Alexander Bay, Namaqualand
Way up the west coast of South Africa, virtually on the border with Namibia in a region known simply as Little Namaqualand, is Alexander Bay.
There is nothing more northerly than this seaside town that lies on the mouth of the Orange River the river that feeds the Gariep and Vanderkloof dam and forms not only the south-western boundary of the Free State but later also the international border between Namibia and the Northern Cape.
Alexander Bay has something of an illustrious history. It was in the thick of the 'diamond rush' that gripped this part of the coast after diamonds were discovered here in 1925. Up until recently the town was invisible to the intrepid traveller prepared to head this far north en route to Namibia; closed to visitors and a high-risk area because of the diamonds, bar those with a permit.
Now Alexander Bay organises historic diamond tours and markets itself as the 'Diamond Coast forever Namaqualand'. Even Google has managed to drive its main road and Google Earth gives you a good idea of the space, the desolation...
There is little more to Alexander Bay than mining houses and wide open, sand-ridden, mine damaged space. Which is where its secrets lie. Now that the diamonds have been well and truly mined, a closer look at the surrounds have yielded a feast of indigenous plants, animals and insects. And the wild, totally unspoilt coastline attracts those for whom getting away from it all is more than simply euphemism.
It gets hot this far up the West Coast January to April record highs of 42 degrees Celsius, and even the winter months do not drop much below 9 degrees at night. Rain falls on maybe eleven days of the year, and sunshine hours exceed even sun worshippers' expectations it's the driest town in South Africa.
Head here for: solitude, and guided Shipwreck and Strandveld Trails.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Kleinplasie Guesthouse
With 22 luxurious and beautifully furnished chalets / rooms, and luscious gardens, swarming with suikerbekkies, jan frederike, finches, doves and...
Blue Diamond Lodge
Blue Diamond Lodge offers comfortable accommodation just 1km away from local shopping centres and restaurants in a peaceful area of Springbok. Th...
Snoek Self Catering
Snoek in McDougalls Bay holiday home offers accommodation for four guests, near Port Nolloth, just 2 kilometers outside the main town. This laid ...
Okiep Country Hotel
Okiep Country Hotel is an old authentic hotel, yet modern enough for your everyday needs in a small mining town in the heart of Namaqualand. We a...
Kallabaskop Eco Lodge
Surrounded by the Namaqua National Park, Kallabaskop Eco Lodge is just a short drive from the Skilpad and Namaqua National Park. The lodge offers...
Sardien Self Catering
Sardien in McDougalls Bay is a holiday home offering accommodation near Port Nolloth, just 2 kilometers outside the main town. McDougalls Bay is ...
Evening Shade
Evening Shade offers accommodation in Mc Dougals Bay, Port Nolloth on the beach, walking of the patio onto the beach sand and your own high water...
Rob Self Catering
Rob in McDougalls Bay is a holiday home offering accommodation near Port Nolloth, just 2 kilometers outside the main town. This laid back town is...
Orange River Rafting Lodge
Orange River Rafting Lodge is situated on the banks of the Orange River and has a peaceful atmosphere, with perceptible silent, starry nights. Th...
Things to do in the area
Alexander Bay Beach
Your Northern Cape accommodation is likely to be near many of the natural attractions that make this area so special. While this province isnt k...
Noteworthy attractions
Richtersveld National Park
The Richtersveld is a unique mountain desert wilderness of great beauty, tucked in the far north-western corner of the Northern Cape in South Afr...
Goegap Nature Reserve
The Goegap Nature Reserve with its granite peaks and sandy plains are dominated by Carolusberg, the highest point in the area. Goegap's wild flow...
Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape
Inscribed in 2007 as the eighth World Heritage Site in South Africa, the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape is a remarkable mountainou...
Namaqua National Park
Say Namaqua National Park and people immediately think carpets of spring wild flowers. And they would not be wrong - Namaqualand not only has som...
Namaqualand Flower Route
The spring wild flowers are a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze and delight, even for those who live in what is considered South Africa's "ou...
Skilpad Wildflower Reserve
The Skilpad Wildflower Reserve was established by the WWF in 1988 to raise awareness of the floral kingdom of the Namaqualand. Mainly shrubland a...
Akkedis Pass
The Richtersveld is usually described by the adjectives 'rugged', 'desolate' and 'forbidding'. It's a dry, unforgiving landscape that is at once ...
Messelpad Pass
Messelpad Pass lies on the 104 km gravel road between Springbok and Hondeklip Bay in the Northern Cape, one of two passes through the Tigerkloof....
Wildeperdehoek Pass
Almost inextricably linked to Messelpad Pass (the two are part of the 'Copper Route' between Springbok and Hondeklip Bay) Wildeperdehoek Pass is ...
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