Knysna Heads

The Knysna lagoon meets the sea through a gap barely a couple of hundred metres wide between two sandstone cliffs, with a shallow bar and rocks in the channel. Currents run hard through the gap and the swell stands up on the bar, which has wrecked a long list of vessels; the Royal Navy at one point classified the entrance as unnavigable, and boats still cross it only with local knowledge and on the right tide. The eastern Head carries a road, houses and a viewpoint with parking, so most visitors see it from there - looking straight down at the channel and across at the undeveloped western side, which is the Featherbed reserve reachable only by ferry. There are walkways and a restaurant at the top of the eastern Head, and rock pools below. Timber was shipped out of Knysna through this gap for a century, which is the reason the town exists.

What you actually see

• The narrow channel - a gap of a couple of hundred metres with a shallow bar and rocks.
• The wreck record - an entrance once declared unnavigable by the navy.
• The two sides - a developed eastern Head and an undeveloped western reserve.
• The timber history - the port gap that built the town.

When to go

All year. Two hours. Rough weather makes the channel more dramatic and the walkways wet.

Honest expectations

The eastern viewpoint is the only free access; the western Head requires the Featherbed ferry and ticket. Parking is limited. The walkways and rocks are slippery and the sea is dangerous - people have been swept off. It is residential, so respect driveways.

Nearby

Featherbed reserve is across the channel; Knysna waterfront is in the lagoon.