#kynsna

Today was a beautifully sunny day and perfect for our leisurely morning boat ride out on the Lagoon. Which made up for the hotel we were staying in - newly refurbished but no restaurant or bar area, and the pool was a sliver of concrete next to a wall. 

Kynsna is the centre of the tourist industry here on the Garden Route. It has a beautiful setting on a logoon whose mouth is guarded by a pair of promontories called ‘The Heads’. The British Navy had called it the most dangerous harbour entrance in the world, and so the guide on the boat explained to us. Of 350 ships entering the harbour, 50 of them would crash. Today it is mainly used by locals. The lagoon is privately owned and there are some serious waterfront properties and the glimpse of a tiny beautiful beach here and there. 

We had a very slow ride out to the heads and then back to the waterfront. The waterfront is a mini version of the V&A waterfront in Cape Town, and full of restaurants and generally upmarket craft shops. In fact, Kynsna has some really lovely shops and a decent centre. 

Knysna was a backwater based on the timber industry, but today the forests and hills around the town are very popular for hiking and fishing. As late as 1914, there was no main route to Kynsna, and one would have to open and close 58 gates along a 75-km track. 

All this is now changed with the N2 driving practically into the town.