For those who prefer solid glass between them and marine life, there is the NSRI Aquarium at the Knysna Heads with a variety of salt and fresh water fish, featuring local and foreign sea fauna: Moray Eels, turtles, Clown fish, Oscars, Discus, Angel fish, and the famous Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) which is found only in the estuaries of the Garden Route. Open daily from 9am to 6pm. Donations go towards Sea Rescue funds for the National Sea Rescue Institute.
The only museum of its kind in the southern hemisphere, the Angling Museum of the JLB Institute of Ichthyology is situated in the Old Gaol, Main Street, Knysna. It houses many donated items such as a large coelacanth caught off the Comoros. Open Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Tel: +27 44 582 6138, Fax: +27 46 182 3423.
Nature’s valley