BenJudy

Hello All,

My wife and I are spending 5 weeks in SA from mid-Nov. to mid-Dec. We are traveling by bus. We are mid-40s and would categorize ourselves as "upmarket" backpackers. We have about one week time between Stellenbosch and Durban.

So......Knysna or Plett for a whole week and do day trips with guides? A day or so in Swellandam first or maybe Oudtshoorn? Maybe an inland trek to Graff-Reinet for a bit?

We enjoy beaches, hiking, good food and beer and peaceful settings. At our age, we are pretty much done with "adrenaline" sports.

What say you Fodorites?

traci_local_in_sa

What a pity you're not into adrenalin any more, I was going to suggest bungi jumping off the Storms River bridge!

Personally, I would rather settle into one place for a week and do the area surrounding it with day trips. The reason is that you are going to be on the move for 5 weeks which can be exhausting. It would be nice to unpack in one place for a bit.

BenJudy

Thanks, Traci. So, what can you tell us about Plett vs. Knysna. We want to pick one or the other.

Ben

Selwyn_Davidowitz

Ben-Judy,

Hold on!

If you are thinking of visiting ANYWHERE on the Garden Route from 18 November to 24 November dont even bother to try. It is the Presidents Cup Golf Tournament (America vs the rest of the world) at the Fancourt Golf Course in George and you wont be able to find a spot to stay anywhere (not even some backpacks I have been told) between Swellendam and The Storms River. It is a madness that I have never ever experienced on the Garden Route before. Needless to say if accommodation is so tough then everything else such as restaurants etc will be tough too. I also highly doubt if you will find a tourguide over this period who can show you around as they are all very heavily booked already.

Thus if you can avoid this period on the Garden Route then please do so.

With that said let us know when you intend travelling on the Garden Route and then I, and I am sure many other Fodorites, will advise you accordingly.

Selwyn Davidowitz
Very proudly part of the wonderful nation of South Africa

BenJudy

Thanks, Selwyn.

Our dates are Dec. 1 - 7, so it looks like we will miss the golfing madness.

What experiences have any of you had with Plett or Knysna? What are the differences and if you could stay at only one, which would you pick?

Selwyn_Davidowitz

BenJudy,

There is no question in my mind that I would choose Knysna over Plett. In December Plett will be overrun by holiday makers and everything will happen at a very slow pace due to long lines (Queues). Plett has wonderful beaches while Knysna does not really have a beach, however the hidden secret is that while everyone who visits Knysna all run to the Plett beaches (25 minutes away) the locals from Knysna all go to Brenton on Sea and Buffalo Bay (15 minutes away). These beaches are not crowded and are MUCH BETTER than the Plett beaches. Plett beaches are the ones "to be seen on? while Brenton and Buffalo Bay are beaches to enjoy the sun and swim on.

Knysna is a perfect hub to explore the whole of the Garden Route from. One can travel to Plett as well as on to the Stormsriver. One can also visit the Wilderness as well as Oudtshoorn from the Knysna region. All in all there is so much more to do in Knysna than Plett that you simply wont have enough days available to explore the area fully.

The restaurants in Knysna simply outstrip those in Plett when it comes to quality of food and quantity of restaurants.

As a last point Knysna has not been voted the most popular town is SA on 3 out of the last 4 years for nothing. (2nd in the year they never came 1st) This honor comes about mainly because the Knysna locals are wonderfully friendly and very hospitable people.

There will probably be somebody on this board who will differ with me as far as these 2 towns are concerned. I have to stress that the above is my opinion and that certainly does not mean that I am correct. I must however mention that my opinion is based on the fact that I virtually grew up in my youth when we spent many fabulous holidays in this wonderful part of South Africa and have also as a tourguide/operator taken over 300 visitors to Knysna and Plett. When doing so we have always stayed in guesthouses in Knysna so and without fail my visitors have always agreed that this was the better of the 2 towns to stay in when they got to know both areas.

In a nutshell I say ?stay in Knysna as you wont regret it?

Hope this helps and does not confuse you any further.

Selwyn Davidowitz
Very proudly part of the wonderful nation of South Africa