Knysna is arguably the heart of the Garden Route, its scenic gem and adventure capital. Featherbed stands out in the scenic stakes, and the peculiar thing is not many South Africans bother to visit it. The views from the top of the western Knysna ?Head? are stupendous; close-up of the birds and fynbos vegetation and on a macro level, amongst the country?s most dramatic coastline.

It?s also a great hike, with a tractor taking you to the top if you?d rather avoid the steep uphill. Pezula, one of the country?s top golf courses, is situated above the Eastern Head on the other side of the churning channel that links the sea to the calm Knysna lagoon ? where the oysters are farmed and the seahorses live.

The mountain-biking, some 15 minutes up the N2, at the Krantzkop turn-off, lent itself to slightly more activity. While Jason and Novak felt a bit frustrated at the stop-start nature of the filming process, the most impressive stunt was me getting my laces caught in the gears and toppling over, resulting in a lacerated ankle and stitches at the doctor?s room after dinner.

Massively embarrassing, yes, but I?ve spent numerous days in Knysna hospitals, and can attest that whatever adventure you?re in to ? and there are loads in the vicinity ? you?re in safe hands in the town that on a few occasions has been voted ?best? in South Africa.

Into thin air

A gyrocopter looks like a helicopter but travels more like a plane. 20 minutes up the West Coast road from Cape Town at a skydiving operation, we found the odd, door-less and tiny aircraft.

Jason and Novak, being the prize-winning couple (as opposed to featured actors in a TV show), got the two rides offered, and flew out over the ocean into Table Bay, with the Table Mountain massif ahead and Nelson Mandela?s Robben Island down below. "Wow," said Novak in his burliest Bosnian Serb accented English, "that was amazing."

The night was equally instructive, here in my home city. In the sense of showing off African cuisine with a little interactive theatre thrown in for good measure, the dinner at Gold ? a restaurant aimed at the tourist market ? the experience was brilliant. The drumming session, the quality of the food and the singing and dancing between the tables. I learnt something new about my own city.

Unfortunately the clouds closed in on the mountain, as they often do in September, and neither the cable-car trip up the mountain nor the abseiling happened.

We were all exhausted, our minds packed with information. Novak had experienced an exhilarating side to South Africa, Jason had learnt plenty new things about what seems to be his favourite country, Neale is returning to buy property and I had received a refresher course in just a handful of things that make this country such a pleasure to live in, something it?s easy to take for granted.

Angus Begg is the owner of the recently-established African Storybook Media. He is a prolific photo-journalist and TV producer, counting CNN Traveller amongst his clients.

Read more:
Page 1: Tracking Black Rhino
Page 2: Surfing J-Bay and Bungy-jumping
Page 3: Ostriches, caves and walking with elephants