Knysna is an historic old town that has twice been voted South Africa’s most popular town. It originally served a small harbor for the export of timber from the huge forests that are typical of the area. A boat building industry grew up alongside the towns development.
The Knysna Lagoon itself covers about 1800 ha from The Heads at the south, to about 3kms up the Knysna River. Nearly 130 million cubic metres of water passes through the lagoon each year and makes it one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in South Africa. The lagoon has three main islands – Thesen Islands - of which the Thesen Islands marina is situated - Leisure Island, and Rex Island.
The lagoon is characterized by sand banks and salt marshes, which act as “pantries” for the many species of birds and fish which live in the estuary, including the famous Knysna Seahorse. | | | | View Thesen Harbour Town History PDF | | |  |  |  |  |
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