KNYSNA NEWS - Just north of Knysna, on the rollercoaster Gouna road, you are suddenly swallowed whole by the legendary Knysna foliage. 

Here there are a number of options to walk some circles in the forest:

BIG TREE

A sky-splitting yellowwood marks the start of some fine leisurely forest walks for non-regular walkers. Appropriately named Circles in a Forest-walks, after the famous author Dalene Mathee’s tome set right there, the two circular paths (one of 3km and the other of 6km) take you through fields of ferns past gurgling streams lit by shafts of light piercing the virgin canopy. The author’s grave can be visited nearby.

JUBILEE CREEK

A steep descent takes you to a deep-forest picnic spot by the river which serves as launching pad for a level 800m pathway through a Tolkienesque wonderland, past goldmine excavations of yore to a tranquil forest pool fed by a waterfall. Highly recommend for its reasonable effortlessness.

ROBBERG

Allow the hulking bareback behemoth that is Robberg to lure you away for the day. Three hikes of varying intensity that nature contributed especially so weary humans can invigorate their souls await. Or simply pack a picnic basket filled with healthy nutriments such as orange juice and vodka or cucumber and gin – and unfurl a soft blanket at the nearest vantage point which offers the most gasp-worthy views across the famous bight stretching all the way to Oyster Bay (some 17 000km south of Carol OK) and listen to naught but the sounds of nature and the crack of a cheese-filled biscuit sandwich to the sound of squeaking dolphins or the gamboling of seals.

DRUPKELDERS

Brace yourself for a slightly more challenging excursion (especially the ascent on the way back) but the reward is high. At the bottom of the gorge are a tiered series of waterfalls feeding see-through pools poised to counter your weariness.

HARKERVILLE HIKE

A challenging, severely undulating 24km hike over two days down to sea level and back up again via stairs, walkways, ladders and bridges for support, but with large rewards such as the covered forest pathways and sudden Indian Ocean clifftop reveal.

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