Visit Knysna Archives - TRAVELBUCKET

A MARINE ODYSSEY

Today we were up early and getting the troops ready for our boating trip with Ocean Odyssey in Knysna compliments of #visitknysna. The weather was looking a bit greyish when we departed from home base, but it turned out to be a beautiful day in Knysna. How lucky we are! Now our family are not sea people at all, but this trip however was on our to do list for some time, but somehow, we never got around to do it. We prefer the bush and greenery of the forest if we have a choice but are ALWAYS open for something new and eventful. Back to our sea expedition. As always, we arrived a bit early so there was enough time before the trip to use our coffee vouchers at nearby Trinity Coffee. This gave us enough sustenance to be happy on our expedition. The welcome and safety briefing was… Read more >

END OF THE LINE

Turn tables are interesting objects which not a lot of people know about or what its function is, unless you have a special interest in trains. I grew up around trains, but never knew that the picturesque town of Knysna had a turn table tugged away in its bowels. This is just another hidden gem of the Garden Route. So, what is a turn table all about? Or before we go there, why am I writing about a turn table of all things under the sun? Because I think it is worthwhile to write about it as it is not something often seen in South Africa. I discovered this one by accident in the beautiful town of Knysna, next to the waterfront at an almost forgotten spot next to a parking lot. On your next visit in Knysna head over to this GPS location to see it: S 34° 02.393… Read more >

PARING ELUSIVE FOREST ELEPHANTS AND MYSTICAL PHANTOM GIN

Reading the invite in my mailbox my imagination was immediately triggered. This time around we were not invited to Phantom at the Opera, but to a Phantom ginning night in the mystical Knysna forest. It was time to broaden our horizons and travel to Knysna for the experience. And what an experience it was! The setting at The Cabin at Simola was exquisite with a view over the estuary to the one side and the haunting beauty of the Knysna forest on the other side, while sipping on some handcrafted gin. Life cannot get any better! The story of how the husband and wife team of Karel and Chantal started off in Worcester distilling gin in their living room to where they arrived at the name of Phantom for their gin is truly an inspiring story interlocked with all the mysteries the Knysna forest has to offer. This includes the… Read more >

FULL THROTTLE

Knysna was and is one of South Africa’s favourite holiday destinations and these days another different attraction is added to the scene where you can go full throttle. At first you will think this is all about bikes, but while browsing through the display you will notice there is much more than wheels to this living museum (if you want to call it that). You will notice the passion, the history and a story behind each bike on display. The Motorcycle Room is Colin Studen’s happy place. He takes old and new bikes which were heading for the dumpster, regardless make and model, and turn it into a memory (like the one of a kind model, Copper). It is his happy place and not only filled with his happy memories, but also happy memories of every boy, no matter the age, that visits the room. When we visited on hubby’s… Read more >

SPITSKOP ON PRINCE ALFRED’S PASS

Take a day trip to Spitskop and enjoy the scenery deep in the Knysna Forest. If you follow the Prince Alfred Pass that links Avontuur to Knysna you will pass the turn-off to Spitskop. Take your own refreshments as there are no facilities along the road. It is a slow drive as the gravel road may not be in a good condition and in any way, you should not be in hurry because the road is at times very potholed and maybe, just maybe, you will spot an elusive Knysna elephants. Along the route you will find a couple of picnic spots with the beautiful names like Valley of Ferns, Ysterhoutrug and Diepwalle. In the shade of some indigenous trees at Ysterhoutrug picnic spot you can light a fire for a braai as there are designated areas. This is also a good stop for the children to stretch their legs as… Read more >

5 “LEKKER” PICNIC SPOTS IN THE GARDEN ROUTE

Well let’s first start with the word lekker for those who are not familiar with the Afrikaans language. It can be translated as a lot of things such as great, tasty, nice , scenic, pretty – it all depends in what sentence it is used – but what I mean with lekker is more the use of pleasurable and relaxing with a scenic view. There is not one word in the English language that can describe it quite the same. SPOT #1 : EBB AND FLOW (NORTH) Situated on the northern banks of the Touw river it falls within the Garden Route National Park, but day visitors are welcomed. You will be rewarded with some shade under old wild fig trees, a demarcated fire pit, clean ablution facilities and a Knysna Loerie (Turaco) or two. Need to know: Report to reception and pay your day visitor fee. If you have a… Read more >

THE FOUNDER OF KNYSNA

Knysna is synonymous with the history of woodcutters, silk farmers and gold diggers made famous by Dalene Matthee in her books about Knysna and the forest. And probably the most colourful character of Knysna is the famous (or maybe not) George Rex who was the founder of this pretty little town loved by many. George Rex was rumoured to have been the illegitimate son of George III (Prince of Wales at the time) and a Quaker girl, Hannah Lightfoot. The legend is that he was sent to the Cape Colony to avoid a Royal embarrassment. Rex, who settled on the farm Melkhoutkraal, also contributed to the economy of Knysna as he was a timber merchant and trader and played a major role in the development of the town and the surrounding area. Whilst the grave is no great sight to behold, it can be found close to the N2 and… Read more >

Tag Archive: Visit Knysna