Travel to Hermanus

whale-watching from the shore and by boat during Jun-Oct

Hermanus is a relatively busy coastal settlement on the Whale Coast, around 90 km to the east of Cape Town.

This place is widely considered to be the whale-watching capital of southern Africa. During the Jun-Oct season all five major species of whale pass around the Cape. Most notable are the southern right whales, which come in really close to the shore to calve.

The town famously has a Whale Crier, a self-proclaimed character who patrols the foreshore and sounds a horn to announce when whales have been sighted.

In recent decades Hermanus has evolved from a sleepy fishing village into a much larger suburban area. The heart of the village and the suburbs to the east remain pleasant enough, with a reasonable selection of bars and eateries.

However the large extensions of industry, shanty towns and retirement estates immediately to the west really don’t do much for the overall appeal of the place.

Activities in this area include whale-watching, shark-diving, snorkelling, diving, hiking in the hills and walking to remote beaches. The town also has a golf course, a couple of small museums and a decent range of stores, bars and restaurants.

Although we do sometimes include Hermanus in trips, the majority of our guests tend to prefer to head to the slightly more rural Gansbaai area immediately to the east or further afield to the impressive coastal nature reserve at De Hoop.

a choice of locations along this coast