Blushing, I had to admit to being an oyster virgin from Gauteng. So, it was with some trepidation that I held the shell and prepared to eat the much revered Knysna oyster.

Initially I wasn't keen, especially after someone told me that when you squeeze lemon or Tabasco sauce on them the muscles of the oysters contract and this shows that they are alive - "fresh".

At least with sushi they have the decency to kill the fish first. Then eat it raw. All eyes were on me. I smiled bravely. "One, two three … down the hatch."

I was instructed to chew once or twice to get the flavour, which I did. Seduced by the tangy flavour, I found my hand sneaking back across the table towards my second oyster - I was a convert.

Oyster expert Manie Solomon came aboard the Featherbed Catamaran to explain the oyster harvesting process to us landlubbers as we headed out towards the scenic Knysna Heads, sipping our strawberry daiquiris.

An employee of the Knysna Oyster Company with 20 years experience, he has intimate knowledge of the oyster game. Manie told us that oysters are not native to the lagoon, although they do spend some time in the Knysna waters during their growth process. In fact, the oyster seeds are imported from Asia.

Nurtured in the water near Port Elizabeth they are put in racks to grow in the Knysna estuary and are then sent to Algoa Bay to reach adulthood. Manie said although pearls are not common inside Knysna oysters, they have been found. He recalled: "One woman came to complain she found lumps in her oyster. I had a look and found 16 tiny pearls, I offered to give her a fresh lot, but she quickly took the pearls and disappeared," he said laughing.

He likes his oysters, the old fashioned way - lemon and Tabasco sauce - with an ice cold beer to wash it down. Oysters are regarded as being aphrodisiacs because of their high zinc levels which allegedly help boost sperm levels and they are also commonly used as a remedy for hangovers.

If you attend the Oyster Festival from July 4-13 you may need the hangover cure too.

Offering whisky tastings and the Wade Bales wine festival - those oysters may come in handy. At the Oyster Festival the SA Chefs Association will be showcasing this delicacy on a special menu. There will be an annual oyster cooking competition, with celebrity chef demonstrations, and each restaurant will present a signature oyster dish.

But if you think only oysters live in the lagoon you'd be wrong - another species living in the waters around Knysna is the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis). This little character is endangered and you may find yourself shelling out a few rands towards saving his skin.

The seahorse's distinguishing characteristic is that it has bony plates instead of scales. Its survival depends on the lagoon's cleanliness. Seahorses show physiological stress when water salinity exceeds 45 percent or drops below 15 percent. Although protection exists, pollutants still manage to enter the estuary.

Knysna is offering a range of tourist highlights throughout the festival calendar. There is also no shortage of fine food and great restaurants in the little town as local farmers are producing more organic and speciality produce to cater to an increasingly demanding eating public.

We went to Zachary's restaurant, on Pezula golf estate, to sample some delights prepared by Chef Geoffrey Murray. We walked in and literally waddled out. Murray says there is an impressive range of quality produce in the area and he makes use of herbs and vegetables in season. Murray cultivates some of his own veggies but gets a lot brought in from local farmers.

I was blown away by his crocodile and lime soup. Murray has a special way of slow smoking the crocodile meat so that it is tender and tasty and the lime adds a beautiful tang. His warthog gnocchi was not too shabby either - and as dessert came in - I heard the death knell of my GI diet. Life is just too short!

Our group, headed off to the Il de Pain (Island of Bread). The owner, Austrian chef Markus Farbinger has turned baking bread into an art form.

I chose a simple meal of bread and jam, as I had over-indulged the previous day but a bite of my friend's chocolate croissant was a nibble of heaven.

Markus and his partner Liezie Mulder are part of the Gastronomica Festival where the town showcases good food. One of his other passions is chocolate. We are led to another den of inequity - a chocolate tasting demonstration, where he explains the qualities of the imported Equadorian chocolate and explains its use in cooking and baking. I'm just glad that in chocolate tasting we don't have to spit it out…

Note to gourmets, there will be more chocolate demonstrations, and all kinds of local produce and cooking demonstrations during Gastronomica Week in Knysna from September 24 - 28 .

Being in Knysna is a bit like being on a different continent. It has a European feel to it; perhaps it is the influence of the foreign investment pouring in, or the almost French Riviera-style chic that has developed. The classic beauty of the Belvidere Manor Hotel is an example of the style that abounds. Overlooking the lagoon, the white chalets offer absolute luxury.

Boutique hotels and mini mansions are all the rage and property prices have rocketed. The jet set crowd from Pretoria are known to fly in for the weekend and "braai on the balcony" just to enjoy the view. The houses may be worth a fortune but the builders still have to be persuaded to fit burglar bars. Said one local: "Serious crime is when you get chucked out of a bar for drinking too much."

In the old days Knysna was just a scenic coastal spot. Today it has exploded into a booming tourism phenomenon. I hope it doesn't attract too many investors hoping to milk money from this essentially quaint village. As they say, too many chefs spoil the broth and in this gorgeous town there are quite a few good chefs.

The author was hosted by the Knysna Tourism Authority and was accommodated by Belvidere Hotel and the Knysna Elephant Park. For more information visit www.tourismknysna.co.za

The Elephants' Lament

It is estimated that only three forest elephants still exist in the Knysna forest. The elephant decline began with their death first in the 1800s at the hands of trophy hunters in the area seeking their tusks for ivory, then foresters began cutting down their habitat.

While the elephants may have lost their original habitat they are not lost to tourists wanting to see them. We headed to the Knysna Elephant Park. I was thrilled to be coming in close contact with these pachyderms. After some thought, I did think they have an unfair advantage - they are fat, hairy and wrinkled and they get complimented all the time.

Greg Vogt explained why the translocation attempts in the forests had failed: "Foraging for food in the forest is difficult, most elephants are used to bush and scrub. One elephant that was translocated was found to have died of starvation." As GM of the Elephant Park, he told us about the growing politics of elephant riding and his new role as spokesperson for the Elephant Trainers Association. He explained that the elephants at the Knysna Elephant Park had all come to the park as orphans and their aim had been to re-create a substitute family environment as if they were in a group in nature.