By the third morning you know the Cliff Path, the horn and the benches at Gearing's Point. The coffee is drunk, the whale has shown itself. And the hire car has been standing at the kerb too long. Everything on this page lies within an hour's drive, most of it closer, and each place has its own page with driving time, cost and the one reason to go.
The direction decides the day. East for Stanford and the shark coast, west for penguins and the Clarence Drive, north for the wine. All three in one day does not work. Two do, if you leave early.
- Places
- 8each with its own page
- Nearest
- 15 minutesthe Hemel-en-Aarde valley
- Furthest
- 60 minutesPringle Bay and the Clarence Drive
- Without a car
- 2 of 8Onrus and Hemel-en-Aarde by taxi or tour
A quarter of an hour away
Two trips you barely need the car for: the wine valley behind the mountain, and the suburbs with the lagoon.
- Hemel-en-Aarde valley lies behind the mountain: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, fifteen minutes from the sea. (10 km, 15 minutes)
- Onrus and Vermont are the western suburbs, with a lagoon, a surf beach and a salt pan full of flamingos. (8 km, 10 minutes)
East: Stanford, Gansbaai, Grootbos
The R43 runs along the Klein River to a village that takes its time, and on to the shark coast. One day covers two stops.
- Stanford is the Victorian village on the Klein River, with a boat trip, a brewery and cheese. (24 km, 25 minutes)
- Gansbaai and De Kelders have the highest cliffs on the bay, a Stone Age cave and the boats out to the sharks. (37 km, 40 minutes)
- Grootbos is the private fynbos reserve above the bay, expensive, protected, with a view back to Hermanus. (33 km, 35 minutes)
West: Kleinmond, Betty's Bay, Pringle Bay
The coast road towards Cape Town, with penguins, a botanical garden and the stretch cut into the cliff face. Best kept for the way back.
- Kleinmond has a small harbour with restaurants, a Blue Flag beach and wild horses in the reeds. (30 km, 30 minutes)
- Betty's Bay has the penguins at Stony Point and a botanical garden with a waterfall. (45 km, 50 minutes)
- Pringle Bay and the Clarence Drive is the village under Hangklip, and the Clarence Drive beyond it the finest road back to Cape Town. (55 km, 60 minutes)
Wine: the sister site
The Hemel-en-Aarde valley has its own page here, for the day in the valley. If you want to go deeper, estate by estate, the grape varieties, the bottles to order, that lives on our sister site about Stellenbosch, which covers the wine of the Western Cape: wine estates on stellenbosch.net and wines from the Western Cape. Both are in German.
Two days, two directions
Day one east: the market in Stanford, a boat on the Klein River, the cliffs of De Kelders at midday, the cave in the afternoon. Day two west, and best kept for your departure day: penguins at Stony Point before ten, the garden behind them, lunch in Kleinmond among the horses, then the Clarence Drive towards the airport. Put the wine on the afternoon of a whale day: the valley is a quarter of an hour away and does not need a whole one.
Our tipFill up in Hermanus. There are petrol stations between Stanford and Gansbaai, none on the Clarence Drive, and none at all on the R320 over into the wine valley.
Common questions about the day trips
Which day trips from Hermanus are worth it?
East for Stanford and Gansbaai with De Kelders, west for Kleinmond, Betty's Bay with the penguins and the Clarence Drive, north for the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. All of it sits within an hour's drive, most of it closer.
Where can you see penguins near Hermanus?
At Stony Point in Betty's Bay, 45 kilometres west, fifty minutes of driving. A boardwalk runs straight through the African penguin colony. Entry R45 for adults, open 08:00 to 17:00 (as of August 2026). Come before ten and the walkway is yours.
How far is Gansbaai from Hermanus?
37 kilometres, about forty minutes on the R43. The shark boats go out from Kleinbaai harbour, and De Kelders just before it has the highest cliffs on the bay and the Klipgat cave.
Can you visit the Hemel-en-Aarde valley without a car?
Yes. The Wine Hopper, an open safari vehicle, shuttles between the estates. A day pass is R500 without tastings, with pick-up in town (as of August 2026). A taxi works too. The valley is a quarter of an hour from Hermanus.
How many trips fit into one day?
One direction per day. East means Stanford in the morning and De Kelders in the afternoon; west means penguins, Kleinmond and the Clarence Drive, which works best as your departure day towards Cape Town. The wine valley fits into the afternoon of a whale day and does not need a whole one.