This offers different ways to shape your travel plans. You can start by considering the scale of the landscape or think about how long you want your hike to be.

The Alexandria Dune Field on a grand scale

The Alexandria Dune Field covers about 15,800 hectares, stretches for more than 80 kilometres and is up to five kilometres wide in places. These figures offer different perspectives on the landscape: its total area, its extent and its greatest stated width. Together, they give you an idea of how vast the dune field around Alexandria is.

When planning your trip, it can be helpful to treat the landscape and the hike as two separate interests. The measurements refer to the dune field; the route lengths give you a basis for comparing the hiking trails. This can help you decide whether the landscape itself or a specific hike should be the focus of your stay.

Hiking trails of varying lengths

The Alexandria Hiking Trail is a 36-kilometre circular route. It passes through forest and coastal dunes and along the seashore, with overnight options for two or three nights. You can assess the route not only by its length, but also by which overnight option best suits your plans.

The Woody Cape Hut is at the end of the first day’s hike. From there, you can enjoy views of the sea and Bird Island. This stop links a specific point along the Alexandria Hiking Trail with a view of the coastal landscape.

In the coastal section of Addo Elephant National Park, the seven-kilometre Woody Cape Tree Dassie Trail passes through Alexandria Forest. Before planning this walk, please check its current availability with the park.

In terms of length, the Woody Cape Tree Dassie Trail is shorter than the 36-kilometre Alexandria Hiking Trail. The two routes also differ in the environments described: the circular route passes through forest and coastal dunes and along the seashore, while the shorter route passes through Alexandria Forest.

The right holiday apartment for your travel plans

If you’re looking for a holiday apartment in Alexandria, start by deciding what you want to shape your stay: the vast expanse of the dune field, a hike through several landscapes, or the shorter route through Alexandria Forest. This lets you plan your trip around the experiences that interest you, rather than basing your decision on just one figure or trail name.

Explore more destinations: Petersburg, The Haven, Thornhill, Weston, Adendorp, Oyster Bay, Jeffrey's Bay, Sidbury

For the overview of the wider region: Western District.