Humansdorp, Sunshine Coast

The peaceful village of Humansdorp has made it onto the map, so to speak, more as a gateway to the coastal villages of Jeffreys Bay and Cape St Francis (they are but 16 kilometres and 20 kilometres from the town respectively), than as a destination in its own right.

The town has quietly functioned as a commercial centre for the local farming community for years without disturbance, and only with the ever-increasing interest in the Eastern Cape as a tourism destination, and the major draw card of this area's incredible beaches and coastal lifestyle, has the turn-off to Humansdorp from the N2 come to function as an indicator that one's destination is in sight and Port Elizabeth is but 50 minutes' drive away.

Way back when, the area that is now Humansdorp was known as the Parish of Alexander, after a local Dutch Reformed minister in the region. Today it is regarded as the entrance town to the Kromme River estuary and is the first economic centre when travelling from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Despite these claims, Humansdorp maintains its small town charm, and the access to various hiking trails, forest walks - including the Boskloof Trail - and countryside makes it worth a visit.

The town itself has a rather surprising eco-sustainable building as its cultural centre at the top of Main Street where traditional San art is exhibited; the Zwartenbosch golf club is worth a round of golf, and Humansdorp functions as a base for those who want to explore the incredible Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area and the Tsitsikamma Forests, both accessible from here.