Things to do
Best of Magical Knysna Forest
There is much to do in Knysna and around Forest Edge. Attractions that Forest Edge and Knysna are famous for, involves water, woods, walking and wads of fun! If you only have time for the Top 10, we most enthusiastically encourage guests to try and experience at least the following while you visit Forest Edge:
- Walk in the Forest – from gentle trails to energising hikes, imagine the bird and wild-life.
- Picnic under a tree near your cottage or at Jubilee Creek where the Magic will find you.
- Delight in the Wild Oats Farmer’s Market on a Saturday morning.
- Swim in Drupkelders Rock Pools in the forest.
- Explore the Knysna Heads – on foot or via the lagoon on a Featherbed Ferry or charter boat/yacht or even a canoe.
- Bodysurf at Buffalo Bay Beach or at Adventure Land Slides.
- Ride your mountain bike or a horse on stunning trails.
- Eat your heart out on your veranda overlooking the braai, self-catered or breakfast on Lily Pond Deck or pre-ordered breakfast braai packs etc or in great restaurants.
- Experience adrenaline & wildlife parks – Elephants / Primates / Predators / Raptors / Snakes / Wolves / Exotic Birds / Ziplines and more – see Wildlife park links below (“Within 30-60 minutes away”).
- Be thrilled at any of the incredibly popular and successful Knysna Festivals and Events.
- Do nothing while indulging your senses (bed, couch, hammock, deck, or on a massage bed, under a tree, around a fire, under the stars) :- )
On-site at Forest Edge
BE your most peaceful self:
- Enjoy an in-cottage or Forest professional massage
- Relax as your kids explore Forest Edge & the jungle gym
- Cool off in our splash pool, while the cows graze nearby.
- Laze in a sheltered hammock while the braai gets ready
- Have sundowners on the verandah.
- Find peace at our Forest Facing Meditation Corner with a yoga deck and bamboo fountain.
- Star-gaze at the night sky or thaw your soul by a flickering fire.
- Share a movie or read or sleep or do nothing… Relax and re-connect…
DO what brings you adventure:
- Delight in bird watching (even some game), a true nature-lover’s haven!
- Explore our on-site eco-edu-trail or a short walk into the forest.
- Imagine the exotic lost forest era at our Woodcutter graves.
- Inspire your body on beautiful, safe running routes & marathons.
- Mountain bike – safe farm roads and stunning forest trails
Reading to prepare for the Adventure:
“Circles in a Forest” Dalene Matthee;
“Elephantoms” Lyall Watson
Around Forest Edge – within a 10-20 minute radius:
DO what brings you adventure:
- Explore the forest right by Forest Edge, down to a babbling Forest stream with small pools.
- Horse-ride – from beginners to accomplished riders, and kiddies rides are catered for.
- Swim or canoe at The Drift.
- Buy some organic herb plants from the Heatherhill Herb Farm and Nursery.
- Get active on the Circles in the Forest walking trail.
- Cycle the back roads or challenge yourself on the Homtini cycle route.
BE your most peaceful self:
- Experience a unique, healing studio massage.
- Savour a mouth watering meal, or take-away at Totties Sunday Market.
- Marvel at one of the oldest Big Trees at Krisjan-se-Nek, by Dalene Matthee’s memorial.
- Take a sunrise or sunset stroll down quaint country roads.
Around Forest Edge – within a 20-30 minutes radius:
BE your most peaceful self:
- Luxury Ferry boat rides to the Featherbed Reserve.
- Soak up fresh variety at the Wild Oats Farmer’s Market.
- Picnic at Jubilee Creek where gold used to be panned.
- Explore Millwood museum, tea garden and the gold mining tour (currently closed).
DO what brings you adventure:
- See Knysna as never before on the 2-Island / Lagoon Breeze Luxury Electric Bike Tours (all fitness levels).
- Try tandem Paragliding in Sedgefield.
- 30min walk to Drupkelders’ rock pools & waterfalls – quite steep as it approaches the gorge.
