The greater Knysna area is a treasure trove of activities for families – we can literally keep you busy for days!
Explore the magical Knysna forest
The indigenous forest is the perfect outdoor playground with a wide variety of hiking, cycling and swimming spots. Buy some local produce and end your forest outing with a picnic and swim in the river nearby.
Top tips
- Totties Farm kitchen in Rheenedal serves scrumptious farm-style food. With expansive fenced gardens and play areas for the little ones, this is a great breakfast, brunch and lunch spot.
- Not enough time to get to the forest? The Farm on the Simola Road has a kids cycle pump track and play park and serves great breakfast and lunches, including pizza’s.
- For a fynbos walk in town, try Pledge Nature Reserve or Steenbok Park Nature reserve on Leisure Island.
Visit the Knysna Elephant Park
Get personal with a 7000kg African giant – a visit to the Knysna Elephant Park is one of the most popular things to do in the Knysna area. Over the last twenty years the park has cared for and raised more than forty orphaned elephants. Here you can walk, and sleep with the herd at the Park.
Visit Featherbed Nature Reserve
What’s not to love about a ferry trip across the Knysna lagoon to Featherbed Nature Reserve, a short hike and a scrumptious buffet dinner under the trees? The views are magnificent and this five hour experience will be one of the highlights of your trip.
Take a boat trip
The ocean, lagoons, estuaries, lakes and rivers in the greater Knysna area provides ample playground and experiences for all ages. You have a choice of ferry trips to the Knysna Heads, a sail on an authentic pirate ship, whale & dolphin watching, a sunset sailing trip through the Knysna Heads, canoeing and more – the options are varied and exciting.
Visit some real castles
Noetzie has a small, picturesque beach guarded over by six imposing castles which were built from local sandstone. Swimming in the sea at Noetzie is not recommended except at peak holiday times when there is a lifeguard on duty, but the lagoon at the river mouth is safe for swimming and canoeing.
Spend the day on the beach
The greater Knysna area has 11 beaches – you are literally spoilt for choice! Activities include surf lessons, body boarding, long walks, swimming, snorkelling and of course, sand castle building.
Knysna Scootours
Legs and bicycles are not required with this non-motorised, eco-friendly chubby scooter. They offer a variety of tours and the experience can be as exciting as you want it to be, but at the same time safe enough for any youngster who is confident on a bicycle.
Visit the Mosaic Garden in Sedgefield
If you take a drive through Sedgefield, you will immediately notice the abundance of mosaics peppered throughout the town. The mosaic garden is a marine-themed Mosaic Park called “The Octopus Garden under the Sea” next to the Scarab Market. Various mosaic sculptures were designed including a giant octopus, a dolphin and an Orca.
Snorkelling at Gericke’s Point
During spring low tide when the water recedes far enough for safe and leisurely snorkelling, the tidal pools at Gericke’s Point, at Swartvlei beach in Sedgefield beg for underwater exploration. Expect dazzling displays of vividly-coloured anemones, spiky urchins, other-worldly granular starfish, Cape rock crabs, octopus, nudibranch, sea hares, limpets, mussels and an assortment of fish of varying sizes.
Get acquinted with the Knysna seahorse
The endangered Knysna seahorse, is a remarkable little fish with a long snake-like tail and a downward pointing snout that is related to the pipefish. Visit the SANParks offices at Thesen Harbour Town where there is an aquarium housing a number of specimens.
