Alternative Ways to Experience the Knysna Oyster Festival

As you may or may not know, the Knysna Oyster Festival is one of the Garden Route’s most popular festivals, bringing together folks from various corners in a celebration of the rich offerings boasted by this small coastal town.
 
The festival takes place over a 10 day period in July, over which time there are numerous activities & events to get involved in from canoe relays, trail runs and family cycle tours, to MCC sparkling wine & oyster tastings, comedy events and curry evenings. The events are hosted by various community groups, hotels, restaurants and others who are part of the general Knysna milieu. In short, the whole town (as well as its immediate surrounding areas) gets involved.
 
Sounds great don’t you think? A lot of people tend to agree with you, which is why accommodation in Knysna gets booked up well in advance of the festival. However, never fear if you are a bit late to the party, there are some alternative options to explore, and we are going to tell you about them here.
 
Along the Garden Route there are at least 6 towns under 100 kilometres from Knysna, making them viable options for accommodation, allowing you to drive into Knysna for the events you wish to attend, as well as providing their own array of attractions.

Brenton-on-Sea – 4km from Knysna

Brenton boasts an idyllic setting, surrounded as it is by the Goukamma Nature Reserve. The steep fynbos slopes leading down to the sea are home to the rare Brenton blue butterfly and there are plenty of opportunities for canoeing, hiking and even paragliding.

Sedgefield – 24km from Knysna

Sedgefield is South Africa’s only official Cita Slow town, where life is chilled and community is important. The Wild Oats Farmers’ Market is a good example of this. The lagoon offers opportunities for water sports, and the beach and indigenous forest appeal to many an avid bird watcher, hiker or general adventure junky.

Plettenberg Bay – 34km from Knysna

Plett, as it’s known for short, is a favourite on the Garden Route, with beautiful beaches, good eateries and a host of animal sanctuaries as just some of the activities to get involved in in the area. You can also go whale watching or sky diving and more!

Wilderness – 44km from Knysna

Wilderness is one of the smaller Garden Route towns, although no less distinct than the others. The combination of lagoon and afro-montane forest gives the place a very tranquil ambience, favoured by stressed-out city-dwellers. There are cute arts shops, quaint cafes and plenty of outdoor endeavours to keep you entertained.

Nature’s Valley – 55km from Knysna

Nature’s Valley is an absolutely stunning settlement outside of Plettenberg Bay. It is surrounded by the Tsitsikamma National Park – a breath taking area protecting indigenous forest as well as a coastal section of the Indian Ocean. Furthermore the town is tucked between a lagoon and a river mouth, the mountain and the sea, it is without a doubt one of the most picturesque spots on this section of the coast.

Any one of these options will provide an exciting alternative to accommodation within Knysna itself. You can spend your days alternating between Oyster Festival events in the Knysna, exploring the offerings of your selected base town, and relaxing in a pristine location on the Garden Route.