Knysna

Knysna (Xhosa for hard to reach) is in South Africa's Garden Route. It is a popular stop along the route, with its abundance of attractions. The town nestles along a beautiful lagoon and is surrounded by indigenous forests making it worth a stay of several days.

Get in

By road

Located in the middle of the Garden Route Knysna is easily accessible from Cape Town (about 500 km) and Port Elizabeth (about 270 km).

By bus

The major bus companies serve Knysna on their run from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. The Baz bus stops here, too.

By plane/ rail

The next airport is in George, while for international flights you have to go for Cape Town. There is no rail service to Knysna (except the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe historical steam train between George and Knysna which offers a wonderful scenery)

Running from George to Knysna, and stopping at both Wilderness and Sedgefield stations, this is a not-to-be-missed experience.

For true steam lovers, pop into the stream museum in George - for a trip down memory lane.

Get around

Walking around is the best option or rent a bicycle for longer distances. Except the minibuses there is no public transport so you have to take a taxi if you want.

There is a Hertz car rental outlet (tel: 876 9999) but traffic jams can be pretty bad during the tourist high season!

See

Knysna Tourism are available to help you in making the most of your stay in Knysna.

The lagoon: about 18 sq. km and home to at least 200 species of fish is connected with the Indian Ocean through a turbulent channel between "The Heads", two sandstone cliffs. Tour around on one of several boats or just take a coffee at "the Heads".

The Knysna Forest: about 80.000 ha are now under conservation. The ‘King Edward VII’ tree (at Diepwalle forest station) is an estimated 600 years old, 39 m at height, and has a circumference of 6 m. But most famous is the forest for the Kynsna elephants (some of them may still rumble in the jungle but weren´t seen for several years. But keep care!). There are several hiking trails but you need a car to access the forest.

Pledge Nature Reserve: offers 3.5 km of pathways through scrub forest and hillside fynbos with fine views over the lagoon and is just 500 meters of the town centre. A nice place for a walk in the afternoon.

Do

Walk along the lagoon, take a coffee at one of the many shops at the waterfront and head straight on for "the Heads".

There are many golf courses around, often with stunning settings or views. You can also book fully organised or self-drive golf tours in and around Knysna with Platinum Golf.

Knysna Elephant Park offers the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with African elephants. The elephants here are orphans from various SAN Parks and further afield, and they are so used to humans now that it is possible to feed them and actually touch them! Buy a bucket of fruit at the entrance and the elephants will pick up bits of fruit that you offer to them in your hands, or far more likely, they will take it straight from your bucket when you're not looking!

Buy

Shops line along the Main St. and the Waterfront.

Eat

Many restaurants line the main street and the waterfront area.

Knysna Oyster Company, Thesens Island. The name says what you are going for. Mains from 30R.

Drink

Mitchell's`s Brewery, Arend St.: offers tours around the brewery and tastings of their beers

Sleep

Many guesthouses, hotels and B&Bs compete for the visitor in off-season, but in high season prices rise and places fill early so book ahead. There are also several nice options out of town (e.g. in Brenton-on-Sea, Buffalo Bay ...) for those with their own transport.

Inyathi Guest Lodges*** (Tel./fax: +27 (0)44 382 7768) is a most unusual guesthouse: although they are situated right in the center of town, once you enter the premises you have the feeling of being in the middle of the African bush.

The Tonquani Lodge was rated best B&B/Guesthouse with Self-Catering in South Africa three times in a row. 5 Star accommodation at an affordable price and with excellent facilities. Prices from R199/pps.

Highfield Backpackers, 2 Graham Street (Tel: 044 382-6266; Fax: 044 382-5799) is a nice place with a pool a little bit off main street and offers dorms and private single/ double rooms.

The Wayside Inn, Main street (Tel/Fax: 044 3826011) is a very nice B&B in the centre of the town with charming rooms starting at R240 pps.

Protea Landmark Hotel, 51 Main Street (Tel: 044 382 2127, Fax: 044 382 3568, http://www.proteahotels.com/lmlknysna ) offers standard rooms without any specials on the pro side.

Get out

Hike in the Kynsna forest or take a tour in the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe steam-train to Knysna. Other options are a day tour to Oudtshoorn or the Noetzie castle a few km north east of town.

Noetzie Castle: East of Knysna some Britons lost their castles on the beach. Worth some hours or more if you like the beach.

Brenton-on-Sea: less crowded than Knysna this sea-side village offers endless beaches

External links

The authors of this document are Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, Felix Gottwald and the following WikiTravel users: Maj, Nzpcmad, Tniehoff, Tsandell, Yzerfontein. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Knysna.