Things To See & Do

1) Shark Cage Diving – White Shark Africa

2) Sand Boarding – Billeon

3) St Blaize Hiking Trail

4) Boot Tree Mailbox

Restaurant Recommendations

1) Gannet Cafe

2) Delfinos

Accommodation Options

Bar-T-Nique Guest House

Things To Do & See

1) Tsitsikamma National Park

Located on the coast, Storms River mouth is located inside the national park.

A) Waterfall Hike

B) Bridge Hike & Lookout Point

C) Otter Trail

A five day hike along the coastline that starts from Storms River mouth inside the national park. The huts for the multi-day hike must be booked far in advance (upwards of a year).

2) Bloukrans Bungy Jump

Located within ten minutes of Storms River is the world’s highest bridge bungy jump, which is 216 meters above the Bloukrans River. If you do not want to jump, you can walk the highest single span concrete arch bridge in the world.

We had hoped to jump, unfortunately due to rainy weather we decided not to try. Maybe next time?!

3) Blackwater Tubing – Stormsriver

Knysna is a popular stop along the Garden Route due to its size and proximity to popular attractions. The city can be used as a base to explore some of the nearby towns and popular tourist activities.

Approximate travel times to nearby cities:
Plettenberg Bay: 30 minutes
Storms River: 90 minutes
Mossel Bay: 90 minutes
Oudtshoorn: 90 minutes
George / Wilderness: 30-45 minutes

Things To See & Do

1) Sunset Cruise

We would definitely recommend a cruise of the lagoon to the Knysna Heads, as it is the best way to view the city, enjoy the water and learn a bit about the history of this port town. The Knysna Head are among the most dangerous in the world, due to the shallow waters, reefs, and unpredictable ocean swells. We enjoyed spending a couple of hours on the lagoon in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, the sunset was less than spectacular, but the company was terrific.

2) Township Tour

Rated as the top activity in Knysna, the tour of the local township is led by an friendly and outgoing resident of the community. The tour through the township made stops at a local store, pre-school, hair dresser, and then ended at our guides home for tea, singing, and a lesson on the local drums. The experience left me with mixed feelings — I am highly unlike to take another township tour in the future.

3) Robberg Nature Reserve

Located just south of the town of Plettenberg Bay (aka: Pletts). There are three hiking trails (short, medium, and long) within the reserve that are well worth the trip. We undertook the long hike, which makes a full circle around the Park and was absolutely stunning. The hike took about 4 hours to complete and was one of Kevin’s favorite hikes we have completed, to date.

The Robberg Nature Reserve is about a 40 minute drive from Knysna.

Restaurant Recommendations

1) East Heads Cafe

This open air cafe is located at the end of the road to the Knysna East Heads. It has great views over the lagoon and to the heads and the food was good too.

2) Sorricos

There are a number of restaurants on Thesen Island by the marina, among them is Sorricos. This restaurant has a large menu varying from sushi and seafood to pizza and pasta. We found that Wednesday night is 1/2 price pizza night, which was a real bargain.

Accommodation Options

Knysna Stays

We stayed near town in a self catering apartment at a local guesthouse. The apartment was modern, clean, and had the basic amenities (including a washing machine!). I thought we would have views of the water from our patio, but unfortunately, there were no views.