Overberg · South Africa · Walker Bay
Hermanus. The whales come right up to the cliff.
A horn made of kelp, somewhere along the cliff path. Every head turns towards the bay, and twenty metres out a black back lifts clear of the water. This is what you need for the trip: the drive, the places to stay, the season and the towns around it.
What Hermanus is
A coastal town 120 kilometres from Cape Town, with southern right whales in front of it from June to November.
Seven in the morning, the wind turned overnight. On the terrace at Gearing's Point someone is already standing with binoculars, though he does not need them. The whales come closer to the rocks in Walker Bay than almost anywhere else. Hermanus is the place where you see whales without a boat.
The rest of the year is not empty. The Cliff Path runs twelve kilometres along the coast, more than 1,250 plant species grow in the Fernkloof reserve, and a quarter of an hour inland lies the Hemel-en-Aarde valley with its Pinot Noir. Around 30,000 people live here. For one weekend at the start of October, during the Whale Festival, a great many more do.
Our tipPlan two nights, not one. Whales do not keep to day trips, and the second morning on the cliff path is often the better one.
- From Cape Town
- 120 kma good 90 minutes on the N2
- Whale season
- June to Novembersouthern rights in Walker Bay
- Cliff Path
- 12 kmNew Harbour to Grotto Beach
- Whale Crier
- since 1992the only one in the world
This site
What you will find here.
- PlanningGetting here and when to come
The N2 and the R43, the shuttle, the Baz Bus, and the months that repay the drive.
- SeasonWhale watching
Where to stand on the cliff path, when a boat is worth it, and what the kelp horn means.
- SleepingWhere to stay
Guesthouses above the bay, hotels in the centre, self-catering in Voëlklip, with prices to compare.
- SeeingWhat to see
The old harbour, Gearing's Point, Fernkloof, and a cliff path twelve kilometres long.
- SwimmingBeaches
Grotto Beach flies the Blue Flag, Onrus has a lagoon, and the water is warmer in winter than in summer.
- FurtherAround Hermanus
Penguins at Betty's Bay, sharks off Gansbaai, Pinot Noir in Hemel-en-Aarde, a village on a river.
- EatingWhere to eat
Fish in a cave above the bay, breakfast in the centre, lunch on a wine farm.
- DoingThings to do
Two hours on a whale boat, a kayak in the bay, fynbos trails and the cage off Gansbaai.
- AskingFAQ
How safe it is, what loadshedding means, how you pay and what to wear in August.
The season
Between June and November the bay is full. And in January?
Southern right whales come up from the Southern Ocean to calve in Walker Bay. The first arrive in June, September and October hold the most, and the last leave in December. That is South African winter and spring: usually 15 to 18 degrees by day, rain possible, and the houses along the cliff path well booked.
In summer, December to March, the bay belongs to swimmers and surfers. Around 25 degrees then, the wind comes in from the south-east in the afternoon, and the whales are gone. What you get instead is a room without planning ahead.
Answered briefly
Common questions about Hermanus
When is the best time to visit Hermanus?
June to November for the whales, with most animals in the bay through September and October. December to March for the beach: 25 to 27 degrees, and no whales. April and May are quiet. Warm, little wind, the months for the wine farms.
How far is Hermanus from Cape Town?
About 120 kilometres from Cape Town airport on the N2 and the R43, a good ninety minutes without a stop. Along the Clarence Drive, the coastal R44, it is roughly 140 kilometres and two and a half hours once you start stopping for photographs.
Can you see whales in Hermanus without a boat?
Yes. Southern right whales come to within a few dozen metres of the rocks in Walker Bay. The best spots are Gearing's Point, the terraces above the Old Harbour and Sievers Point, all on the twelve kilometre Cliff Path. A boat adds to the day, it is not a condition for it.
How many nights should you stay in Hermanus?
Two, if you are coming for the whales. One day can turn grey and windy, and the second morning on the cliff path is often the better one. As a stop on the Garden Route a single night works, provided it falls in season. From the third day the trips inland earn their place: the Hemel-en-Aarde valley, Stanford, and the penguins at Betty's Bay.
What is Hermanus known for?
Southern right whales visible from land between June and November, and the Whale Crier, who has called them out on a kelp horn since 1992. Then the Cliff Path, twelve kilometres along the rocks, the Fernkloof reserve with more than 1,250 plant species, and the Hemel-en-Aarde valley with its Pinot Noir, a quarter of an hour inland.
Gallery
The bay in eight pictures.
