Alexandria is a small farming village in the Eastern Cape located on the beautiful route from Port Elizabeth to Kenton-on-Sea and Port Alfred. Once founded by the Dutch and named after the Reverend Alexander Smith. In earlier years this was the land of the San, Khoi and Xhosa people and here it was called Elephant corner, because it was once an area where 200,000 elephants lived.
As an agricultural village it has gained fame through the Chicory production (a coffee substitute), the dairy farms and also through the pineapple farms. And like all those villages founded by Dutchmen, you will find a Dutch Reformed church here.
Alexandria is also the place of the famous South African Sculptor Maureen Quin and a visit to her gallery and sculpture garden is something you should definitely do. From beautiful images ranging from wildlife to portraits, cats, modern and realistic images.
The village is beautifully situated between rivers and the Indian Ocean. The Alexandria State forest, also called Langebos, is a beautiful subtropical area between the village and the particularly spectacular dune area of Alexandria. A place for the birdwatcher and his binoculars. You will find here, for example, various Rhinoceros that feast on the wild figs.
The dune area is described as the most beautiful and active shifting dune areas in the world and is located on the Algoa Bay. The dunes will form a beautiful backdrop for hours of walks and special photos. And from here it is also very special to spot the dolphins and the whales (seasonal).
The 25,000 hectare Woody Cape Nature Reserve, which is situated more towards Colchester, is a beautiful nature reserve between the Sunday River Mouth and the Bushman’s River and is now part of the Greater Addo National Park, which is best known for the elephants of the Addo NP
From Alexandria you can undertake a 36-kilometer hiking trail through woods, dunes and along the coastline. You will then spend 2 days strolling through this beautiful, unspoilt nature. In addition, there are of course other shorter and easier walking trips to take that will take you from the Woody Cape Nature reserve to Cannon Rock’s or Boknes. A beautiful 8 km hiking route is the “Tree Dassie Trail” and if you are lucky you can come across some small game in the form of goats and Vervet monkeys.
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