In what was promised to be the land of milk and honey, settlers soon learnt that taking your own cows and bees along would have been a better idea. The Alexandria coastline, between the mouths of the Sundays and Bushman's Rivers, is a vast and lonely dune field of unmatched beauty and the scene of the Alexandria Hiking Trail, which travels through the three ecosystems of the area - high forest, desert-like dunes and spectacular beaches.

Largely because of its desolation, the Alexandria area has an abundance of birds and wildlife and dolphins and whales are a regular occurrence. Originally known as Olifantshoek (Elephant's corner) Alexandria lies half way between Cape Town and Durban and is the centre of the chicory industry today. The Alexandria Dune field is one of the largest active coastal dune fields in the world and is forms part of the Addo Elephant Park.

Between Alexandria and the sea is an extension of the subtropical coastal forests found in Kwazulu Natal, preserved as a state forest and filled with indigenous trees.