Spookdraai Hiking Trail in Agulhas, Wes-Kaap

A Ghostly Trail

The southern tip of Africa, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean, is scattered with little seaside villages offering relaxing beach holidays and excellent outdoor activities. Spookdraai Hiking Trail is one such activity and a perfect way to explore the small coastal village of L’Agulhas.

Spookdraai (Ghost Corner) Hiking Trail is a comfortable, 2 hour circular route, suitable for all fitness levels. This trail is one of the most popular in the Cape Agulhas area and is the perfect way for the outdoor enthusiast to start their holiday. The Trail starts and ends at the entrance to L’Agulhas and leads past about 28 historical and cultural areas. Follow the white ghost markers, used as the pointers on the Spookdraai Trail, and they will take you through winding streets, along the coast and up a zigzagging path over a hill and down again. For those looking for more than gorgeous views, fresh air and a bit of holiday exercise, the Ghost Trail adds a whole new element to hiking!

There are two stories in particular that you may hear being told in L’Agulhas about how the Trail got its name. Firstly, the young woman who was the sole survivor of a shipwreck, of which this coastline has seen many, only to make it up to one of the caves where she died and today her spirit is not at rest and she is seen from time to time visiting the Guesthouses nearby. The second story, a little more macabre, is associated with a gruesome accident on the bend in the road at Spookdraai, in which a man was decapitated, and his headless corpse can be seen wandering around in this area.

Other, less popular stories include an important founder family member shooting his wife who he thought was getting too flirty with a Scottish Sea Captain and the version of the name comes from a lone house, inhabited by a lonesome "Man Alone", which was previously situated on this bend. People talked about the ghost house and called it the Spookhuis on Spookdraai.

Things to see and do

• L’Agulhas Beaches
• Rock Pools
• Viewpoints
• Historical Points of Interest
• Fynbos & Birdlife

Admission

Free self-guided trail. Information booklets and maps are available at the Cape Agulhas Tourism Office and the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse