The lagoon: about 18 sq. km and home to at least 200 species of fish is connected with the Indian Ocean through a turbulent channel between "The Heads", two sandstone cliffs. Tour around on one of several boats or just take a coffee at "the Heads". Take a boat across to the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the Heads (this is an organised tour because it's a private reserve, but it's a good way to spend some time on the lagoon then take a walk in the reserve).
The Knysna Forest: about 80.000 ha are now under conservation. The ‘King Edward VII’ tree (at Diepwalle forest station) is an estimated 600 years old, 39 m at height, and has a circumference of 6 m. The most famous animals are the Knysna elephants. Currently research, involving DNA testing of dung, is being done to see how many of them may still rumble in the jungle, please report any "dung" sightings! Remember to always take care. There are several hiking trails but you need a car to access the forest. Don't forget the conservation motto "Take only photographs, leave only footprints!".
Pledge Nature Reserve: offers 3.5 km of pathways through scrub forest and hillside fynbos with fine views over the lagoon and is just 500 meters of the town centre. A nice place for a walk in the afternoon.
Millwood Gold Fields: Site of one of the first gold rushes in South Africa, the Millwood Museum and Materoli Tea Room (be sure to try a piece of Jayne's World Famous Chocolate Cake) offers a unique and fascinating view of the greed, entrepreneurship, energy, and ultimate failure of the first gold discovered in South Africa during the late 1800's. Tours through the old gold diggings are available.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Knysna
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Knysna - updated May 2024
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Knysna Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
