Magic Lagoon Charters operates cruises aboard vintage wooden vessels on the Knysna River Estuary.
Private Cruises Available – Call 076 787 4386 to book
Important!
All tours are weather and tide dependent.
Coquette
[ 101-Year-Old Mahogany Launch ]
only five tours per day
Trip Times ~ 1.5 hour trips
10am – 12pm – 2pm – 4pm – 6pm
Maximum 12 passengers
R570 per Adult
R470 per child under 12
Bring Your Own
You are welcome to bring your own snacks and refreshments aboard.
Sophia
[ AMERICAN BARRELL BACK ]
from 10AM until 6PM, daily
Explore the entire lagoon from the Heads to the Red Bridge. (Only available on certain tides check for availability!)
Max 5 Passengers.
R670 per adult , R570 per child under 12
Romantic Honeymoon Cruise
Bring Romance to your cruise with Oysters and Champagne.
Elegance
[ 88-year-old Gentleman’s Yacht ]
Please contact us for a trip
Elegance is the oldest wooden sailing vessel on African waters! We transport you from the Old Thesens Island Jetty via tender boat. You’ll enjoy refreshments as you watch the sun set over the Knysna Lagoon! Contact us for bespoke trips.
Call: 076 787 4386
Enhance Your Experience
Add Oysters, Champagne and Snack Platters to your experience.
about us
We operate cruises aboard vintage wooden vessels on the Knysna River Estuary. Our fleet comprises Sophia, an American Barrell Back. Coquette, a 101-year-old Mahogany Launch built in 1919 by Salters of Oxford in the United Kingdom and Elegance, an 88-year-old Ladies & Gentleman’s Leisure yacht built in 1932 on Mowbray beach, Cape Town – South Africa.
"We did a 1hr lagoon boat cruise an our guide/skipper Alex, he is amazing, the guy knows alot about the lagoon telling us about the sea horses, the Knysna heads and giving us a fully guided tour on the lagoon. I would recommend it to anyone to do the cruise. Thanx so much Alex for making our day special."
Cebisa Fassie
contact us
Open: 10am to 6pm daily
Where: Magic Lagoon Kiosk at The Waterfront, 21 Waterfront Drive, Knysna
More Info: 076 787 4386 or Email Peter
meet our captains
Magic Montie Ndevu
Magic Montie is a skipper with 26 years of experience on the Knysna river estuary, he has vast knowledge of Knysna and surrounds, which he happily shares with guests and He knows the lagoon like the back of his hand! He has worked for Knysna Ferries, The Featherbed Company and before working at Magic Lagoon Charters was a skipper at The Turbine Water Club. Very relaxed and laid back, Magic Montie can skipper boats up to 25 tons!
Amazing Alex Doroba
Famously known as Amazing Alex the Skipper, Alex started working in the boat building industry at Custom Marine before becoming a qualified skipper and now has more than 11 years of experience on the Lagoon. He does not consider what he does a job, he considers it his passion! and if you ask him, he will say he has not worked a day in the last 11 years! He has great knowledge of the lagoon and its wildlife and lives to make your tour a memorable experience!
wildlife that you might see
Wildlife on the Knysna River Estuary
The Knysna River Estuary is home to 42% of all South African estuarine species and the only endemic seahorse in South Africa is found here making it a truly unique body of water! There are an abundance of fish and bird species in the lagoon and at times larger mammals such as Dolphins, Seals and Cape Clawless Otters are sighted in the mouth and bays of the Estuary. read more
KNYSNA lagoon SHIPWRECKS
There are shipwrecks in the Knysna Lagoon dating from 1817 through to the most recent one, Piesang, that was wrecked in 1914. A 40-ton Norwegian Whaler operating from the whaling station at Beacon Island, Plettenberg bay was swamped while trying to enter the Heads. 5 of her crew drowned and She settled on the sandy bottom, blocking the shipping channel. 1000 pounds was spent by the government to bring a tug from Durban Harbour to blast away the wreck and clear the channel. She was the last ship to be wrecked during the time that Knysna was officially a Harbour. Her remains lie North of the Heads on both the Western and Eastern sides of the channel. more about the shipwrecks
MAP OF THE KNYSNA HARBOUR circa 1864
