Whale Watching in Hermanus, South Africa

Follow Gordon’s Bay Beachfront, T-junction right (R44), and watch False Bay unfold before you. A warm water whale route could start in Muizenberg, following the coast road all along the curve of False Bay, but for those lacking the time, remember there’s really good stuff ahead, so brave the freeway frenzy to fast-track to the Strand (Afrikaans for ‘Beach’), Gordon’s Bay and the scenic Clarence Drive. From Gordon’s Bay, the Hottentots Holland mountains almost trip over this serpentine road as they tumble into the sea.

Across False Bay you can see the spiny ridge of the Table Mountain chain snaking all the way to Cape Point in the far distance, and here’s where you can start whale-watching in earnest – in season there’s a good chance of seeing a whale or two lazing in the sea below. Clarence Drive flashes past the holiday village of Rooiels (named after the red alders that used to grow here), to the turn-off to Pringle Bay and Cape Hangklip, where the road leaves the sea for a while to make a detour inland. The steep sentinel of Cape Hangklip (Overhanging Rock) marks the abrupt end of the Hottentots Holland mountain range, whose caves and valleys were once a refuge for slaves who escaped their owners in Cape Town.

Betty’s Bay straggles along for several kilometres, in the middle of which you’ll come upon the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden, a great, fynbos-filled place to take a break (entrance fee charged). There’s a tearoom, a souvenir shop, a great  indigenous nursery and a plant information centre. The beautiful gardens have several walks which meander among the waterfalls and pools that form a chain down to the sea.

Betty’s Bay to Hermanus – 40min

Continue along the R44, passing Kleinmond at about 99km. At the T-junction turn right on the R43 to Hermanus. Pass Fisherhaven, Hawston, Vermont, Onrus River. Enter Hermanus at about 132km. At 135km, you’re forced left at the traffic lights. Turn next right into Market Street, right again into Kusweg and park on Market Square. Hermanus is the self-styled centre of the whale-watching universe, tucked into the most protected corner of Walker Bay, which has been recognised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as one of the world’s top 12 whale-viewing sites.

The town has a fun – if busy – buzz, especially in season, and you’ll almost always find the rocks thronged with people staring out to sea, not daring to blink in case they miss a breach. You can also get up close and personal. These marine giants sometimes come within 10 metres of the shore, so haul out your binoculars and get a front row seat. If you’re hungry by now you can whale-watch over your plate of seafood at several sea-view restaurants on Market Square overlooking the Old Harbour.

Sit outdoors at The Burgundy or walk a couple of hundred metres further, with the sea on your right, and then down some stairs to Bientang’s Cave, a restaurant built in a cave, once home to a Strandloper, immediately above the rocks and waves. You can’t get closer to the whales than this. But if you can’t see any whales, just listen. Hermanus is the only town in the world that employs a whale crier, Wilson Salukazana, who blows a kind of Morse code on a kelp horn to indicate exactly where the whales are. You’ll spot him walking along the coastal cliff, wearing sandwich boards that explain the code.

Spend the afternoon watching whale aquabatics, wandering around town or doing some of this good stuff: Hit the water and go whale-watching by boat. Licensed operators are allowed within 50 metres of a whale (private boats must stay 300 metres away), but there’s every chance the whales will come closer to take a look at you. There are two operators based at the New Harbour. Follow the coast road (Kusweg) with the sea on your left for about three kilometres to the New Harbour.

Try Southern Right Charters on Miroshga, a slick speed boat (with a toilet) which zips along the coast to where the whales are, or there’s Hermanus Whale Cruises, in an authentic fishing boat. More info on other operators available from the tourism bureau. To get the big picture, take a quick spin up the spectacular Rotary Way, which winds up into the mountains above the town, from where you can watch paragliders and hang-gliders leap into the air, and get awesome 180-degree views across the bay. From Market Square, turn right into Harbour Road and head out of Hermanus.

Turn right after about two and a half kilometres, between white gateposts. Road becomes good gravel on the plateau at around six kilometres; either turn back, or loop back to town through the Hamilton Russell Vineyards, turning left after you go through their gates, and dropping down into the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Stop for a tasting! The entire loop, ending back on Market Square in town, is 22 kilometres long. Do the Hermanus Wine Wander where five estates make unique wines due to the cool climate and proximity to the sea.