Things to do in Knysna
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Knysna
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer is warmest and busiest, with school holidays filling Leisure Isle and the Waterfront and prices peaking.
Autumn is a sweet spot, warm and calmer with good forest walking and lagoon conditions.
Winter is cooler, greener and quieter with the best value outside the July Oyster Festival, and whales from June.
Spring brings wildflowers at Goukamma, whales still present and shoulder season prices before December.
What's on
- Knysna Oyster Festival 3 to 12 July
Ten days of oysters, food and wine events and family activities, the busiest winter week in Knysna.
- Knysna Forest Marathon 4 July
Forest marathon and half marathon on the first weekend of the Oyster Festival, entries fill ahead.
- Knysna Cycle Tour 10 to 12 July
Mountain bike and road races closing the Oyster Festival on its second weekend.
- Simola Hillclimb early May, check current year dates
A hillclimb motorsport weekend in the hills above town that fills hotels and closes local roads.
Best things to do in Knysna
Knysna Heads
Two sandstone cliffs guard the lagoon entrance, and the East Head viewpoint gives lagoon, town and ocean in one frame.
The Waterfront Knysna Quays
The harbourfront complex on the lagoon edge, best as a starting point for a cruise and a meal on arrival.
Featherbed Nature Reserve
A private reserve on the Western Head reached by ferry, then a guided drive and walk with lagoon views and lunch.
MV John Benn Cruise
A double decker floating restaurant cruising the lagoon to the Heads, the easy family way to see Knysna from the water.
Knysna Charters
A smaller Thesen Island boat operator running lagoon and oyster cruises to the Heads with oysters and wine on board.
SANParks Knysna seahorses
A small display on the endangered Knysna seahorse at the SANParks office on Thesen Island, good with children.
Knysna Elephant Park
An elephant sanctuary on the N2 east of town offering guided encounters for travellers without a full safari.
Where to stay in Knysna
Thesen Island and the Waterfront
first trip, walking to dinner and boats
Flat, lagoon edge and access controlled on Thesen Island, with the widest choice of restaurants and cruise departures.
Leisure Isle
quiet lagoon swimming and longer stays
A residential island in the lagoon with Bollard Bay Beach, calm water and evening walks, reached by a causeway.
Town centre
budget stays and practical one night stops
Cheaper guesthouses and the backpackers on and above Main Road, busy by day and a taxi rather than a walk at night.
Eastern Head and the hills
splurge, golf and seclusion
Resort stays at Pezula and Simola with spas, pools and golf, a drive from every town dinner and beach.
Think twice about
- Township and informal areas north of the N2, including Concordia, Khayalethu and Hornlee
Do not base there or wander in as a visitor without a local guide booked for that purpose.
- The Heads channel and quiet lagoon and forest paths after dark
The channel currents are lethal for swimmers, and quiet paths are the wrong place to be alone at dawn or after dark.
- Main Road, town centre, late at night on foot
Busy and fine by day, but drive or take a taxi at night rather than walking the centre or the road to outlying areas.
Best restaurants in Knysna
Zachary's Restaurant
The fine dining restaurant at Pezula, the one genuine occasion dinner in Knysna itself, built on local ingredients.
Sirocco
A busy, design led Thesen Island restaurant for seafood, sushi and grills, the default smart dinner on the island.
Tapas & Oysters
A Thesen Island tapas bar built around small plates, seafood tapas and Knysna oysters, best for sharing groups.
34 South
A large lagoon side restaurant and deli at the Quays known for oysters and seafood, good for mixed groups.
The Drydock Food Co
A multi level lagoon side restaurant at the Waterfront for seafood and sunset views, dependable for groups.
Anchorage Restaurant
A long running seafood and steak restaurant in the town centre, more local and old school than the Quays.
East Head Cafe
A cafe at the East Head viewpoint with coffee and breakfasts and one of the best views in Knysna over the Heads.
