The peculiarity of the origin of the place-name Knysna is commonly explained with a light-hearted joke of two German tourists travelling to Knysna, and upon reaching the lookout point on the eastern Knysna Head, the one says to the other: 'Nice, na?'. On a more serious note, Knysna is believed to be derived from a Khoi word for place of wood, or fern leaves, but most probable straight down or hard to reach - referring to the steep Knysna Heads.
Get in
By road
Located in the middle of the Garden Route Knysna is easily accessible from Cape Town (about 500 km) and Port Elizabeth (about 270 km).
By bus
The major bus companies serve Knysna on their run from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. The Baz bus stops here too.
By plane
The nearest airport is in George, while for international flights you have to go to Cape Town.
By train
The railway station is adjacent to the waterfront shopping and restaurant complex, a couple of blocks from the centre of town. There are two or three trains a day to George via Wilderness and Sedgefield.
Known as the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe, this is the last-remaining scheduled steam-hauled train service in South Africa, and is a not-to-be-missed experience. The scenery along the route is stupendous, and includes the Kaaimans River bridge (the most-photographed railway bridge in the world) and the bridge over the Knysna lagoon.
Unfortunately, due to heavy rainfall and flooding in 2006, this train service has been suspended until further notice.
There is a railway heritage museum in George, alongside the train station.
Get around
Walking around is the best option or rent a bicycle for longer distances. Except the minibuses there is no public transport so you have to take a taxi if you want.
There is a Hertz car rental outlet, ph: +27 (0)44 876 9999 but traffic jams can be pretty bad during the tourist high season!
See
