Brenton Hill
There is so much to do and see in and around Knysna. The Garden Route is a golf mecca, has extreme sports and also many eco-adventures. Or relax and shop, or sit at your favourite restaurant.
There is the forest, the lagoon, the sea ... take your pick!
The Forest
- Take a guided tour in the Knysna Forests and explore the verdant world of author Dalene Matthee, who brought international acclaim to the area with her best-selling forest novels.
- Go cycling on a number of mountain bike trails through the forests.
- Visit some of the so-called "Big Trees" - magnificent Outeniqua Yellowwoods.
- Go birding in the forests, fynbos and along the coast.
- Take one of the many hiking trails around Knysna and explore the forests.
The Sea and Lagoon
- Soak up the sun at Coney Glen, Bollard Bay on Leisure Isle, the beaches of Brenton-on-Sea or Buffels Bay.
- Explore the rocks of the famous Knysna Heads, where Strandlopers (Beachcombers) frequented the caves many thousands of years ago.
- Take a boat cruise on the Knysna Lagoon.
- Visit Featherbed Nature Reserve via ferry.
- Knysna is a whale watcher's paradise. Go whale-watching along the coast or take a boat trip between June and December to see, at close quarters, the antics of southern right and humpback whales which occasionally stray into the Knysna Lagoon.
- The area between Knysna and Sedgefield offers the best of most types of fishing: charter a boat for deep-sea fishing, or try your luck with rock, surf and fly-fishing.
Festivals
Join us during our annual festivals;
- The Knysna Oyster Festival
- Rastafarian Earth Festival
- Pink Loerie Festival
- Sedgefield Slow Food Festival.
Shops and Restaurants
- Enjoy breakfast and/or lunch at some of Knysna's most popular restaurants overlooking the sea crashing through the Heads.
- Visit the Millwood House and Old Gaol Museums, and explore the Millwood Goldfields and Materolli Mining Museum where old mining equipment of yesteryear can be seen.
- Take a stroll through Knysna CBD for a visit to one of many historic buildings.
- Visit the local breweries in the industrial area.
- Take a township tour to Judah Square, home to South Africa's largest Rastafarian community.
- Visit a local furniture/crafts factory.
- Spoil yourself and go shopping at the Knysna Waterfront, the market in Main Street or the many street vendors selling memorabilia, clothing and curios.
Golf
Enjoy a game of golf against the awesome backdrops of ocean and lagoon
- Pezula
- Simola
- Knysna Golf Course
- Oubaai
- Pinnacle Point
- Plettenberg Bay Golf Course
- Goose Valley
Nature
- Visit the Knysna Elephant Park.
- Visit Pledge Park Nature Reserve.
- Spend the day at Monkeyland and Birds of Eden, two separate sanctuaries situated next to each other.
- Take a horse ride along the Garden Route's famous beaches.
- Visit some of our private nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries to experience our wild animals such as lion, cheetah and elephant at close quarters.
Adventure
- Take a tree-top tour through the canopy of the Tsitsikamma Forests.
- Go bungy jumping at Bloukrans, the world's highest bungy bridge!
- Spend the day exploring the world famous Cango Caves - about two hours drive from Knysna.
