What to expect
Hermanus is famous for being one of the best land-based whale watching spots in the world. The best time to see these beautiful mammals is between July and November. The Southern Right Whales come as close as 50 metres to the shore and are known to breach, lobtail, spyhop and court in the waters. It's nothing short of amazing!
- Duration: 9 hours
- Includes: Entrance to Harbour Museum and Harold Porter Botanical garden
- Meals: None
- Price: Price available on request
Watch the Whales in Walker Bay
August to November is usually the best time to see the Southern Right Whale in our waters. Hermanus’ Walker Bay is an ideal place for whale watching. These mammals, which often come as close as 50 meters from the shore, are given to displays of breaching, lob tailing, spy hopping and courtship rituals.
Itinerary
Daily from 08:30 until 17:30
Departure times
Depart Cape Town via Elgin, which is the heart of the apple industry, en route to Hermanus, stopping at the Old Harbour Museum. As long ago as 1857, the Old Harbour at Hermanus Pietersfontein provided a rocky but safe shelter for the small fishing boats whose owners were drawn to Hermanus by the abundance and variety of fish. The Old Harbour was proclaimed a museum in 1972.
South Africa's top cool climate wines are produced in the cool, maritime Walker Bay area, in the beautiful Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Enjoy a wine-tasting at one of the estates in the region that boast unique terroir driven wines. Take a scenic drive to the town of Kleinmond, for a visit to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. Situated in the centre of the coastal fynbos where the flora is at its richest, the garden encompasses mountain slopes with their wind-clipped heathlands, deep gorges with relict forests, flats and marshes with restios, sedges and bulbs, as well as dunes adjacent to the beach with their specialised salt-adapted plants. The garden is renowned for its waterfalls and amber pools.
The high twisting coastal road leading from Cape Hangklip to Gordon's Bay is one of the most spectacular anywhere. Not only does this route offer wondrous vistas out to sea, across sweeping bays and vertically down into transparent sapphire shallows, it offers a perfect setting for the entrance to the “Riviera of the Cape”. After a day of scenic splendor, head to Cape Town via the N2, arriving back at your hotels at 17:30.
