South
Africa - Day 10
Saturday 31st January 2026
Participants: Kev & Tam
We are leaving Hermanus today for the lengthy drive to Knysna where we will be staying for 6 nights. Before we depart we have breakfast. Tam has Shashuka. Yeah, I didn't know what it was either, but she loves it. Stefan (the owner of the guesthouse) advises us to go a more scenic route that takes us up into the mountains. He says it will add about an hour to the journey, which is already quite long at 250 miles and 4 1/2 hours.
We pack and are on the road by 9.00 am. The first section takes across vast expanses of farmland with a backdrop of towering mountains, which we eventually reach and head up through the Tradouws pass. The views are once again spectacular as we drive along the winding mountain roads with views down into deep gullies.
Eventually we head back down towards the sea and stop at Wilderness to see the Map of Africa. This is a view point that is supposed to look out on scenery in the shape of the African continent.
Just across the road is a field that has beautiful views along the coastline.
We continue on to Knysna where we find our accommodation. It's a floor level apartment just outside the town, but you can walk along a footpath by the side of the lagoon to reach bars and restaurants in the harbour. There's a bit of confusion and there's nobody there to meet us, but we have been given the code for the lockbox and recover the keys. This leads to more confusion as there are 4 different doors to unlock before we gain entry. Eventually we work it out and are very impressed with our home for the next 6 nights. There's a sizeable bedroom and a kitchen/living room with large windows and doors that open out so it's very bright and airy. There's also a small pool.
The lagoon is very tidal. All of this is underwater when the tide is in.
We settle in and shower before taking the 10 minute walk into Knysna. We stop at a Tiki bar for a drink before arriving at the restaurant we have booked this evening. It's called Drydock it is one of many restaurants overlooking the harbour. We are led to a lovely table overlooking the water. It proves again to us that you get the nicest tables if you book early.
I have the fish of the day while Tam has a chicken curry. Both are lovely and Tam follows it up with Malva Pudding. This is a traditional South African dessert of light sponge soaked in creamy syrup and served with custard or ice cream, right up Tam's street. I have the port tasting with camembert and I'm quite surprised at the size of the 3 ports. We also have a bottle of Chardonnay. Total cost including gratuity is around £60. Incredibly cheap for a lovely meal in a lovely setting. As darkness falls it gets even prettier.
A rather fuzzy picture of the Malva Pudding.
We get an Uber back and open one of our bottles of wine to enjoy a glass before falling into bed very tired after our long drive.