Spending the day at the Knysna waterfront was a joy. The whole is area paved and access with a wheelchair is very good. If you have cash to burn there is a myriad of little shops selling all sorts of touristy trinkets and restaurants to suit every taste and budget.

Note. The door leading into the disable toilet is quite narrow.. watch you knuckles as you go in.

After a long day of sightseeing we decided an afternoon cruise on the Lake will be ideal for an end of a very nice day.

We booked our tickets on the John Ben, the crew was very helpful and getting me on-board was hassle free. The gangway leading to the boat was stable but again quite steep but with the help of the crew I soon relaxed in the very spacious interior of this double decker.

Return trip to the Heads is about an hour and a half but please note, there is no access to the bathroom when you are in a wheelchair so do your business before boarding. Restroom issues aside it is a very enjoyable trip with the captain pointing out land marks and disposing interesting facts all the way.

When visiting Knysna on of the thing to do on the must do list is visit the Heads. After a small drive we took on the walkway to the Heads.

It is very steep so again if you are in a normal wheelchair please have someone help you because at the end of the road is a very beautiful scene.

At about half way there you can stop, rest and admire the view.

Following the path, just beware at some spots there is no railings.

Reaching the end.

Coming back to the car park there is a Restaurant where you can have a coffee and something stronger or even something to eat. They have a ramp at the entrance to cater for wheelchairs, it is a bit steep but the restaurant inside is very spacy and there is plenty of room to manoeuvre with the chair.

Knysna Elephant Park is located just off the N2 between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

At the Knysna Elephant Park I had the opportunity to be in the presence of these gentle giants.

The ground is very firm so getting along with the powered wheelchair was pretty easy in most cases. Occasionally I found myself in some gravel and needed a friendly push.

The guides are very helpful and let you have some one on one time with the giants of the forest.

Getting to and from you are driven in a tractor and wagon. They have a ramp for the wheelchair.

Going to the restroom might be a problem. Before going on the drive there is a nice disabled bathroom inside the reception area. Getting in the reception area can be a problem because the walkway is very steep and full of loose sand so the electric wheelchair was sliding a lot. Getting onto the wagon is a breeze with the help of the guides.

Coming back from the drive finding a bathroom is a problem, there is no disabled bathroom, and you can’t get into the men’s bathroom with a wheelchair because there is very tight turns leading to the bathroom and if you make that there is an opening between two walls that a wheelchair does not fit trough, I had to use the lady’s to answer Mother Nature, besides that the walkway leading to the bathrooms are very steep so if you are in a normal wheelchair someone will have to help you.

Knysna Elephant Park was a reel experience, besides the problem with the bathrooms, just to have a chance to touch these gentle giants, be in their presence was an experience to remember.

Website:  Knysna Elephant Park

I have emailed them in regards with the bathrooms and will post the response I get from them

Reply from Knysna Elephant Park

Dear Johan

Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. We do have some expansion and improvement plans for 2014 and this will help us make sure that our designs are wheelchair friendly. I am going to forward this on to our Operations Managers to make them aware of your suggestions.

Kind regards

Charmaine Rumbelow