Whale Watching in Hermanus, South Africa

INTRODUCTION

Spectacular coastal scenery and mountain fynbos put on a fine show, but the stars of this route are the southern right whales that, between June and November each year, swap their chilly Antarctic feeding grounds for our warmer, protected bays where they mate, calve, breach and lobtail, sometimes just metres from the shore.

It’s hard to imagine 60 tons of solid matter frolicking, but that’s certainly what it looks like. Of course, experts have various theories, but we think they do it... well, because they can. The route hugs the coast through the most crowded parts of this giant whale nursery, where in season you can see up to 20 at play at a time.

We weren’t always this lucky – whale hunters took a devastating toll on numbers from the 1800s onwards, and as whales with calves were the main targets, the population plummeted. Thankfully the southern right became a protected species in 1935 and now the whales are back, with more and more.

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TIME:
This is a weekend route, but if you have the time, give yourself an extra night or two in Hermanus, especially if you want to do any boat trips or go diving with sharks, or opt for gentle indulgences like some wine tasting.

DISTANCE:
Approx 420km, excluding driving within towns

BEST TIME TO GO:
June to November is prime whale season, with calving in August and September, and whale numbers peaking in October. Spring in September and October turns the countryside into a spectacular kaleidoscope of floral colour.

Whale-watching
Unlike humpback and Bryde’s whales, southern rights have no dorsal fin, and unless they’re performing, they look more like hippos than whales. Recognise them by their callosities, those rough, whitish raised patches dotted around their heads. Hope for a calm, windless day, when whales tend to come closest to shore (although they’re often more lazy then too). Blows are usually the first things you see. Whales are particularly obliging when breaching, as they tend to do it several times, allowing you to set up your camera!

THE ROUTE:
Watch aquabatic displays by southern rights who frolic along the coast from Gordon's Bay to Hermanus, Arniston and L'Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent.

Day One
Scenic drive via Gordon’s Bay and the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden to Hermanus.
Lunch while watching whale aquabatics in Walker Bay.
An afternoon of pleasure – whales, wines and shopping.
Overnight in Hermanus.

Day Two
Explore Stanford and visit a brewery.
Whale-watch through Die Kelders and Gansbaai.
Visit Elim, a national monument mission village.
Stand at the southern tip of Africa at L’Agulhas.
Overnight in Arniston, or fast-track back to Cape Town on the N2. Make this a longer adventure by linking this route to the Golf, Adrenalin or Country Routes via Swellendam.

Reading list

Hermanus Info is a handy booklet available at tourism bureaus, with absolutely every detail and phone number. There are several good guides to whales, like Whale Watch: A Guide to Whales and Other Marine Mammals of Southern Africa, by Vic Cockcroft and Peter Joyce (Struik), and Whale watching in South Africa, by Peter Best (Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria). Peter Slingsby has produced a very helpful map called The Overberg Whale Coast (Baardskeerder), with information on Hermanus, Cape L’Agulhas and Swellendam. Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve: Heart of the Cape Flora, by Amida and Mark Johns (Struik).

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DAY 1 Waterfront to Betty’s Bay – 1hr 15min

From the Waterfront, turn left onto the highway following N1 Paarl then N2 Somerset West. At just over 40km, take Exit 43 Somerset West, Broadway Boulevard, Stellenbosch and turn right at the traffic lights onto R44. (Alternatively, skip Strand and stay on the N2 till about 50km, turning right to Kleinmond and Gordon’s Bay, but the following mileages are based on the route via Strand.) At the third set of lights turn right into Beach Road to Strand Beachfront. Turn right at circle, right again at the traffic light (50km) onto R44, Gordon’s Bay road. When road splits at about 53km fork right to Faure Street, signed Bikini Beach.