The South Africa Travel Guide: Things to Do in Knysna

My South African adventure, which started out with a journey along the scenic Garden Route, finally landed my husband and me in the magical town of Knysna. Here’s a lowdown on what we did on our most unforgettable holiday ever:

Ferryboat

 

Our 2-hour ferryboat called The John Benn was a dream. Surrounded by a magical view of boats cruising along the river against the backdrop of mountains, forests and houses atop the hills, is something you want to capture forever. No wonder the shutter on our cameras was exposed throughout the ride!

Since it was raining and tides were high, we could not venture up to the Knysna lagoon or the Knysna Heads. But, the overall experience of eating and drinking on this floating restaurant is plentiful to enjoy the view of the sea for hours.

The Elephant Park

 

The Elephant Park is an extraordinary experience bringing you close to nature’s creations. With a guided tour, you are encouraged to feed the elephants, walk with them and stroke them. There is a mix of young and old elephants that obediently follow the instructions given by the guides and caretakers, get in a line formation when they are to be fed by tourists, and walk away when told to.

It is good to see that these elephants live comfortably with an open ground to explore. The cutest sight was that of the bed made of sawdust and branches that each elephant had. Then came an interesting proposal to all tourists – a SLEEPOVER with the ELEPHANTS!!! You can get a lounge overlooking the elephant sleeping area and observe the beast up and close. What a unique stay that would be!

Wolf Park

The Elephant Park inspired us to go visit another animal reserve. This time it was the Wolf Park. When we were busy clicking away the wolves, we realized they looked at us as if we were their meal. Half an hour later we knew why. It was their feeding time and 6 kilograms of raw pig meat was served to them and they roared and growled contending for their piece. One could only imagine how they would rip apart a prey alive! The wildlife experience in South Africa is a must-do. Sadly, we could not go to the Kruger National Park this time. But it’s definitely on our wish-list for next time.

Introduction to Jeiger Bombs

Oh! How would I miss the Jeiger Bomb experience! It is bombastic…The shots which I imagine my husband, who’s still in South Africa for an assignment, would be having right this minute! These shots are taken with Red Bull and have the after-effect of making you ‘high’ yet wanting more because it doesn’t let you feel sleepy. So high was the impact of these shots that I got two bottles on my way back from the airport. Yay!

Food

One always looks forward to the food when travelling to new destinations. And a place like Knysna happens to offer the perfect atmosphere and view to enjoy the impeccable and tangy flavours whether it be the all non-veg pizza at Mario’s, pesto chicken pasta from JJ’s, the plain Margarita pizza from Ocean’s Basket or the chicken shrapnel at the John Benn ferryboat.

Adventure Sports

 

Adventure sports were one of the top reasons for our stay at Knysna. The famous Bloukran’s Bridge – the highest Bungee jumping bridge in the world is a 1.5-hour drive from Knysna. Plettenberg bay or Mossel bay are famous destinations for skydiving. It’s such a joy to remind myself again and again that we did BOTH! These two events have clearly become the most unforgettable moments of my life. Not only did I get to face my fears but I also conquered them. I feel it’s something each one of us should experience to shake ourselves up. Yes! This is the one moment when you actually feel time has stopped and nothing else matters. You just surrender to the joy of letting go.

For now, the emotion is – Guys, just stop thinking and go to South Africa!