Things to do in Knysna

The Heads, the forest, the lagoon and the oysters, from people who drive this coast every week.

Most of the things to do in Knysna fall into one of three places: on the water, in the forest, or at a table with something local in front of you. The town sits where the indigenous canopy runs down to a lagoon, with the Heads standing guard at the mouth, and it rewards people who slow down. Here is what is worth your time, and how to reach it.

On the water

The Knysna Heads

Two sandstone cliffs guard the narrow channel where the lagoon meets the open sea. The East Head is the one you can drive to, and the viewpoint at the top is the photograph everyone comes for. At the base there are sea caves you can walk into on a guided coastal walk. It is worth timing a visit for either end of the day when the light is low on the rock.

Featherbed Nature Reserve

The Western Head is a private reserve and the only way in is by ferry across the lagoon. The standard visit takes you up the headland on a 4×4 trailer, then walks you back down through milkwood forest and fynbos to a buffet lunch. Book ahead, especially over school holidays, because the ferry runs to a fixed schedule.

A lagoon cruise

The lagoon is calm, shallow and much bigger than it looks from the road. Cruises run from the Waterfront and most of them put oysters and a glass of something in front of you while you go. It is the easiest way to see the Heads from the water rather than from above.

Thesen Islands and the Waterfront

A former timber island turned into a canal neighbourhood, joined to town by a causeway. Good for a slow walk, a coffee and a look at the boats. The Waterfront next door is where most of the lagoon trips leave from.

In the forest

The Knysna forest

Knysna sits against one of the last big stretches of indigenous forest in South Africa, now part of the Garden Route National Park. Diepwalle is the best known entry point and has marked walks of an hour or a full day, including some enormous old yellowwoods. It stays cool and green even in midsummer.

Mountain biking

The forestry roads and single track above town are some of the better riding on this coast, and there is everything from a flat family loop to proper climbing. Bikes can be hired in town if you have not brought your own.

Knysna Elephant Park

A free-range park just outside town that takes in rescued elephants. Visits are up close and the guides are good on the individual animals and how each one arrived. It is the first stop on our own Knysna day tour for a reason.

Beaches and the coast

Brenton-on-Sea

A long, open beach on the ocean side of the Western Head, about twenty minutes from town. Wide enough that it never feels busy, and the walk down the beach towards Buffalo Bay is a good one.

Buffalo Bay

A wide sweep of sand with a small settlement at one end and a nature reserve at the other. Calmer water than Brenton and a favourite with families and beginner surfers.

Food and drink

Oysters

Knysna oysters are the thing the town is best known for, and you can eat them almost anywhere from a plastic chair at the Waterfront to a white tablecloth. If you are here in winter, the Knysna Oyster Festival takes over the town for ten days and brings a full sporting and food programme with it.

Gin and craft beer

There are small-batch distilleries and breweries in and around town, several of them doing proper tastings with a walk through how it is made. It pairs well with a slow afternoon after a morning in the forest.

Golf

The courses around Knysna are a large part of why some people come at all. Pezula sits on the cliffs above the Eastern Head and is the one most visitors have heard of.

How to get to Knysna

Knysna is on the N2 between George and Plettenberg Bay, roughly halfway along the Garden Route. If you are not driving yourself, there are three ways in.

Scheduled shuttle from Cape Town. Gecko runs a seat-per-person shuttle five days a week. It leaves Cape Town Mowbray at 13:30 and reaches Knysna at 21:00, and comes back out of Knysna at 06:00. Fares and the full timetable are on the Knysna to Cape Town shuttle page.

From George Airport. George is the closest airport, about an hour away. We run private door to door transfers from the airport, which suits anyone arriving with luggage or on a late flight. Details are on the airport transfer page.

Along the Garden Route. The same shuttle links Knysna with George, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay, so you can move between towns without hiring a car. Every stop and time is on the shuttle service page.

Common questions about visiting Knysna

Question: What is Knysna famous for?
Answer: Knysna is best known for its oysters, its lagoon and the two sandstone cliffs at the mouth called the Heads. It also sits against one of the last large indigenous forests in South Africa, which is why the town is often called the green heart of the Garden Route.

Question: Is Knysna worth visiting?
Answer: Yes, and it is worth more than one night. The forest, the lagoon and the coast are three quite different landscapes within twenty minutes of each other, and very few towns on this coast give you all three. Two full days lets you see the Heads, get out on the water and walk in the forest without rushing.

Question: When is the best time to visit Knysna?
Answer: Knysna is a year-round town. Summer from December to February is warmest and busiest, and accommodation books up well ahead. Spring and autumn are quieter with mild weather and good walking conditions. Winter brings the Oyster Festival and green, wet forest, which many people prefer.

Question: How do you get to Knysna without a car?
Answer: George Airport is about an hour away and private transfers run door to door. There is also a scheduled shuttle between Cape Town and Knysna five days a week, with a seat booked per person, which stops at George, Mossel Bay, Swellendam and several towns along the N2.

There are more things to do in Knysna than one trip will hold, which is the point of the place. If you are working out how to fit it together, or how to get between towns without a hire car, the shuttle timetable and the Knysna day tour are the two pages worth reading next.