Western Cape, South Africa · ZA

Garden Route

A 300km coastline of forests, lagoons and some of humanity's oldest footprints

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History & Heritage

A Coastline of Forests, Lagoons and First Footprints

The Garden Route's human story is exceptionally old: archaeological sites around Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay preserve evidence of continuous human habitation for over 300,000 years, and fossilised hominid footprints near Knysna have been dated to roughly 90,000 years ago. Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias charted Plettenberg Bay in 1487, naming it Bahia Formosa.

Timber and the sea shaped the towns that followed. European vessels first navigated the treacherous Knysna Heads in 1817, opening the lagoon to shipping; gold was found nearby at Millwood in 1878, and Norwegian settlers built a timber-export sawmill that anchored Knysna's economy for generations.

Conservation formalised the region's forests and coast through the 20th century: the Tsitsikamma coastline was declared a marine protected area in 1964, and in 2009 Tsitsikamma, Wilderness and the Knysna National Lake Area were merged into the single Garden Route National Park, protecting roughly 1,210 km² including 605 km² of indigenous forest.

Key Historical Places

Places of Significance

Knysna Heads

The two headland gateways where the Knysna Lagoon meets the Indian Ocean, treacherous cliffs that have wrecked numerous ships.

Natural Landmark Maritime History

↑ Best viewed from the Featherbed Nature Reserve side or by boat trip.

Millwood House Museum

A relocated miner's cottage from the 1878 Millwood gold rush, South Africa's first declared gold field.

Gold Rush History Museum

↑ Pair with a drive through the Millwood forest ruins.

Thesen's Island

Formerly Paarden Island, site of the Norwegian Thesen family's sawmill and shipyard, now a residential and dining marina precinct.

Timber History Waterfront

↑ Walk or cycle the island for lagoon views.

Robberg Nature Reserve

A peninsula reserve proclaimed in 1980, with Cape fur seal colonies, dolphins and turtles offshore.

Nature Reserve Marine Wildlife

↑ Check current trail access with CapeNature.

Timeline

1487
Bartolomeu Dias charts Plettenberg Bay
June 1630
The Sao Goncalo wrecks in Plettenberg Bay
1817
First European vessel navigates the Knysna Heads
1878
Gold discovered at Millwood near the Karatara River
1964
Tsitsikamma coastline declared a marine protected area
1997
Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump opens, world's highest commercial bridge bungy
6 Mar 2009
Tsitsikamma, Wilderness and Knysna National Lake Area merged into Garden Route National Park

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