30 Best Things To Do in Knysna on the South African Garden Route: Your Complete Knysna Itinerary

Knysna is one of those rare places that immediately slows your heart rate. It’s calm, green, and full of small adventures that don’t require much planning. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend or driving along the Garden Route, this Knysna travel guide covers the best things to do, based on our own tried and tested itinerary. If you’re looking for Knysna activities that mix nature, food, views and slow travel, you’ll love this list.

Things to do in Knysna, South African Garden Route

1. Walk Around the Knysna Waterfront

The Knysna Waterfront is the best place to start your trip because it gives you a feel for the town’s energy. The boardwalk is lined with restaurants, local stores, small boutiques and ice-cream spots, all facing the lagoon. It’s perfect for a relaxed walk after your drive, especially if you’re arriving around lunchtime. You'll always find something to eat here, and many water based activities start here. Book a lagoon cruise, a sunset cruise, a cruise with oysters and wine, or a luxury cruise with Captain's BBQ.

2. Explore Thesen Islands

Thesen Islands is like stepping into a peaceful little holiday village. There are canals, wooden bridges, cafés and shops, and everything is walkable. Whether you're window shopping, grabbing a gelato or just wandering around, it's a beautiful and calm way to spend an afternoon. There's also a bunch of activities from here.

3. Visit the Seahorse Museum

This small museum focuses on the rare Knysna seahorse, found only in a few places along the South African coast. It’s a quick, meaningful stop if you love local nature or want to learn something new. Also super unique to Knysna!

4. Pop Into The Motorcycle Room

This is a fun indoor stop, especially on a cloudy day. The Motorcycle Room showcases a collection of restored bikes with a bit of nostalgia attached. Even if you know nothing about motorcycles, it’s fascinating to walk through. You'll see a ton of signs throughout Knysna about it.

5. Browse the Knysna Fine Art Gallery

A quiet, well-curated space showcasing contemporary South African art. It’s small enough to explore in under 30 minutes but worth stepping into if you enjoy creative and thoughtful pieces.

6. Drive to Margaret’s Viewpoint

If you're heading towards Brenton-on-Sea, and we recommend you do, Margaret’s Viewpoint gives you a panoramic look over the lagoon and the town. It’s one of the easiest viewpoints to access and perfect for photography. It's really quite underrated and isn't talked about enough!

7. Stay Inside a Nature Reserve

Knysna is full of private nature reserves with cabins, cottages and eco-friendly stays. These spaces usually come with forest views, walking trails and complete quiet, perfect for a peaceful Garden Route escape. We've talked about a ton of our favourite nature reserves elsewhere, and this time we stayed at the Goukamma Nature Reserve.

8. Explore the Reserve You’re Staying In

Wake up slow, walk around the area, and enjoy the nature right outside your door. Most reserves offer short walking paths where you can watch birds, enjoy viewpoints, or simply take in the greenery. Most also have loads of hikes, and we'll always explore these. The length/difficulty will usually depend on how we're feeling haha.

9. Have Lunch in Knysna Town

Knysna has a surprisingly good restaurant scene, with everything from casual cafés to lagoon-view restaurants. It’s worth popping into town for lunch at least once during your stay. To keep it chilled, we basically strolled along the entire road leading up to the Waterfront to see what was calling our name :P Timings are more relaxed in Knysna than a major city though, so allow yourself extra time for places that may not be serving meals yet.

10. Visit Knysna Heads

The Heads are one of the top attractions in Knysna for a reason. They’re rugged cliffs that frame the entrance of the lagoon, with several viewpoints offering incredible ocean-meets-lagoon scenery. You can walk around, take photos, or just sit and enjoy the view for a while. We absoltely love it. The first time we visited, it was breakfast time, and we secured a table at the East Head cafe, which has a prime viewing location. You have to book early though as they get very busy, and honestly the food wasn't that much to rave about. Alternatively, you can go up to the Knysna Heads viewpoint, stroll the bridge, or even access it from the bottom. Depends on what you're looking for! Our favourite is the viewpoint view (just don't pay for the binoculars, they didn't work when we tried!)

11. Explore Leisure Island

Leisure Island is peaceful and perfect for slow travel. You can walk, jog, cycle or simply wander around the quiet streets. The island feels safe, green and relaxed, making it a great place to unwind.

