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Best activities to do in Knysna, South Africa for 2025

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4 weeks ago

Knysna is located on the southern coast of South Africa. It consists of the town centre with shops, markets, and restaurants, and the surrounding countryside. Both are full of fun activities to do and beautiful landscapes to see. The area is called the Garden Route, and the name is highly descriptive: Garden Route is a lush area of Afromontane forests and coastal, endemic fynbos vegetation, wedged between the Indian Ocean and two mountain ranges.

Having lived on the outskirts of Knysna myself, I have had the privilege of exploring its offerings firsthand. Some of my personal highlights have included joining a Knysna forest marathon and sailing out of the Knysna Heads to view dolphins. I’ve entirely enjoyed sampling the various restaurants and coffee shops of Knysna and the surrounds. And certainly, welcoming my baby daughter into the world at the Knysna hospital was pretty special indeed. This town has all the necessary amenities, as well as plenty of adventurous things to do – South African style.

In Knysna you can have either a relaxed beach holiday, or an action-filled adventure, or something in between. This guide is a local’s view on what are the best activities to do in Knysna.

How to get to Knysna

Knysna is best reached by flying to Cape Town and then taking a car or a bus to Knysna. If you rent a car, you could drive the fastest way along the N2. I can also recommend taking a small detour along R62, a scenic route slightly more inland that runs through the Klein Karoo.

From Johannesburg the distance is much longer. But, of course, it is also possible to take a domestic flight from either Cape Town or Johannesburg to George, a city just an hour’s drive from Knysna.

How to get around

Knysna town itself is quite walkable. Along the main road of the town you’ll find a small market, art galleries, banks, and a tourism office. There are several shopping centres in Knysna central. The Waterfront, a short walk from the main road, is popular for its shops, views of Knysna estuary, and boat cruises. There are fantastic restaurants in Knysna, both in the town itself and in the surrounding area.

If you have a car to use, it will of course make getting around easier. Then you can better explore the nearby attractions as well, such as Harkerville forest area or the coastal communities. There are also local taxis that leave from Knysna’s central taxi rank. If you don’t mind waiting a bit, you can catch a ride to many of the nearby communities, or for example to Plettenberg Bay, for R20-30 (US$1-2).

Best activities to do in Knysna

Explore Knysna estuary and The Heads

Knysna River enters the sea through a “lagoon”, actually an estuary, that is one of Knysna’s most prominent landmarks. The confluence of the estuary and the Indian Ocean is at Knysna Heads, two rock faces guarding the place where boats and ships enter and exit the estuary.

One great way to view the Heads is to visit East Head Café, a lovely restaurant with views towards the estuary and the Heads.

You’ll also find companies offering boat cruises on the estuary, for various prices. With Featherbed Company for example, you can join a small cruise to the Heads on board of a historic double-decker restaurant boat, MV John Benn. Or, take a boat across the estuary to their private nature reserve, for a walk through the local fynbos vegetation. For a bit more money, this trip can be topped off with a buffet lunch.

Or, for a lower-key activity, head over to Leisure Island, a few kilometres from the town centre. I enjoy this place for its peace and quiet. Here you can stroll on a sandy beach or the floodplains and admire the Heads and the sailboats floating by. If you explore the shallow waters closely, you might spot special life forms found only in this part of the world. Keep an eye out for certain hermit crabs, sea slugs, or the rare Knysna seahorse. Leisure Isle also has a lovely village centre with quaint cafés and restaurants.

Whale or dolphin watching

On the Garden Route you can find various activities that allow you to see wild animals up close. This is always a truly special experience, and yet it is good to consider the impact this sort of tourism may have on the local wildlife populations. When it comes to whale and dolphin watching, there are some tour companies in Knysna that do these trips ethically and responsibly. During the season for whale watching, July – November, you may spot southern right whales, humpback whales, or orcas.

Outside of whale season, other wildlife tours are available. For example, they can take you on a tour to view the coves of the coastline and to spot dolphins, seals, and penguins. Or, you can join an educational boat trip to learn more about the Knysna estuary. All in all, a trip on the ocean is definitely one of the best activities to do in Knysna.

Walks in the indigenous forest

Forests – Knysna’s icon

Knysna town is surrounded by vast areas of indigenous forests. Since the European settlers first arrived, wood for building and furniture has been a major resource coming from Knysna. Many authors have been inspired by and written stories about the Knysna woodcutters and the challenges of “conquering” the jungle-like forests with tall trees and prowling wildlife.

