South Africa - Hiking at the Featherbed Nature Reserve, Knysna (day 7)

by Debbie Ross
founder of the Womens Travel Network.ca

A short ferry trip took us to the private Featherbed Nature Reservve. This pristine piece of paradise is situated on the western head of Knysna. Our tour included a drive in a 4×4 vehicles to the top of the head for magnificent views and a guided nature walk though coastal forest and fynbos into the Khoi-Khoi caves to learn about the history and ecology of the reserve.

Walking sticks in hand we boarded the 4×4’s that took us to the top of the reserve overlooking the harbour and the Indian Ocean. Most of us took the hike back down to the base of the reserve. The walk took about an hour and the path wound through the spectacular forest which was home to beautiful birds, flowering bushes, oversized eucalyptus plants to name a few. The scenery was spectacular and around each bend in the path we caught glimpses of the rocky coastline of the Indian ocean. There were side paths that lead to the point where the view of the ocean was absolutely magnificent.

We worked up quite an appetite during our hike. We happily enjoyed a tasty lunch at the reserve. South African’s always serve up an incredible meal with an array of delicious salads, barbecued meats, starches and very tasty desserts. Upon arrival back at the dock we were greeted by some local business women waiting to sell us there handicrafts. The people here are delightful and our group is happy to purchase some of the items to help support the local economy.