6 Things to Do in Knysna South Africa

The town of Knysna is located at the heart of South Africa’s famous Garden Route, which is approximately 124 miles of beautiful coastline between Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay.

It is equipped with plenty of picturesque bed and breakfasts, boutique shops, and gourmet restaurants triggering booming tourist trade.

Things to Do in Knysna South Africa

Here are the most popular tourist destinations or things that you should do in Knysna!

1. Spend some time at the Beach

Things to Do in Knysna South Africa
Spend-some-time-at-the-Beach

Knysna’s beaches are the best places to experience the outdoors for free. You can swim when the tide is in, with plenty of clean sand, it’s also the best destination for sand-castle-loving kids; a picnic site offers barbecue amenities, shade, and toilets.

You can also enjoy a long and romantic beach walk at the 5-mile (8-kilometer) trail from Brenton-on-Sea to dramatic Buffalo Bay and can also see dolphins.  

2. Experience the Tranquility of the Forest

Experience-the-Tranquility-of-the-Forest
Experience-the-Tranquility-of-the-Forest

Knysna has several patches of state forest great popular for adventurous activities, including hiking and mountain biking. You can visit Millwood, the Homtini Cycle Route that has 12 miles (19 kilometers) of unexplored trails, and also the Petrus-se-Brand mountain bike trail at Diepwalle winds stretched out for 15 miles (24 kilometers). 

3. Discover the Local Birdlife

Discover-the-Local-Birdlife
Discover-the-Local-Birdlife

Knysna is also home to a great range of habitats, making it an optimum spot for birding the entire year. Watch out for waders and sea birds at Woodbourne Marsh and alongside the causeway to Leisure Isle. You must also visit African fish eagles, and check up the river from the White Bridge, over the lagoon. Keep an eye at the Knysna turaco, an endemic woodland species with green-blue features unmistakable scarlet-colored under-wings. 

4. Spend time With Elephants

Spend-time-With-Elephants
Spend-time-With-Elephants

You can have a great close encounter with one of Africa’s most iconic species, elephants. For this, visit Knysna Elephant Park, situated off the N2 national route between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. The park that operates since 1994, is paced with orphaned, abandoned, and abused African elephants, and you can have a chance to meet the world’s largest land mammal in a natural, cruelty-free setting. You can also enjoy an elephant-back safari, or accompany the elephants on their daily bushwalk. This part has a family-friendly restaurant along with a playground onsite.

5. Catch a Fish for Dinner

Catch-a-Fish-for-Dinner
Catch-a-Fish-for-Dinner

If you are fond of aquatic life, you can join a deep-sea fishing trip or can also rent a rod and try your luck from shore, as Knysna offers multiple opportunities for people who love to fish. Visit the lagoon, which is a prime spot for estuarine species like Kob, Garrick, and spotted grunter, while the beaches of Brenton-on-Sea and Buffalo Bay are known for rock-and-surf species like bronze bream, shad, and white steenbras.

6. Enjoy Fresh Oysters

Enjoy-Fresh-Oysters-in-Knysna-South-Africa
Enjoy-Fresh-Oysters-in-Knysna-South-AfricaEnjoy-Fresh-Oysters-in-Knysna-South-Africa

Knysna is also popular for its restaurants, particularly for its seafood. Oysters are grown in the estuary and are the best in South Africa. You can sample them for yourself at the eateries on Knysna Quays harbor, hire a 90-minute lagoon cruise to snack on oysters and drink white wine also learn about the local industry or watch out the madness of the town’s annual Oyster Festival that takes place for several summer days. 

Synopsis

So, friends if you have plans to pay a visit to South Africa, better to visit the above places at Knysna for sure to make the best of your trip.

About the author

Mamta Sharma