Diepwalle Red Elephant Route

By Vicky · Published Sep. 15th, 2022 · Updated Aug. 27th, 2025

When you buy through links highlighted with an asterisk (*) on this site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no cost to you.

The Red Elephant Hiking Route in Diepwalle is a well-signed loop through the Knysna Forest. There are some beautiful large trees and it’s cool and shady in the forest, however, there aren’t any views and it can get slightly monotonous.

Location

This walk starts from the Diepwalle Forest Section of Garden Route National Park. To get there, it’s a 20 km (30-minute) drive north of Knysna along the R339. The last 10 km are on a good gravel road, suitable for all vehicles. Follow the signs to the rest camp and tea garden, which leaves the main road on a more minor road uphill to the right.

Map of Diepwalle Red Elephant Route

Tips for Diepwalle Hiking

This hike is in the Knysna Section of Garden Route National Park
It’s free to drive along the road but to walk in the park it’s R42/21 or R168/84 per adult/child per day for South Africans/International. It’s free with a WildCard.
Red elephant signboards clearly show the trail route.
For navigation on this hike you can use the map provided by the park in combination with the offline maps app Maps.me.
Another, slightly longer hike in the area is the Black Elephant Route.
Check out our Diepwalle Forest Guide for more things to do in the area, or for much more, read our South Africa Guide.

Diepwalle Red Elephant Hiking Route

First, visit the information centre to get a map and pay your park fees. You also need to check in here if you’re camping here on the forest decks.

Signs pointing the way to the start of the red elephant walk in Knysna Forest — Signs pointing the way to the start of the trail

Heading downwards on the small path on the red elephant route at Diepwalle — Heading downwards on the small path

The Red Elephant Route starts around to the right of the information building. Follow along the gravel track and see large signs for the Red and White Elephant routes. Continue a short distance and you’ll see a small square sign with a red elephant on a yellow background. These little signs will guide you all around this walk.

Follow the small path downhill as indicated. Cross straight over the main gravel road and continue into the forest. The path wiggles around and after a while it meets a larger track. You cross over a stream and shortly afterwards turn right uphill. We were lucky enough to see a cool chameleon here.

Walking on the Red Elephant walk through Diepwalle Forest

Walking on the Red Elephant Route path through Diepwalle Forest

Soon the path bends right again and leads downwards before reaching a stream crossing. Carefully hop across the roads in the stream, using the guiding rope if needed. The path then starts heading back up again. Shortly before you reach the main road again you’ll meet a Big Tree.

Big Trees in the Forest

The Big Tree is a Common Yellowwood, also known as an Outeniqua Yellowwood. It’s almost 50 metres tall and over 600 years old. In a few hundred metres you’ll see a picnic area with toilets surrounding the path, before you come out in a large grassy area by the road.

Common Yellowood, or Outeniqua Yellowood in the Forest near Knysna

On the right-hand edge of the picnic area the trail continues on the other side of the road, back into the forest. In a bit less than 1 km you’ll reach another Big Tree. Shortly afterwards, the path meets a track that heads back up to the information centre and the end of the Diepwalle Red Elephant Route.

Check out our Diepwalle Forest Guide for more things to do in the area, and for many more hikes see our South Africa Hiking Guide.