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Knysna Heads photo by Michael Clarke stuff –

Little Known Facts About Knysna Heads

A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carrying capacity of the water. River mouths are places of much activity.

As a river flows, it picks up sediment from the river bed, eroding banks, and debris on the water. The river mouth is where much of this gravel, sand, silt, and clay—called alluvium—is deposited. When large amounts of alluvium are deposited at the mouth of a river, a delta is formed.

The river slows down at the mouth, so it doesn’t have the energy to carry all the silt, sand, and clay anymore. These sediments form the flat, usually triangle-shaped land of a delta. The mouth of a river is often a good place for fishing. Along with the alluvium, a river flushes many different species into the lake or sea

The Knysna Heads, probably the best-known, most recognized river mouth in South Africa; may be amongst the most iconic; and certainly (at least amongst South Africans) the most loved.

Here are little-known facts about the heads.

1. Knysna heads are found along the Garden Route

Garden Route, Eastern Cape, South Africa photo by South African Tourism –

The Garden Route is a magnificent part of the South African coastline, known the world over for its breath-taking vistas and natural abundance. It links the provinces of the Eastern Cape and Western Cape and includes several popular holiday towns; such as Nature’s Valley, Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, George and Mossel Bay.

This is also the very special route along which the Knysna Heads are found, emerging from the raw power of the ocean to stand like tall sentries, guarding the picturesque lagoon and town.

The ocean waters surge and crash dramatically through the passage between them, providing breath-taking views from so many different vantage points throughout the town and its outlying areas.

2. They formed when the Knysna River cut through Table Mountain sandstone

The Peninsula Formation quartzites are visible at Coney Glen – the beach on the Eastern Head – exhibit intensely fractured breccia zones (faults) and similarly-orientated jointing that lies in a northwest-southeast direction.

This deformation is related to the formation of the Knysna half-graben faulting that occurred during the break-up of the supercontinent, Gondwana.

Rivers will naturally exploit zones of weakness in the underlying geology, and the slow-flowing Knysna River, meandering across the coastal plain, will have eroded downwards through the intensely fractured quartzite at the same pace as the coast gradually uplifted (this Tertiary Period uplift, which raised the level of the coast by some 500 meters, began 60 million years ago, and ended about 5 million years ago). 

The Heads were therefore formed when the Knysna River cut a channel through a ridge of hard Peninsula Formation quartzite (commonly known as TMS, or Table Mountain Sandstone).

3. Knysna Heads are separated by around 300 meters of water

Knysna Heads photo by Michael Clarke stuff –

Separated by around 300 meters of water, The Knysna Heads are the headlands of two peninsulas that enclose and form the Knysna River Estuary.

Formed over geological time beginning as far back as the break-up of the supercontinent, Gondwana, during the Jurassic, 180 million years ago.

4. Knysna Heads is about 230 meters wide

 The Heads, the Knysna River mouth is about 230 meters wide.

5. The heads are divided into two, east and west

East Head, Knysna Heads photo by Vaiz Ha –

A treat to the eyes, Knysna heads is the magnetic amalgamation of two sea cliffs in huge natural sandstone towers that guard the Knysna lagoon against the roaring sea. There are two heads- East and West.

The eastern head offers a spectacular view of the Lagoon, Leisure Island and the entire Knysna. The western head is a privately owned resort accessible only by ferry.

Visitors simply need to go to Leisure Isle and follow the signposts to get to the East Knysna Head, which is easier to reach than the other one. It has several decks and observation locations where you can enjoy stunning landscapes, and it is conveniently accessible by automobile.

Two distinct sorts of vistas on Cony Glen Road provide various perspectives on the natural world.

The West Knysna Head, on the other hand, is far more difficult to get there because there are no public roads there. It can only be seen by taking a ferry over the lagoon.

The Featherbed Nature Reserve is located there, where you may see local fynbos and coastal woodlands teeming with birds, insects, and tiny animals.

6. The heads frame the estuary’s only entrance to the sea

river mouth at Knysna, South Africa photo by Andrawaag –

The Knysna Heads can be described as the rocky headlands at the western and eastern ends of the two peninsulas that embrace and define the Knysna basin. They also frame the Knysna Estuary’s only entrance to the sea.

The Knysna Estuary covers about 1,827 ha and stretches from the mouth (The Knysna Heads) to the rapids at Charlesford on the Knysna River. It measures about 3 km at its widest.

7. The heads were home for Middle Stone Age people

Archaeologists investigating the caves on both the Western Head and the Eastern Head have found that Middle Stone Age people also lived here for thousands of years.

This is the crucial period in ancient history when modern human behaviour was emerging along the coastline of the Western Cape, which is why this coast is now known as ‘The Cradle of Human Culture’.

8. The heads were a resting place for fishermen

Rough water fishing photo by Darren Glanville –

The Knysna Heads are well-known for having served as the resting place for several fishermen and sailors who attempted to cross the erratic, mighty waterway in the past.

9. Knysna Heads was once declared the most dangerous entrance worldwide

The Heads, Knysna photo by Darren Glanville –

The Knysna Heads or Heads were once declared by the British Royal Navy to be the most dangerous entrance in the world.

In 1817, after endless nagging by George Rex, the British navy sent a ship to try and navigate the passage through the heads. The experiment was not a success as the vessel hit a submerged reef and had to be run aground. A second ship was sent to salvage the first ship, and this one did manage to get through the Heads safely.

Rex was delighted, and he donated some land for a shipbuilding yard. He also built a slipway, in expectation of all the boats that would be launched into the lagoon, but the shipbuilding enterprise failed.

10. Knysna Heads boasts a stunning view for tourists

Many restaurants provide breathtaking views of The Heads, which make the ideal scenery for those participating in neighbouring water activities. The East Head travellers simply need to go to Leisure Isle and then follow the signposts.

It has several beautiful mansions with breathtaking views, as well as a variety of excellent eateries. Both indoor and outdoor tables at East Head Café are arranged to take advantage of spectacular vistas.

There are blankets available so that guests may still savour delectable meals or beverages with top-notch views no matter what the season.