So nice to have a 2nd night in the same hotel and be able to sort out the confusion that currently reigns in our suitcases!  When we arrived here in Plettenberg Bay they explained that we are in an officially declared drought region. One result of this is that we may take a short shower but not a bath.  They clearly don’t trust us as they’ve taken away the bath plugs!. The hotel itself dates back to 1777 when it was part of a church.

We didn’t quite get our heads around exactly how the Garden Route worked.  I think we had hoped for prettier views on a long coastal road, rather like the U.S. Pacific Highway. The road that is the Garden Route is the N2 highway which snakes away from the coast.  So today we looked at the places we missed on the way to Plettenberg Bay and went back to look at them!

We made our way back to Knysna and drove high up the cliffs to Knysna Heads.  These are 2 dramatic sandstone cliffs that form the narrow entrance into the Knysna Lagoon. Although it’s just 300 metres wide it’s known for its treacherous conditions. On the Eastern Head we looked down on what the British Navy said was the most dangerous harbour entrance in the world.

Then we went to Thesen Island, a secure marina of  19 manmade islands connected by 21 bridges. It offers many water activities and nearby hiking but we just stuck with the ice cream!   (It was a hot day!)

After that we went to the beach – Sue was keen to paddle, Sheila not so. Even in the shallows the Indian Ocean was throwing up plenty of surf.  The sand is soft and fine so making sandcastles is tricky. On this section of beach was a hotel designed to look like a ship pulling in to the beach. It was designed in 1972 and unlike any other hotel in Plettenberg it is exclusively a timeshare hotel. 

Back to our hotel and Sheila had a few animals to avoid on the way.

A four hour drive for us tomorrow but very excited to be going for a two night stay at  Addo Elephant National Park.