Planning your own trip to South Africa? Read more about my Garden Route itinerary here.

I have ALL day to spend exploring Knysna — which is a treat, since most of my other days on this road trip are spent partially driving. But there’s a lot to soak up here and I will spend the first part of my day visiting East Head.

To give you a better idea of what this map looks like in person, here’s an aerial shot of Knysna (not taken by me):

A narrow passage of water flows between The Heads, filling up the Lagoon at high tide. As you might imagine, some of the best views are from the Heads, but you can only visit one for free — there’s parking and multiple scenic overlooks on East Head, as well as many homes and a cafe on the water. Featherbed Nature Reserve covers the entire West Head (privately owned, accessible by boat via daily tours) and I’m sorry I don’t have time to visit there this trip.

Within the lagoon, there are two large islands accessible by car — Leisure Island and Thesen Island (I spend more time on the latter due to its restaurant options). The homes below are on Leisure Island, in a photo snapped at low tide.

I drive up East Head to a parking lot connected to several view points. The views are unreal — I can’t believe this is South Africa.

Again, that’s the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the opposite Head — accessible only via boat. It’s nice that they’ve kept it protected instead of building mansions and hotels.

I did not expect the water to be so turquoise — it looks downright tropical.

I dig this wide shot that shows off the waterway between the two Heads:

Do I spy an empty beach below?

Upon closer examination, there are two people on the entire beach. How enticing! My plan is to be somewhat active today and squeeze in lots of sightseeing, but I’m tempted to lay on that beach for the next several hours. Instead I photograph it many times from above.

The hosts at my guest house recommend a restaurant in the photo below, noting its stellar views of the Heads.

It’s called East Head Cafe and I couldn’t tell you what’s better, the views or the food. This place is a gem.

I order a mocha latte and THERE IS REAL CHOCOLATE melting at the bottom. It’s insanely delicious.

They have a bacon guac burger on the menu that I know I’ll order upon first glance. I can’t resist that combination.

Once I’m properly fueled and caffeinated, I hike around the cafe on a trail towards East Head.

There are a lot of great things to see and do in Knysna (I have one more post coming tomorrow), but if you go you MUST visit East Head. The views at the top are my favorite. Two hours in this area will be enough to snap shots at the viewpoints, eat lunch, and walk by the sea… though you could take an extra hour or two to fulfill my fantasy of lounging on that near-empty beach on the ocean side of East Head.