Knysna – Featherbed Reserve

A nice sunny warm day to start, but turned very breezy by afternoon. Our hotel rooms opened onto the Knysna Bay Marina. Bruce took some of our laundry to the ‘laundromat’ where the owners wash, dry and fold your laundry and return it to your hotel – not too expensive, either! I bought two tablecloths being sold by the locals, right across the street from the hotel – they all had at least 20 or more of them piled on their heads! We took the ferry to the Featherbed Reserve which is located on an island and is privately owned and used for the sole purpose of conservation. Our guide on the ferry, Martin, was very entertaining. Then we piled onto a vehicle with two trailers and climbed to the very highest point on the island. It was a beautiful location. We had a delicious buffet meal there before leaving and returning to Knysna, getting onto our coach and going to see the elephants at the Knysna Elephant Park. There was a new baby elephant born on January 1^st. We fed the elephants – one of them did not like oranges, another would allow you to put food directly in his mouth, while another would collect from several different people before eating what he had been given. They all knew to go behind a ‘feeding’ spot when they heard any vehicles approaching.

The Featherbed Reserve is only accessible by ferry and is situated near the Knysna Lagoon. Featherbed Nature Reserve is a coastal reserve that is surrounded by lush vegetation and superb views of Knysna. Local attractions, within close proximity include the Knysna Heads and the Beachcomber caves. The reserve is located in one of South Africa’s scenic wonders, the Garden Route. The reserve is ideally situated to present visitors with the best possible views of the area and to display the diverse flora species. The Knysna coastal region comprises of many marine species and visitors to the area will can view these creatures up close and personal. In 1922, the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe was constructed at the recommendation of the Railways and Harbours Board, between George and Knysna, a distance of approximately 67 KM, at an estimated cost of 596,820 pounds. The building of the line was started simultaneously from George and Knysna in 1924. Although railway service from George to Knysna was available for passenger traffic since May 1928, it was formally opened on October 17^th. When it was built, it was regarded as the most expensive piece of clickety clack in the world. Due to flooding which occurred earlier this year, we were unable to use the train as originally planned.