Knysna, Garden Route, South Africa

The Garden Route may seem a bit sedate at times, but you won’t think so after visiting Knysna out of season. Give yourself a southern-hemisphere winter wake-up and trundle off to Knysna for some action and indulgence. Think pink, think oysters & champagne, shaved legs, lagoon cruises and lost elephants, and you will end up on the right track.

Winter Action in Knysna by Carrie Hampton

Knysna is that cute little town at the heart of the Garden Route, pervaded by tourists and populated by retirees. Its colonial upbringing lends it an air of tradition and conventionality. But for hundreds of years, Knysna’s apparent stoicism, has just been a front for the real purpose of being here - seeking pleasure.

And what better way to enjoy yourself than in a Mardi Gras at the annual May Pink Loerie festival. Not all Knysna residents appreciate the pink invasion displayed proudly by gays, bi-sexuals, lesbians and transgenders (also known as GBLT - which sounds to me like a gayed-up version of a particularly tasty sandwich). The GBLT strut their stuff along the main street to an astonished crowd and indulge in four days of pink breakfasts, pink cocktails, outrageous cross dressing and festive clubbing.

Knysna's Regal Past

I attribute Knysna’s acceptance of the unorthodox to George Rex - Knysna’s most famous historical resident. He arrived here in 1804 with a stylish retinue of horse-drawn coaches containing his common law wife and her four children, plus numerous attendants and friends. Then began a spree of hunting and grand entertaining previously unknown to Knysna.

George Rex’s royal bearing, regal name, princely manners and taciturn demeanour, initiated one of the most enduring rumours in South African history - that he was the illegitimate son of King George III of England. He was certainly treated as an aristocrat, and his presence made it very fashionable to settle in Knysna.

Knysna is still a very sought after place to live, nowhere more so than beside the tidal lagoon. The first smart waterfront development at Knysna Quays, began the craze to get as close as possible to the water. This has been taken to the ultimate by Thesen Islands developers, who cut canals through the islands and used the excavated earth to land fill low-lying areas. The average plot of 500-600 square metres costs millions,

Feast on Oysters

Knysna’s only outlet to the sea is through The Heads, a narrow channel of water between two huge cliffs. Sailing through The Heads is attempted only by experienced (or crazy) seamen. Spring Tide Charters moor their luxury yacht ‘Outeniqua’, on the jetty outside 34 Degrees South (just in case you weren’t sure of your latitude), and will sail right through the heads on a good day (take sea-sick tablets well before hand).

Or you could just cruise the lagoon on eccentric TV mathematician William Smith’s Mississippi-style paddle cruiser, and eat some oysters for which Knysna is famous.

Knysna oysters are so good, that the town devotes the first ten days of July to indulging in them. Masses of lagoon-cultured oysters are consumed during the Knysna Oyster Festival, and at only 100 calories per dozen, weight watchers can eat as many as they like.

The rejuvenating properties of oysters should help with some of the other events of this festival, but I am not sure if they should be eaten before or after the 85km mountain bike race, 100km road cycle race, 42km forest marathon or the Knysna lagoon canoe challenge. Twitching thighs and smooth shaven over-developed gastrocnemius (calf muscles to the untrained,) are scattered all over Knysna at this time.

There are shorter races for the lesser trained, and bars, restaurants and more oysters, for mere mortals. For those without a competitive streak, try a family excursion with a morning mountain biking in the Afro-montagne forest and an afternoon cruising on the lagoon with Deep South Adventures.