Garden Route: Knysna forest not affected by the fire!

The iconic Knysna forest, South Africa's largest portion of Southern Afrotemperate Forests, was not affected by the recent fire that devasted the town of Knysna and it's surroundings in early June 2017. The forest, which is spanning across some 60,500 hectares of land, from George to Tsitsikamma in the East, is accessible from Goudveld to Diepwalle.
The Knysna forest is home to over 22 species of amphibians, 24 reptile species, 305 species of birds and some 42% of South Africa’s 290 mammal species. At least 7.1% of the Park’s mammals are listed as endangered (EN) and 14% as vulnerable (VU). Some of the trees in the forest, like the King Edward Big tree in Diepwalle, the Dalene Matthee Memorial and the Hoekwil Big tree are 600 years old. The famous Tsitsikamma Big tree is estimated to be between 600 and 800 years old.