Towns and suburbs

Knysna

Knysna is a Garden Route town built around a lagoon and the Knysna Heads. Find location details, services, facilities and practical visitor information.

knysna

Knysna is a coastal town on the Garden Route of the Western Cape, about 500 km east of Cape Town along the N2. It lies around a large estuarine lagoon fed by the Knysna River and opening to the Indian Ocean through the Knysna Heads. The town is positioned between Sedgefield and Plettenberg Bay and serves as a centre for the surrounding areas, including Brenton-on-Sea, Belvidere and Leisure Isle, with access to forests, beaches and coastal routes.

History of Knysna

The name Knysna probably comes from the Khoikhoi word Naizna, meaning ferns or “fern leaves”, which grow naturally in the region.

Fossilised hominid footprints were discovered here, which date back about 90,000 years.
This suggests that this land has been inhabited for many thousands of years!

In the mid to late 18th century, a few Dutch settlers hacked their way through the dense vegetation to establish farms in the area. The farm Melkhoutkraal, which included the lagoon and the heads, was granted to Stephanus Terblans in 1770.

The farm was bought by George Rex in 1804. George Rex(the illegitimate son of King George III.) arrived at the Cape during the first British occupation. At the time, he held some administrative posts in the government. When the country administration was taken over by the Batavian regime in 1803, he did not return to Britain but stayed on in the Cape. He was, by all accounts, a colourful man who, when he grew tired of the high life in Cape Town, settled in Melkhoutkraal, where he built a magnificent homestead. He and his family set about farming and forestry. By the time the Cape had reverted to British rule, he agitated for a harbour to be developed inside the lagoon. Thereby, the area would be economically viable. This would negate the difficulty with transportation, as a road through the forest was difficult to build.

Woodcutters

The car licence prefix is  CX. The postcode for Knysna is 6571

local WEATHER IN TODAY

Browse businesses and places to visit in Knysna

 

Things to see and do in Knysna

See more information about things to see and do in Knysna

  • Visit the SANparks office on Thesen Island, where you can see and learn about the only known estuarine species of seahorses in the world,

Transport

Car rental is the most flexible way to explore Knysna and the Garden Route. Metered taxis are available, especially around the Waterfront. Minibus taxis do operate in Knysna, but routes are not formally mapped. They connect the town centre, main taxi rank, and surrounding areas. Bicycle rentals are available near the Waterfront; motorcycle and scooter hire is available but limited.

The popular areas are generally pedestrian-friendly, and roads are manageable for cycling. Avoid walking or cycling alone in isolated areas, particularly at night

Resources

For permits, fishing rules, shell collecting regulations and other practical outdoor information relevant to Knysna, see the Colourdots coastal and nature use guide

Useful Numbers in Knysna

  • Emergency Services

  • Police: 044 302 6600
  • Law Enforcement 044 302 6551
  • Fire: 044 302 8911
  • Ambulance: 10177
  • Medical
  • Closest hospital: 044 302 6544
  •  Clinic-044 382 0836
  • Pharmacy; Central Pharmacy-044 382 5222
  • Municipal & Utilities
  • Municipality: 044 302 6451
  • Water:044 302 6331
  • Electricity: 044 302 6409
  • Transport & Roads
  • Traffic department: 044 302 6551
  • Road Emergencies / SANRAL: 0800 204 204
  • Community & Safety
  • SPCA:  Animal Welfare – 044 384 1603
  • Local Contacts and Community Resources in Knysna
  • Post office: 044 382 1211
  • Library:044 302 654
  • Local newspaper Knysna Plett Herald 044 382 1185
  • Tourism (0)44 382 5510
  • Cearn Hall  044 302 6327 Leisure Isle
  • Hornlee Community Hall 044 302 6327
  • Khayalethu Community Hall 044 302 6327
  • Chris Hani Community Hall, Knysna rural  044 302 6327

  • Museums

  • Millwood Museum – 044 302 6320
  • The Motorcycle Room – 079 497 4723
  • NSRI Alex Blaikie Museum – 082 560 2611
  • The Hollywood Homestead  044 384 0764
  • https://www.knysnamuseums.co.za/pages/nsri-museum/

  • Schools in Knysna

  • Knysna Montessori School -044 382 5316
  • Oakhill School -044 382 6506
  • Knysna High School-044 382 2137
  • Riverwood Primary School-044 382 2871
  • Little Elephants Pre-Primary School-044 382 6915
  • Percy Mdala High School -044 375 0020
  • Hornlee Primary School – 044 385 0306
  • Fraaisig Primary School – 044 385 0395
  • Sunridge Primary School -044 385 1698
  • Thembelitsha Primary School- 044 382 7144
  • Concordia High School-044 382 7144
  • Knysna Hornlee Secondary School -044 385 0310
  • Chris Nissen Primary School -044 382 0702
  • Bracken Hill Ek Primary School -044 375 9066
  • Knysna Primary School -044 382 1422             

 

Other towns in the local municipality include: Brenton on Sea, Buffelsbaai, and Sedgefield

  • Colourdots is an independent regional information resource for the Western Cape.
    Learn more about the project HERE

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