Thankfully, the indigenous trees are protected these days, and wood is harvested from managed plantations. Though wildlife is scarcer, there are still lots of animals to be found in Knysna’s forests. There are swathes of birds of course, from small warblers to the beautiful Knysna turaco, or loerie. There are small mammals such as genets and mongooses, but bigger mammals still exist as well. These include the leopard, baboon, wild pig, bushbuck, and, only in Knysna’s forests, one forest elephant.

Knysna’s best hikes

For hiking in the forests, there are various choices. I would personally recommend the forests of Harkerville, or the walks in Rheenendahl. Both are some 15 kilometres from Knysna itself and both areas are managed by SanParks. These walks include an entrance fee (around R100 or US$5 per person). In Harkerville, you can do a beautiful walk of 9 kilometres called Perdekop. It is fairly flat so it is easy for all fitness levels. Nearby, there is also Kranshoek viewpoint, and a hike that involves walking in the forest and on the beach.

In Rheenendahl area, there are various walks, but perhaps the most popular is the Circles in the Forest walk. At the parking lot you can view the memorial of Dalene Matthee. She wrote a book called Circles in the Forest and other novels inspired by the life of the early settlers of Knysna.

Along the walk you’ll see ancient ironwoods, gigantic yellowwoods, and countless other trees. There are flowers, insects, lichens, and mosses on the forest floor, and you can often hear birds in the canopy. Or you may be enchanted by the bubbling of small streams nearby. You can choose between a 3-kilometre walk and a 9-kilometre walk.

Knysna Elephant Park

Visiting Knysna Elephant Park is another opportunity to have a remarkable wildlife experience, up close and personal. In this reserve, orphaned or rescued elephants are cared for and rehabilitated. Some elephants stay for their whole life, while others are relocated to other reserves, always depending on the elephant’s needs.

At Knysna Elephant Park you get to visit elephants closely, while they still have the choice of whether and who to interact with. You can learn not only about the reserve’s small herd of elephants but also about the conservation of African elephants in general. You don’t need to book, as tours leave every half an hour. The visit costs R500-1000 (US$25-50) for an adult non-South African, depending on which experience option you choose.

Judah Square Rastafarian community

South Africa is made up of many different cultures, peoples, and environments. I can strongly recommend getting a little off the main roads and town centres, and discovering some of the various lifestyles of the South African people. In Knysna, you can visit the Rastafarian community of Judah Square to learn about their lifestyle, beliefs and traditions.

Rastafarians generally are a loving and accepting community, and the people of Judah Square are no exception. The trained guides can take you to a local edu-centre or local shops, and they’ll share with you interesting facts about the Rastafarian movement. You might get to enjoy a live reggae performance, or you can talk about traditional activities such as the use of indigenous plants in healing.

Buffels Bay & Goukamma River

Buffels Bay beach and getting there

A few kilometres outside of Knysna is the peaceful little village of Buffels Bay, on the coast. It is well known for its long, sandy beaches and good waves for surfing. If you wish you can walk all the way to Brenton on Sea from Buffels Bay – an invigorating 2-hour walk along the beach.

Driving to Buffels Bay from Knysna, you’ll turn off the N2 onto a smaller road. Right in the beginning there are some special shops you might enjoy visiting, collaboratively called The Riverdeck farmstall and restaurant. The farmstall sells truly delicious South African pies and milk tart, and on the other side of the road, the Riverdeck restaurant has quite a unique tropical vibe. On their menu they have great pizzas and other dishes. A kilometre further towards Buffels Bay there is a small padstal, Veggies and Honey, where you can buy local vegetables and other goods. The ladies running this tiny but characterful operation can share lovely stories with you about life in this part of Knysna.

Kayaking on the Goukamma River

My personal favorite way to get to Buffels Bay is other than driving: you can rent kayaks or canoes from the Riverdeck restaurant and paddle down the Goukamma River. To go the whole way would take you a few hours, but it’s worth it. It is peaceful on the river, and you can spot various birds, insects, and domestic cattle or sheep along the way. Reaching the river mouth is mesmerizing; the water is vast, and you can pull the kayak up and stroll on the sandy beach.

Paddling up is slightly more work of course, but the river runs steady and slow, and kayaking is great exercise. You could also just kayak a little bit down the river and turn back, instead of going the whole way.

Be sure to use plenty of sun cream, especially on your thighs and shoulders, and wear a hat – and you’re good to go.


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