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Map of Knysna, with its roads and the places to see 1The Heads2Leisure Isle3Thesen Islands4Waterfront5White Bridge6Featherbed Reserve7Goukamma Reserve8Brenton-on-Sea9Knysna Forest10Simola Hill11Margaret's Lookout12Buffalo Bay Beach13

Stop 1 of 4

Knysna

Garden Route road trips

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

About the place

About Knysna

Knysna sits on a wide lagoon behind two sandstone cliffs, the Heads, with old forest on the hills above it. It's where the trip begins.

The roads run through town on the N2 and along the water, up Old Cape Road's hill climb to Simola, and out to the beaches at Brenton and Buffalo Bay. Coach Loerie's driving school is on Thesen Island, and Tannie Dassie's car lot is in town.

Roads
7 + 2 closed
Road to drive
29 km
Gravel
0.1 km
Highest point
243 m
Places to see
13

Places to see

Places to see in Knysna

  1. 1

    The Heads

    Two sandstone cliffs guard the narrow mouth of the lagoon, one of the trickiest harbour entrances anywhere.

  2. 2

    Leisure Isle

    A little island in the lagoon, joined to town by a causeway: holiday houses, beaches and oystercatchers.

  3. 3

    Thesen Islands

    Knysna's old timber mills and boatyards, now islands of houses on canals.

  4. 4

    Waterfront

    The harbour quay, where the penguins came ashore: boats, oysters and ice cream.

  5. 5

    White Bridge

    The old bridge over the Knysna River, where the N2 leaves the lagoon heading west.

  6. 6

    Featherbed Reserve

    A nature reserve on the western Head, reached by ferry across the lagoon.

  7. 7

    Goukamma Reserve

    Wild coast, dunes and fynbos between Buffalo Bay and Sedgefield.

  8. 8

    Brenton-on-Sea

    A long sandy beach on the ocean side, at the end of Brenton Road.

  9. 9

    Knysna Forest

    Old forest of yellowwood and stinkwood, home of the Knysna turaco.

  10. 10

    Simola Hill

    Old Cape Road climbs Simola Hill: home of the Simola Hillclimb.

  11. 11

    Margaret's Lookout

  12. 12

    Buffalo Bay Beach

  13. 13

    Top of the Hill

Where you drive

The roads

  • Brenton Road

    Tar6.3 kmUp to 243 m

    Off the N2 at the White Bridge, through Belvidere and along C.R. Swart Drive past Margaret's Lookout, to the Lake Brenton turn-off.

  • Buffalo Bay Road

    Tar and gravel7.6 kmUp to 53 m

    Off the N2 at the Buffalo Bay turn-off, under the highway, through the farmland and fynbos hills and down to the beach at Buffalo Bay.

  • Main Road

    Tar1 kmUp to 15 m

    Through the middle of Knysna on the N2, from the town centre west to the Waterfront Drive turn-off.

  • N2 to Buffalo Bay

    Tar5.4 kmUp to 149 m

    Over the White Bridge and west on the N2, past the Rheenendal road, to the Buffalo Bay turn-off.

  • N2 Lagoon

    Tar3.7 kmUp to 10 m

    The N2 out of Knysna toward George: from the traffic light along the lagoon causeway, over the White Bridge.

  • Old Cape Road Hill

    Tar2.1 kmUp to 228 m

    The hill climb up Old Cape Road to Simola: about 2 km and 180 m of climb, tight bends between banks and pines.

  • Waterfront to the Lagoon

    Tar1.8 kmUp to 10 m

    From the Waterfront Drive turn-off past the Old Cape Road junction to the traffic light at the lagoon.

  • The Sawmill Yard

    Tar0.6 kmClosed to traffic

    An old timber yard with room to slide: two hairpins and a long sweeper. Pico's drift practice.

  • The Sawmill Yard skidpan

    Tar0.1 kmClosed to traffic

    A round pad of smooth tar in the corner of the old Sawmill Yard, cones set out on it: room to go round and round, sideways.