KNYSNA NEWS - The area around Knysna is a spectacular treasure chest filled with gems waiting to be seen.
From the Beautiful Knysna Forest with beautiful paths and trails, to the Seven Passes road, weaving its way through the gorgeous pass towards George, there is so much to do, you want for nothing! Here are a few prime spots:
1. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the forest. Jubilee Creek is a perennial favourite, with a short nature walk along the river. Go up the Rheenendal Road and take the turnoff to Millwood, then follow the signs. You need to pay an entrance fee unless you flash your Wild Card.
2. Visit the Big Tree and Dalene Matthee monument at the Krisjan se Nek picnic site in the Goudveld forest. Matthee is best known for her books Circles in a Forest and Fiela’s Child, both set in the Knysna forest. She died in 2005 and a monument was put up next to an 880-year-old Outeniqua yellowwood tree, where her ashes were scattered. You can do one of the ‘Circles in a Forest’ walking trails here (3km and 9km) to immerse yourself in the magic of the forest.
3. Drive at least part of the Seven Passes Road that starts with Phantom Pass in Knysna and ends in George, twisting and turning through forests and gorges. You don’t need to do all 75km of it, but you have to experience the wonderful views and get a sense of the ingenuity of Thomas Bain, who built it in the 19th century. It’s so special that it’s been declared a national monument, and that’s not something you can say about many roads in South Africa.
4. Go fishing for alien bass on Groenvlei lake (get a permit from the Goukamma Nature Reserve office), or angling with a rod from the sea shore if you have a licence.
5. Near Mother Holly’s you can do a gold mine tour of a 19th century gold mine shaft and see some of the old mine machinery. Although lost for over a century in the forest where it was left when the goldfields were abandoned, it was recovered in the late 1980s by tractors, bulldozers and even a helicopter.
6. Feel the sea breeze in your hair on an early morning beach walk from Buffalo Bay towards Brenton before sunbathers litter the sands. If you’re up for a three-hour walk, remember to turn around after half that time. If you have a friend willing to pick you up in Brenton, you can walk the whole beach – about 6km. From the Rheenendal Road, turn right on to the N2 towards Sedgefield then take the first turn to your left to get to Buffalo Bay.
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