Alexander Bay Coastal Loop

Alexander Bay is South Africa’s most restricted cycling destination — a company town at the mouth of the Orange River on the Namibian border, entirely surrounded by the Alexkor state diamond mining concession that controls access to all land in the area. Visitors must arrange access in advance through Alexkor or registered accommodation providers. For those who make the effort, the reward is a cycling landscape found nowhere else in South Africa: cold Atlantic coast scenery at the Orange River estuary, with extraordinary birdlife including flamingoes, pelicans, African penguins and a range of coastal endemics that benefit from the protected Benguela ecosystem.

The 20km coastal gravel loop follows public roads within the authorised visitor zone — flat, accessible riding with the cold green Atlantic on one side and the restricted diamond territory on the other. The Orange River mouth provides one of the finest coastal birdwatching sites in the Northern Cape — bring binoculars as well as bikes.

Getting There

Alexander Bay is 230km from Springbok via Steinkopf, Port Nolloth and the R382. GPS: -28.5833, 16.5000. Contact Alexkor or local accommodation to arrange access before travelling — no casual visitor access is available.

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