île de païn
A bakery cafe in the Boatshed on Thesen Island for artisan breads, pastries and breakfasts, best early in the day.
Outdoor things to do in Knysna
Circles in the Forest Trail
The best known Knysna forest walk, with 3 km and 9 km loops through tall forest and pools from a picnic site.
Diepwalle Elephant Trails
Colour coded forest loops from Diepwalle past giant yellowwoods, quieter and deeper feeling than the short walks.
Garden of Eden
A short boardwalk through indigenous forest with named trees, the forest without a hike in under an hour.
Goukamma Nature Reserve
A CapeNature reserve of river mouth, lake, dunes and wild beach, the emptiest outdoors day west of Knysna.
Buffalo Bay Beach
The main ocean swimming beach for Knysna, a surf beach and holiday village west of town with rock pools.
Bollard Bay Beach
The calm, shallow lagoon beach on Leisure Isle, where small children should swim in Knysna, with Heads views.
Ocean Odyssey Whale Watching
A permitted close encounter boat trip through the Heads for whales in season and dolphins at other times.
Simola Golf and Country Estate
A Jack Nicklaus signature course in the hills above Knysna, with fairways and views over the whole lagoon.
Best hotels in Knysna
Turbine Hotel & Spa
A boutique hotel inside a former power station on Thesen Island, the most characterful mid range stay in Knysna.
The Lofts Boutique Hotel
A small lagoon edge hotel in the old Boatshed on Thesen Island, a quiet and design led couples pick.
Protea Hotel by Marriott Knysna Quays
The reliable Waterfront chain hotel with a lagoon facing pool, best for logistics, families and one night stops.
Amanzi Island Boutique Hotel
A small luxury hotel at the tip of Leisure Isle with panoramic lagoon views and Bollard Bay a short walk away.
Leisure Isle Lodge
A calm, hosted lodge near Bollard Bay on Leisure Isle, mid range in price and high on quiet for longer stays.
Island Vibe Knysna
A central backpackers with dorms and private rooms, the genuine cheap and social base in Knysna for road trippers.
Knysna Manor House
A guesthouse in a Victorian house above the centre with lagoon views, at bed and breakfast prices below the islands.
Pezula Nature Retreat
A secluded luxury retreat on the Eastern Head with a spa, pools, golf next door and shuttles to Noetzie Beach.
Is Knysna expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ZAR 950 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ZAR 2,400 a person |
| Splurge | ZAR 5,800 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Featherbed Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- MV John Benn Cruise: a few days ahead
- Knysna Charters: a few days ahead
- Knysna Elephant Park: a few days ahead
- Ocean Odyssey Whale Watching: a few days ahead
- Simola Golf and Country Estate: weeks ahead
- Amanzi Island Boutique Hotel: weeks ahead
- Pezula Nature Retreat: weeks ahead
- Book December, January and Oyster Festival stays, Pezula, Simola and Amanzi Island well ahead.
- Book Featherbed, Ocean Odyssey in whale season and Zachary's ahead, and keep a weather backup day for Heads trips.
Is Knysna safe?
- Base on Thesen Island, Leisure Isle or the Waterfront for walking to dinner, and take taxis in the centre at night.
- Swim in the lagoon at Bollard Bay and in the ocean only at lifeguarded areas such as Buffalo Bay in season.
- Emergency numbers are 10111 for police and 112 from a mobile phone.
Knysna travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not swim at the Heads or in the channel, where tidal currents have killed strong swimmers.
- Do not rely on a pre-2017 listing for a fire affected business or forest site, and do not leave valuables visible in a parked car.
Getting around Knysna: public transport and more
- You need a car for the Heads, forest trailheads, Goukamma, Buffalo Bay, Brenton and Pezula.
- Thesen Island, the Waterfront and Leisure Isle are walkable once you are based there.
- George Airport is about an hour west by road, and Knysna has no useful visitor public transport.
Who Knysna suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Knysna your trip
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