- The spotless Buffalo Bay Beach (bypass peak season traffic!).
- Sea kayaking, Stand Up Paddling, rock climbing, abseiling, golf – various service providers and premises.
- Knysna’s restaurants, Knysna waterfront, skateboard park, shops/curios.
- Whale Watching and Dolphin Ocean Marine Eco Tours.
- Outeniqua Hiking Trail or professional guided birding- / eco-trail
For some additional information and ideas; writer, blogger and photojournalist Roxanne Reid wrote a very insightful blog: 15 things to do near Knysna on the Garden Route.
Within 30-60 minutes away
Not far away, but set aside a couple of hours to trawl the little stalls you will pass on the N2 between Knysna and Plettenburg Bay and slightly beyond:
- Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary.
- Knysna Zipline, the longest and highest zipline in the Garden Route.
- Birds of Eden Bird park.
- Wolf Sanctuary (N2 between Knysna and Plet).
- Knysna Elephant Park and The Elephant Sanctuary.
- Radical Raptors for flight displays and close encounters with magnificent raptors (one of our personal favourites).
- Walk with Cheetahs and more at Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre.
- See a variety of big cats from around the world, plus a few other surprises at Jukani Wildlife Predator Park.
From Forest Edge – Day Trips & Half-days – measure in time rather than distance:
Note some of these attractions are only 30-60min drive away, but here it is categorised by the time you’d need to set aside to DO the actual activity, or experience the attraction. If you plan your trip and stay long enough, you can explore wider than you think without having to re-pack and unpack your suitcases each time! Enjoy the scenic drives (the only kind we have!) on these outings and then return to your homely, peaceful forest cottage:
HALF-DAY OPTIONS:
- Adventure-land Water-slide park and pools with quad-biking
- Tsitsikamma Falls adventure – slides across waterfalls Tsitsikamma Forest
- Canopy tree top tours
- Dare yourself to a Sky Dive near Plettenburg Bay
- Bungy Jumping from the world’s highest bungy bridge at Bloukrans
FULL-DAY OPTIONS:
Great options for exploring the heart of the Garden Route; also make handy alternatives when you are wondering what to do on rainy days near Knysna (if you really don’t want to laze in front of the log fire)…
George:
The Strawberry Picking fields; Outeniqua Power Van and Transport Museum; Large Malls; perhaps take the Seven Passes back-road on your way there or back, as it starts/ends right near Forest Edge.
Oudtshoorn:
Enjoy spectacular views as you travel through the Outeniqua Pass, then Cango Caves; Cango Wildlife Ranch; Meerkat farm and more.
Mosselbay:
Explore the antique shops and river estuaries along GrootBrak on your way to the attractions of Mosselbay, including Bartholomeu Dias Museum complex with a life-size replica of the Dias Caravel (the early explorer ship that first landed in Mosselbay in 1488), the Post Tree, the Shell museum, Botanical Garden with Braille Trail and more.
PE:
Take in Jeffreys Bay, Tsitsikamma and Stormsriver; ideal for exploring new places on a rainy day. Blackwater Tubing at Stormsriver makes for an adrenaline alternative to Bungy Jumping.
Uniondale / Langkloof valley:
If the road is open and you feel adventurous, go to Uniondale via the beautifully historic Prince Alfred Pass and explore Uniondale and the picturesque Langkloof (part of Route 62) before returning via the Outeniqua Pass and George (or vice versa).
Map of Knysna Town & Map of Broader Knysna Area
We battle to keep up with the developments of each and every attraction on the Garden Route : )
If you feel your attraction needs to be represented here, please contact us. If any links are broken, please let us know too? Thanks!
AND THIS IS NOT ALL; THERE IS MUCH MUCH MORE!!!! A single web page cannot possibly list every attraction on the Garden Route, there are several websites dedicated to this. Suffice it to say that there is no need to wonder what to do in Knysna, you will never get through the list of things to do…
(We haven’t done all we want to do on the Garden Route, even after all the years of living here!)
