What to do while you’re in Knysna
For beach lovers
If you’re looking for a kilometre-long beach that’s great for walking, you’ll find it between Buffels Bay and Brenton-on-sea (20 minutes drive). You can swim here at Buffels Bay, elsewhere the sea is a bit rough and could be dangerous.
If you’re looking for calmer waters, check out the beach at Leasure Island. Here you can swim in the shelter of the lagoon. (15 minutes drive)
If you don’t mind driving an hour, another nice beach (river on one side, open sea on the other) is at Nature Valley.
Knoetzie Beach is also worth a visit. The small castles that can be found there are very impressive.
For adventurers
If you are more of an adventurer, then you will find what you are looking for in the Knysna forest. There is a large jungle where you can go hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, etc. A good starting point would be http://www.gardenrouteadventureguide.com
For families
There are a lot of parks to visit in the Knysna area. For some you have to drive a little, but it’s worth it.Here is a little selection:
https://www.monkeyland.co.za/ (walk through a forest and watch wild monkeys)
https://www.jukani.co.za/ (sanitary for wild animals like white lion, tiger etc.)
https://www.birdsofeden.co.za/ (walk through a forest and look at amazing birds)
https://knysnaelephantpark.co.za/ (walk with elephants)
https://www.plettgamereserve.com/ (for little Game drives)
https://knysnaheadsexplorer.co.za/ (Knysna Heads Explorer Katamaran)
For boat lovers
Depending on the time of the year there are boat tours on the sea for dolphin or whale watching. Or book a tour around the lagoon. For further information see: http://www.oceanodyssey.co.za/
What to see in Knysna
If you want to see what Knysna has to offer as a town, we would suggest to check the following spots.
Leisure Island is nice for a walk. There is also an enchanting nature park there.
A large part of Thesen Island is for residents only, but the public part has a few restaurants and shops.
In the town itself there is a small mall. If you want to see some nice shops, Grey Street is also worth a visit.
For hippsters, the area around Knysna Industry is very interesting. There’s a fantastic gin distillery with a bar and a really good pizzeria next door. In any case, it’s also worth taking a little detour to Design Wise. You can find wonderful design furniture there. By the way, we bought the big colourful seat cushions in the Main House there.
For a bit of sightseeing, it’s also worth going to the Heads and enjoying the view.
And of course, the harbour is also quite nice. But it’s a bit more touristy. There are shops and restaurants.
