The Knysna oyster cruise

Sail Knysna lagoon while tasting fresh oysters accompanied by white wine. Knysna is known as South Africa’s oyster capital and was once a hub for Pacific oyster farming until the early 2000s, when SAN Parks ended the practice for environmental reasons. However, we were still seeing a lot of interest in our cruise, so we decided to keep the tour running but source wild rock oysters from the coastal side of Knysna instead – it’s been a real success.

We run just one two-hour oyster tour a day at 3pm. The boat holds 12 people and was custom-made from one of the original flat-bottomed farming boats. We sail from Thesen Island where the oyster boats used to launch and head out to the Knysna Heads, which is unbelievably beautiful. If you’ve come on the Garden Route but haven’t taken a boat trip on Knysna lagoon, you’ve missed out. This is the second-largest estuary in South Africa, it’s a national park and home to unique species like the Knysna seahorse.

There’s time to take some photos of the Heads before turning around and cruising back at a snail’s pace. Along the way, we’ll teach you how to open oysters and you’ll get six to taste, accompanied by very good sauvignon blanc. Our guides are all from Knysna and know everything there is to know about oysters and the lagoon itself. You’ll be able to recognise the difference between the Pacific and wild varieties, learn about their nutritional value and have the chance to ask questions.

Our oysters will probably be the freshest you’ve ever had because we drag them behind the boat in a net, so they’re kept in their natural environment where they’ve absorbed all the nutrients from the ocean, until the very last minute. Half the people on our tours have never opened an oyster before and they don’t know where the front or back is but that’s all part of the fun – it’s a raw, educational experience.