12. Spend Time at Bollard’s Bay

Located on Leisure Isle, Bollard’s Bay is a popular spot for kayaking, swimming, stand-up paddling or simply lounging by the water. The lagoon is calm, shallow in areas, and ideal for families. Leisure Isle is situated in the beautiful Knysna estuary, in the heart of the Garden Route.

13. Walk Through Knysna Forest

The Knysna Forest is one of the most beautiful indigenous forests in the country. There are easy paths and longer routes, but even a short walk gives you that cool, serene forest atmosphere. In summer, this will be so refreshing! You can also do quad biking here for that fun adrenaline rush!

14. Take a Lagoon Cruise

A lagoon cruise is one of Knysna’s signature activities. You get amazing views of the town, the Heads and the surrounding landscapes, all from the water. Cruises run throughout the day, with sunset being the most popular (for obvious reasons). Book here or here for a golden hour one.

15. Go for an Early Morning Hike

Knysna has a variety of hiking options, from forest walks to waterfall routes. Start early while the air is crisp and the trails are quiet. Most hikes take between 1 and 4 hours, depending on your route. As always, pack well and know the route beforehand! Trails may not be well marked but SO gorgeous.

16. Visit the Knysna Elephant Park

The Knysna Elephant Park provides a safe space for rescued elephants. Visitors can learn about them and see them up close in an ethical environment that prioritises care and education.

17. Drive the Seven Passes Road

You know we love passes during road trips and the Seven Passes Drive is a scenic mountain-and-forest route connecting George and Knysna. It takes longer than the highway, but the views and quiet roads make it worth the detour.

18. Explore Steenbok Nature Reserve

Located on Leisure Island, this reserve has flat walking paths, open lawns and great birdlife. It’s a quiet space to relax and take in the natural surroundings. We also saw lots of people fishing and strolling. Since we couldn't make it to the Knysna forest this time, we enjoyed this!

19. Try Cycling or Kayaking

Knysna is a natural playground for both sports. There are designated cycling routes around town and calm lagoon areas that are perfect for kayaking or stand-up paddling. You can hire a kayak here or here.

20. Go on a Forest Scooter Tour

These off-road scooters are easy to ride and give you a fun, slightly adventurous way to explore the forest. Suitable for beginners and families. What we love about these activities is that they combine adrenaline with nature and calmness, which is the best combo ever.

21. Visit Featherbed Nature Reserve

Accessible only by ferry, Featherbed is a private reserve with guided walks, viewpoints and incredible nature. The views over the lagoon are spectacular. You can check their website for specific timings when the ferries depart, and sometimes they will have special offers which are absolutely worth it.

22. Walk to Gericke’s Point

A coastal walk near Sedgefield, known for its dramatic rock formations. Visit during low tide for the safest and best experience. It's hard to explain how beautiful this is until you see it! The walk to Gericke's Point is about 30 minutes from the lagoon and you'll come across some amazing sea creatures and also fossil dunes.

23. Drive Prince Alfred’s Pass

A long, gravel mountain pass with winding roads and endless views. Ideal for travellers who love scenic drives and exploring quieter parts of the Garden Route. This links Uniondale (little Karoo) to Knysna, and stretches about 68.5km.

24. Picnic at the Valley of the Ferns

As the title suggests, you can enjoy a peaceful picnic spot surrounded by giant ferns and forest scenery, which is perfect for a slow morning outdoors. Alternatively, you can walk around and enjoy the greenery or just lay on the ground and enjoy the tranquility. In the mornings, the ground feels a bit wet because of the condensation, so take a blanket or something to put on the ground.

25. Visit the Garden of Eden

Technically this is near Knysna. It's best known for its yellowood trees, beautiful streams and accessible wooden boardwalks which allow for short, family-friendly forest walks. Ideal if you want something easy but still want to enjoy the indigenous forest, and there is a R40 entrance fee.

26-30. Extra Activities

You can go for whale watching, scootours, a wildlife guided tour, paragliding in Sedgefield, or fishing.

Knysna is one of those destinations where you’ll constantly find yourself saying “we have to come back,” and we always do. It offers the perfect blend of lagoon views, forests, quiet roads, nature reserves and small-town charm. You can slow down, explore at your own pace, and enjoy a wide mix of activities no matter the weather or season. Whether you're planning a quick Garden Route stop or a longer stay, Knysna has more than enough to fill your itinerary, and then some.