The Island Explorer

We had to bid farewell to Knysna and continue our journey towards Cape Town. We were already on Day 3 of our road trip and we had to make it to Cape Town in 5 days. We decided to go on the more adventurous trip on the Garden Route that would lead us to Route 62 and then to the ostrich capital of the world, Outdshoorn. But before that, we had a quick stopover in another seaside town, Wilderness . I guess we got intrigued but the name Wilderness , but it was a timely stopover on the way to Outdshoorn . We spent a total of 30 minutes admiring the number one tourist attraction of the town - paragliding. I wanted to try paragliding, but it will take long to do so, since it required a training session before we actually fly. Since we didn't have time, we just sat on the cliffside in envy. The town is also home to the Wilderness National Park, which boasts diverse ecosystems and abundant wildlife. Wilderness was also known for its rivers, like Touw, where kayaking is an

A short 10km drive away from Knysna is  Brenton on Sea . We were looking for things to do in Knysna, and we were desperate for a beach already, so we decided to spend the rest of day there. To reach Brenton on Sea, we had to drive over the mountain that overlooked Knysna. We had another amazing view of the lagoon and the town again. As we started to descend, we caught glimpses of the sea already. And it made us very very excited. Brenton on Sea is another town with a vibrant community. It looked like an upscale village full of villas and mansions overlooking the dramatic Indian Ocean. Its main attraction, of course, is the sea and the beach that it kisses. This was Brenton on Sea. I really felt like a kid again when I saw this from where we parked our car. The beach was amazing. And this was just from afar. It stretched for around 4 kilometers, but seemed endless. The sand was golden and the waves were splashing incessantly and sprayed the surroundings with a m

It was the first hotel that we saw when we entered the road leading to the Waterfront Lodge, and it looked exclusive and expensive. But since we had no other choice, we decided to jump in and book a room at almost $400 for a night. We hoped it would be worth it. Good thing it was. Welcome to S t. James of Knysna . As I've said, it Waterfront was a lodge, this was a mansion. St. James of Knysna is one of the best accommodations in Knysna , winning several awards over the past years . It restaurant also had received several citations. This was a top notch hotel. As soon as we entered, we were met by extremely polite attendants, who all spoke softly. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived, so we just left our luggage with them. We took the tour of Knysna and explored town (previous article). We got back at around 4PM and were quickly led to our room. Our jaws dropped at the sight of the bedroom. The room was a suite, with a foyer, a living area and a bathr

We arrived in Knysna at around 8PM and at this time, it was already late for someone to arrive at a lodge. So when we finally found our place for the night, it took awhile for someone to answer the door. Our selected accommodation was the Waterfront Lodge at Knysna . It was highly recommended online, so we decided to book the last room here. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised that the last room was the Master Suite . So again, we have been upgraded! Arriving late does have its perks. So the suite was in the 2nd floor, and had a living area, and two balconies - one facing the parking area and one facing the lagoon. It was dark though, so we didn't get to see the view of the lagoon when we arrived. The bathroom was also huge and had a jacuzzi! It looked quite old though, but the feel was still luxurious. The next morning, an opening of the shutters excited me with this view. The lagoon looked tranquil and very relaxing. I was in Knysna, and

As the title suggests, Knysna is pronounced "nice na". At first I was pronouncing it wrongly, so the guys at Hitgeheim politely corrected me. Well, Knysna is a popular seaside town along the Garden Route. We were supposed to stay in Plettenberg Bay, but the accommodations there were hard to get by. Knysna is a charming and laid back town that is surrounded by a beautiful lagoon. It is also surrounded by lush forests, clear lakes and beautiful beaches. The town is also famous for its delicious oysters, which are harvested in the Knysna Lagoon and enjoyed by visitors in local restaurants. We stayed at the Waterfront Lodge on our first night. More on this hotel in my next article. The Knysna Quays Waterfront is where a lot of shops, restaurants and ferries are located. We decided to go on a lagoon tour on a ferry boat before having lunch. Basically, we rode a boat that toured us around  Knysna Lagoon . The lagoon was the center of Knysna, so it was just fi