Хогсбэк: Табиғаттың кереметі мен жолдар торабы

The area is known for indigenous forests, waterfalls and trout fishing. The large gardens in the surrounding area also include exotic plants from all parts of the world, and it is a destination and tourist attraction among both international and South African tourists. Apart from 'the Hogsback', the tallest peak in the area is the 1 954 m Gaika's Kop.

There are a number of hiking routes and walks that take walkers through the forests, up mountains, past waterfalls and to viewing points and views of the area. General information on Hogsback such as maps of walks, hiking and mountain bike trails are available for purchase from the Hogsback Tourist Office located near the entrance of the village. These trails vary from short easy walks to trails taking 3–4 hours and longer. Hogsback hiking trails include: The Labyrinth at the Edge, The 39 Steps Falls and Arboretum, Madonna and Child Falls, Kettlespout Falls, The Three Hogs, Tyumy Pools walk, The Three Waterfall Trail, The Bluff Walk, The Military Path, The Sunset Loop, The Big Tree and The Art and Craft Trail.

The Amatola Forest in the Hogsback area is often claimed as J. R. R. Tolkien's inspiration for The Lord of the Rings, in particular for his fictional forest of Mirkwood. The link between Tolkien and Hogsback would seem to be a back formation from the establishment in 1947 of Hobbiton on Hogsback, a holiday and educational camp for underprivileged children. This was ten years after the publication of The Hobbit which was a huge success and which would have inspired the camp's founders as they set up in such an evocatively forested area.

Hogsback has a cool Oceanic Climate (Köppen Cfb), which compares similarly to the climate of England. It has a climate range from as low as 3.5 °C in July to as high as 34.9 °C in January. Hogsback receives an average annual precipitation of 974mm. Hogsback receives most of its rainfall in summer, often accompanied by thunderstorms.

Hogsback is located roughly 30 km from Alice. Overall, it is in the central southern part of South Africa, in the centre of the Eastern Cape province, and is roughly halfway between the town of Alice and the village of Cathcart. Nearby towns include Seymour to the west and Alice to the south, Cathcart, Whittlesea and the Waterdown Dam to the north and Keiskammahoek to the east. However, travel east and west of the town is rare because there is little infrastructure and ridges/mountains to these sides.

The village is located on the R345, that runs from Fort Hare up to Cathcart. This is very much the only route of communication for the village because the small unpaved roads to the west and east are dangerous and not recommended for motor traversing.

St Patrick's on the Hill is a small chapel consisting of two combined rondavels, a neat thatched roof, above which rises a single cross. The church also boasts a 'bright' garden, which is full of rhododendrons and azaleas. There is a stone arch with a brass bell that stands as a memorial for the Revd Dr Bride Dixon, first woman priest in South Africa, and doctor on the mountain for many years. The chapel was built in 1935 and is a regular place of worship, and although it is officially part of the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown, the church is open to people of all Christian denominations such as Presbyterians, Methodists, Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) and Anglicans. The chapel began when Kenneth Hobart Houghton, the owner of the property conceived of the idea to give to his wife a special place to worship. It was first designed as a single rondavel and in time as the local congregation grew, it became necessary to extend it. The second rondavel which gives it its characteristic butternut shape was added in 1992. Currently the chapel is open 24 hours a day.