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KNYSNA IS A TOURIST'S DREAM!
Knysna is not known
as the jewel of the Garden Route (the third most popular tourist
destination in South Africa) for nothing. This beautiful town is
half surrounded by mysterious forests still inhabited with the
famous Knysna elephants and remnants of the gold rush of a century
ago. On the other side of the town is the magnificent coastline, at
places wild and treacherous and at other spots a surfer and swimmers
paradise. Running to the side of the town is the Knysna lagoon, a
world famous warm water estuary known for its seahorses and oysters.
The town itself is
has an abundance of restaurants, shops and places of interest to
visit. It came into being in 1882 and some of the town’s original
buildings can still be seen, one being the old ‘gaol’ which is now a
museum. It was originally a working port, which closed in 1954 and
has since become a popular place for many water sports and cruises.
The estuary opens to the sea through the two headlands, the one
being a nature reserve known as the Featherbeds nature reserve.
Visitors can take day tours across the lagoon to visit this
beautiful reserve. It is also a popular golf destination boasting
several world-class golf courses like Pezula, Simola and the Knysna
Golf Course.
The town hosts
plenty festivals through out the year, the most popular being the
Knysna Oyster Festival in July, the Pink Loerie in April/May, the
Gastronomica festival in September and the Rastafarian Earth
festival at the end of July. Knysna is home to a very close knit
Rastafarian community.
Due to the sea,
lagoon, forest and sand dunes in the area, extreme sports are a must
whether it be horse rides through the forest, paragliding and
skydiving off the coastline or kite surfing in close by Sedgefield’s
Myoli beach or surfing in nearby Buffalo Bay.
An hour’s drive to
the east lie the Elephant Sanctuary, Tenikwa Wild Cat Experience,
Monkeyland, Birds of Eden, Plettenberg Bay and the world’s highest
bungee jump at Bloukrans bridge.
A further two hours up the coast takes you to SA’s surf
mecca, Jeffreys Bay via Storms River village where it is possible to
zipline through the indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest.
To the west lies the city of Mossel
Bay with Jukani the largest predator park in Southern Africa, it’s
many museums and the chance to cage dive with Great White sharks. A
two-hour drive inland takes you to Oudtshoorn with its ostrich farms
and the dripstone caverns of the Cango Caves.
Whatever your thrills in life are,
Knysna has them to offer from its extreme sports activities to its
wildlife sanctuaries and natural history. This town has so much to
offer and all visitors are made instantly welcome by it’s friendly
inhabitants with the best of local food South Africa has to offer.
We hope to see you here.
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