Knysna – Venice Recreated in South Africa

There are beautiful small towns in almost every country. Then there is Knysna. A quaint destination along the Knysna river shore that you may not have heard of before (neither had we) except from the mouths of seasoned travellers and some online reviews. But we were hooked attracted by its raw beauty and the amazing outdoor activities in the vicinity.

A George-ous Pit Stop

While we were still dreamy from an enchanting journey along the Garden Route, our spirits awakened to the brilliance of a place short of Knysna called George. With picturesque houses on the foothills and the Indian ocean running parallel to the road, I was mesmerised by the habitation. When I found myself at a loss of words, I wondered if it was because I was a naïve traveller or in reality there were very few settlements such as these. But I was travelling with an expert – my husband. Having lived in London and explored Europe extensively, he conceded that this haven was more picturesque than many parts of Europe with just the exception of Switzerland, of course. Ahem!

George

Nice Knysna

As we entered Knysna, I could feel the weather gods smile upon us. My eyes were glued to the picturesque surroundings growing even more beautiful under the cloudy skies with sudden showers of light rains while the mist over the Knysna river added its own enigma to the scene. A scene straight out of a movie, I was reminded of Venice looking at it. When I thought we would have our hideaway for the next three days someplace in the town centre, our car moved towards a dockyard. “Wow, is this where we would stay??!!” I exclaimed. I was right. So, there was an added skip in my step as we grabbed the keys to our accommodation.

Knysna

The Lodging

Knysna Quays is one of the many lodgings that is within the harbour complex and offers a great view of the boats docked, over bridge, forest and mountains in the backdrop. You can also see boat owners and few couples who hire boats go for a ride along the harbour up to the river front.

The rooms were so cosy and warm, and kept us guessing “how” because we could not spot a heater or a fire place in sight. And when we walked around barefoot we realised there was an under-floor heating system in the entire apartment. Woohoo, technology never fails to wow me!

Knysna Quays accomodation

The English-style flat offered the comforts of a home. Since it was equipped with a fridge, washing machine, microwave oven and sleek cutlery, I could not resist myself from preparing some salami sandwiches with scrambled eggs on one of the days during our stay. Checkers, a food retailer around the corner, offers all the supplies you would need for home-cooked meals.

And now we come to my favourite part - running a hot water bath. A hot bath in this place is a triple whammy, fading away any afterthoughts that you carried with you from back home, leaving you meditative for the longest time possible. It is like a therapy for the mind and body and also eases any sore muscles post a long day of sightseeing or activities. Recommended!

The People

Beats me at how humorous and light-hearted Africans are!!! Anywhere you walk – on the streets, in restaurants, shops, cash counters -no one misses to crack a joke or pull your leg. You feel less like a tourist and more like local running errands in the city. They welcome you with a smile and can be so courteous that you would be in awe.

Things To Do

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 rainy 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 experience is the closest you can get to an elephant. 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.

The Elephant Park

It is good to see that these elephants live comfortably with an open ground to explore. The cutest was 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 reserve inspired us to go visit another reserve. This time it was the Wolf Park. When we were busy clicking away the wolves, we realised 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 definitely next time.

Wolf Park

Introduction to Jeiger Bombs

Oh! How would I miss the Jeiger Bomb experience?! It is literally bombastic…The shots which I perhaps 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 being ‘high’ yet wanting more because it doesn’t let you feel sleepy. So much was the impact of these shots that I got 2 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 margeritta 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 bunjee 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 again and again remind myself that I’m glad 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 surrender to the joy of letting go. Since the experiences of both these adventure sports were so overwhelming, I have decided to write separately on them.

Ready for Bungee jump from Bloukran's Bridge, SA

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

My South African Adventure: The Garden Route

I know it is Kerala that is revered as God’s Own Land but one trip to South Africa and you will be willingly sharing the sobriquet between the two. It all started when my husband moved to the African land on business a few moon ago and I, like any wife, was more than glad to visit him that too in a destination I had not known before. So what I had imagined to be a romantic holiday, surprisingly also turned out to be the biggest adventure of my life!

Heita Aafrika!

True to my spirit, I packed well in time and was jumping with excitement as I boarded the 15-hour long connecting flight from Delhi to Cape Town via Dubai. Well, it was an exhausting journey but all my tiredness disappeared completely as I set sights outside the window. South Africa (SA) was absolutely gorgeous! The usual trend for most first time international travellers is to flock to either Europe or parts of South East Asia. I am so glad we didn’t because SA is more beautiful than I or you could ever imagine. Most of us are oblivious to the fact that in Cape Town, the second most populated city in SA, itself there are more than 1,100 species of indigenous plants, at least 250 species of birds and different types of terrains that your camera will be spoilt for choice.

Cape of Good Hope

I cannot begin to fathom what locales like Durban, Sun City, Johannesberg, Kruger, Kenya and others have to offer! These are in our bucket list though.

Okay, lets travel back in time to June 7, 2013 when we kick started our vacation with a moonlit night at the CUBE Guest House at Hout Bay, a coastal suburb of Cape Town. Tucked in a corner surrounded by lush green trees, was our li’l wooden cottage with a private pool. It’s a pity that June is a winter month here or we would have definitely taken a dip in the pool.

Garden Route – Highway to Heaven

Early next morning started with a hearty breakfast prepared by the caretaker at CUBE. The delicious fare comprising of jams, eggs, breads, cheese and juices charged us up plenty for the 500 kilometres drive we were going to undertake. That’s how we started out for Knysna, a town that falls on the famous Garden Route.

Garden Route stretch "Best destination for 2012 by Tripadvisor"

With infinite shades of green and brown, the Garden Route boasts of small and quaint countryside houses, extensive golf courses, evergreen forests, stunning green landscapes, countless types of flora and fauna, spectacular bridges, cliffs, valleys and coastal towns. The best of Mother Nature is enclosed in this Highway to Heaven.

You have plenty of destinations to sightsee in this part of Cape Town and one could perhaps spend days or weeks exploring the -

Vineyards – Presenting you a variety of wines to taste ranging from red, white and rose wines, Jakkalsvlei Vineyards in the Langeberg Mountains, Bramon Wine Estate in The Crags and Herold Wine in George are the popular choices.

      Nature reserves – Plethora of options are available for wild life and nature lovers on this stretch. Top choices are Birds of Eden, Featherbed Nature Reserve, Garden Route National Park, Knysna Elephant Park, Oyster Bay Reserve, Tsitsikamma National Park and countless others.

   

    Ostrich farms –Oudtshoorn is the best bet for seeing the biggest ostrich farms in SA. The highlight at this place -the ostrich rides @ more than 70 kmph. Highly recommended!

      

           White sand beaches – Port Elizabeth, St. Francis Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay boast of white sand beaches, perfect for long walks and relaxing.

Adventure activities - There is no end to the adventure sports you can enjoy on Garden route. I could go on and on but the not-to-miss ones are bungee jumping from Bloukrans Bridge, deep sea diving at Mossel Bay & Plettenberg Bay, skydiving at Plettenberg Bay, whale watching at Hermanus and shark cage diving at Gansbaai.

Fine dining restaurants/eateries – You can explore so many fine dining places on different destinations along the Garden Route stretch. You might want to try a new place for each meal here ...Slurp.. Bomo Terrace at Plettenberg Bay, The 5^th Season and The Rose on York Restaurant at George, Dine in Style at Wilderness, The Lighthouse Restaurant at Mossel Bay, Jazzbury’s at Mossel Bay, Vaaljapie Station restaurant at Little Brak ... the list is endless...

But this was just the beginning. There’s more to go. Presenting Venice of SA in my next.