After breakfast, we stopped by the Heath. It has artisanal shops, a garden / nursery from local farms, and even a bird sanctuary! We skipped the birds, but I personally enjoyed my roobois latte. Here’s Amanda amongst the planters next to the road:
As we were leaving the Heath, I accidentally turned into the wrong lane. I realized it when I saw a car from afar and quickly moved over. This happened as the road was completely empty. Surprisingly, more cars are better as it gives you cues and references, versus receding into your muscle memory; but all is ok and it was bound to happen once. Amanda was very understanding and I continue to chuckle when I turn on my windshield wipers.
Our plan was to stop through Knysna which is a popular tourist destination and a cute harbor. It was unfortunately ravaged by a fire in 2017, which reminds me of Lahaina in Maui, due to strong winds and about 17 people died. We learned that the reinvestment into the community has been important and helpful, and I was happy to support.
Within the lagoon is an island called Thesens Island which is adorable and when we crossed the waterway, we saw these delightful seahorses:
Everything I read said a trip to Knysna would not be complete without a lagoon ride in the warm-water estuary formed by two quartzite peninsula headlands - famously called the Knysna Heads. I tried to research a shorter boat ride, but apparently no one had booked our 45 minute option. So we were upgraded to a 90 minute coastal ride and were paired with Ann and Hattie - a mother and daughter from London. Hattie actually works in both mine and Amanda’s industries, so we had a nice chat and Ann and her husband rented a house for 6 weeks in Knysna.
In the photo below, we are approaching The Heads which is known for the loss of many boats throughout history passing through the unpredictable waters. You could even see the remnants of one shipwreck through the clear water. The Heads also include a nature reserve called Featherbed and there were small beaches and restaurants on the peninsula to enjoy being on or near the water.
Since we were leaving the estuary, the water got pretty choppy in this coastline tour:
But we enjoyed the views:
They call this The Nostrils:
This is Eagle Cave:
Some photos of the boat passengers - Hattie and Ann:
Us with our captain, Johannes:
They call this the Whale Tail:
As we passed by The Heads from the ocean…
Our Knysna Heads selfie:
On our way back in, we spotted a seal, but we didn’t see any dolphins as Hattie had hoped:
After the boat ride, Ann treated us to drinks where we enjoyed lemonade and ginger beers:
Knysna is also known for their oysters as they have a famous festival in June. So we drove to the waterfront and had lunch at the Dry Dock and I was excited to have a full meal of fried calamari strips along with oysters shared with Amanda:
We then drove about 80 minutes to Mossel Bay. The view was stunning and the water was sparkling. Ann and Hattie had done the reverse from Capetown as they stopped in Swellendam, Mossel Bay, then Knysna and we’ll be going to Swellendam tomorrow. Here’s a picture from the road:
In Mossel Bay, we went up a few hills and found our hotel, the Aqua Marina Guesthouse. It has 4 rooms and we were greeted by our friendly host who was getting ready to play pickleball. A view of the bay from our hotel:
After resting and a little welcome sherry, we headed out to dinner and saw this lizard on the car - there’s wildlife everywhere!:
We heeded the recommendation of the hotel and we headed to Kingfisher restaurant. We had oysters again, and Amanda ordered white bait, I had mussels in Portuguese sauce which was creamy and spicy, and we shared a Greek salad. I thought having mussels in Mossel Bay would be appropriate!
Today, we were at three different bays / harbors of the Garden Route coastline. And with the boat ride, I told Amanda we have taken South Africa by air, land, and sea!
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