Alexandria Hiking Trail | Addo
Our intrepid exploration party of four strapped on our backpacks and almost immediately were transported into a mystical forest realm, seething with magic and wonder.
The lush canopy and dense undergrowth, imbibed in vivid emerald shades, feel like a wrinkle in time, harking back to an era when the Southern African Eastern coastline was one broad band of indigenous coastal forest, interspersed with succulent thicket (valley bushveld) and grassland. Centuries-old yellowwood trees still loom overhead, acting as ancient sentinels keeping watch over their domain. From their forks sprout ambitious fig trees, while everything is draped in wispy curtains of old man’s beard.
Photo credit: SANParks
As we hiked deep into the valley, a chorus of songbirds enveloped us; their voices rising until the invisible orchestra reached an impossibly beautiful crescendo. Tony, our leader, picked out the tunes of the individual singers for our inexperienced ears and pointed out the signatures of nocturnal creatures like aardvark, bushpig, and porcupine.
After four hours of being serenaded in the enchanting forest, we emerged into a stark yet stunning landscape, the beauty of which was only intensified by its dramatic contrast to the realm we had just left behind.
Rows of golden-coloured sand dunes stretched out endlessly before us, seemingly locked in an age-old battle with the rolling surf of the Indian Ocean. Along this historic coastline, the sea’s devastating wrath has claimed many ships and lives, and today it beats upon the shore in a dramatic ballet.
Dwarfed by the three-storey dunes, we retraced the steps of stranded mariners of old. With a thumping south-easterly wind urging us forward, we fixed our eyes on the towering headlands ahead — targets that appeared deceptively close yet remained tantalisingly out of reach.
Somewhere beyond lay our overnight hut, but between us and it, nature had laid down a challenge of endurance: an obstacle course set against the rising tide, where we had to prove ourselves worthy of this wild coast.
With an audience of crashing waves on our left and ancient dunes on our right, we navigated the rocky shoreline until we reached “The Stairway to Heaven” — a steep 45-degree climb 15 metres up into the dunes, aided only by a frayed mariner’s rope.
At the top, we paused to catch our breath and gaze at the dunes that still loomed above. We scrambled upward, boots sinking into the soft sand as the wind howled around us. After an hour’s climb, we finally summited the last ridge to see a lush valley opening before us — our overnight hut nestled within the greenery.
After conquering the 20-kilometre, eight-hour trek, we collapsed onto the camp deck, gazing out over some of the most spectacular views in Southern Africa. Bathed in amber sunset light, we watched as humpback whales and dolphins performed in the surf below, nature’s theatre in full motion.
As night fell, the sky glittered with stars, unspoilt by light pollution. The distant lighthouse on Bird Island blinked in rhythm with the constellations as the waves lulled us to sleep.
At dawn, howling winds whipped the sand into stinging veils across the dunes. Yet, as we approached the edge of the dune field, a southern right whale surfaced behind the breakers — a guardian of the wild coast bidding us farewell.
Armoured against the sand and wind, we pressed on through the swirling dunes, battling gusts that obscured the markers. After hours of climbing and descending, we re-entered the cool forest, leaving behind the hauntingly beautiful dunes.
Our final kilometres were filled with quiet reflection until, as if in farewell, two bushbuck ewes bounded through tall golden grass — a final gift from the Woody Cape.
Booking Info
The Alexandria Trail is situated within the Addo Elephant National Park and bookings are administered through:
Camp Matyholweni
Tel: +27 (0)41 468 0916/8
Email: matyholweni@sanparks.org
Trail Base Office:
Woody Cape Office
Tel: +27 (0)46 653 0601
