As we’re driving into Knysna, I always get excited.
You know you’re getting close. The road starts to drop towards the lagoon, I can see the water on my right-hand side and Featherbed Nature Reserve across the lagoon.
And I’m watching my speed.
There are speed cameras everywhere.
I’ve paid about R3,000 in traffic fines over the years driving in and out of Knysna.
Actually, much more than R3,000.
But maybe that’s just the excitement.
The wind’s coming through the window, the guests are happy in the back, we’re shooting the breeze, and I just know we’ve got a great couple of days ahead of us.
For me, part of the excitement is also knowing that I’m going to see some old friends again.
We’ve stayed at the Knysna Log Inn so many times that it doesn’t really feel like arriving at a hotel anymore. I know the people there, I enjoy seeing them, and I know my guests are going to have a really good stay.
Then there’s the Waterfront.
Great restaurants, lovely bars and those heartbreaking sunsets over the harbour.
We’ll go down there, find somewhere nice to eat, have a few drinks, watch the sunset and just enjoy being in Knysna.
And that’s before we’ve even started exploring.
Featherbed Nature Reserve. The Knysna Heads. Plettenberg Bay. Robberg Nature Reserve. Tsitsikamma.
It’s all sitting there waiting for us.
That’s why Knysna is the heart of the Garden Route for me.
It’s our base.
If we’re doing a four-day Garden Route tour, I don’t want to spend every night packing bags and checking into another hotel. I’d rather plant ourselves in Knysna for two nights and use it as our base to explore everything around us.
We can head down to Plettenberg Bay, visit Robberg, go into Tsitsikamma and then come back to Knysna in the evening.
If we’re doing a five-day tour, we spend a night in Tsitsikamma as well. But that’s another story, and probably another blog post.
The energy is so cool as you arrive.
The lagoon is on the right, the wind is blowing through the window, the guests are chatting away in the back, and I’m trying not to get another speeding fine because I could literally walk there faster than the cameras allow.
And there are police hiding behind bushes everywhere with those little laser-tag-looking speed guns they have.
Well, we all have to make a living somehow.
And for us, it’s touring!
Speed camera or no speed camera, all I’m thinking is:
This is why I love the Garden Route.
Knysna is a big deal for me.
Our clients love it.
And I hope you do too
So we look forward to taking you there.
