To feedback from the original posting, we can thoroughly recommend southern right charters in hermanus and we had an excellent trip with superb whale sightings and from our point of view it would not have been worth the lengthy drive to gansbaai if you are staying in hermanus which was the point of the original question. Sunshine street investments welcomes you to the idyllic village of gansbaai and invites you to come and enjoy your stay in whale cove, entirely suited to your particular needs. The size of the boat used by southern right charters was about right. Hermanus wine tasting visit one of the wine farms and wineries along the hermanus wine route. On the western cape, hermanus and gansbaai are the main areas for whale watching, either boatbased or landbased, and the good selection of accommodation means a stay of 2 nights here is highly recommended during the whale season. Showme hermanus news hermanus news, sa and global news.
We would advise you to book your whale watching trip in gansbaai way in advance. Whale watching in hermanus is an unforgettable experience, so make sure to book your tour with shark zone today. Not only is the large population of whales and sharks unparalleled elsewhere, but the locations are so accessible and in close proximity to land, that you are. Just a 2 hour drive from cape town to the whale capital of the world hermanus, launching from gansbaai. Whalewatching at hermanus south africa lonely planet. Wedged between the mountain and the sea, the quaint hamlet of hermanus has been rated by the world wildlife fund wwf as one of the twelve best whale watching locations in the world, and it is often regarded as the heart of the whale route. Gansbaai is real, welcoming and full of surprises a great place to start your day trip along the coast.
Also, how long do people tend to stay at hermanus for whalewatching, 3. Whale watching in gansbaai faqs boat trips hermanus. Do not pitch up at the offices and expect to get a booking on the boat to go whale watching. Our hermanus whale watching tours operate within the local waters of walker bay, one of the best whale watching areas in the world. Whale song lodge guest house hermanus gansbaai south africa. Selected as one of the top 12 whale watching locations in the world by wwf, and with a location easily accessible from cape town, hermanus is a prime destination for those hoping for a close encounter with some of the largest animals on our planet. Private charters whale watching in south africa hermanus. Private charters privately charter the boat, no matter if you are a small family group or a large corporate wishing to charter the boat, we offer this exclusivity all year round for any of our trips whale watching, eco marine watching for the avid photographer or experience our magnificent sunset trip. Whale cove is perfectly located, and provide an unforgettable environment in which to relax and explore the magical surroundings of gansbaai and the nearby hermanus. Walker bay is situated between hermanus and gansbaai, and while most people are familiar with the whale festival in hermanus, less people know gansbaai equally shares this natural spectacle.
Book an unforgettable whale watching trip today as boats fill up quickly, so contact us today. Hermanus whale watching best close encounters, purpose. Hermanus whale watching tours gansbaai meeting point. Great white shark cage diving hermanus gansbaai cape town. Southern right charters offers boatbased hermanus whale watching tours from the new harbour in hermanus, the capital of the cape whale coast. Jul 01, 2018 selected as one of the top 12 whale watching locations in the world by wwf, and with a location easily accessible from cape town, hermanus is a prime destination for those hoping for a close encounter with some of the largest animals on our planet. Considered the heart of the whale route, hermanus has a host of spots to catch these majestic mammals at play in walker bay. In 1881 johannes cornelis settled in gansbaai to fish. We share news and blog articles from across our various wildlife tours and marine big 5 adventures.
Gansbaai is also ideal for whale watching because of its lowlying cliffs. It is famous for southern right whale watching during the southern winter and spring. Whale watching in gansbaai, south africa xplorio gansbaai. Whale song lodge guest house hermanus gansbaai south. Hermanus originally called hermanuspietersfontein, but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal service, is a town on the southern coast of the western cape province of south africa. The hermanus and gansbaai area are known for incredible land and boat based whale watching. Hermanus whale cruises offer you a tail you can tell others. Located less than two hours away from cape town international airport, whale huys selfcatering accommodation is well positioned as a weekend escape from cape town or johannesburg. The apartment is in an area where guests can engage in activities such as fishing and hiking.
Enjoy a round off golf on one of three golf cources. Just outside gansbaai, theres a signpost to a whale watching beach so we turn off to see if you can see anything from here. Cape town tourism cape town hotels bed and breakfast cape town cape town holiday rentals flights to cape town cape town restaurants cape town attractions cape town travel forum cape town photos. Apart from the trip distance, refer directions from hermanus to gansbaai for road driving directions. Hermanus, is acclaimed as the best land based whale watching destination in the world. Samson dyers who lived on the island that bears his name used it as a base to store his seal skins during 1807 to 1840. Whale watching is a hit and miss affair and there are operators for this in both places but for land based viewing hermanus is best. Watch the worlds gentle giants of the deep frolic in waters of walker bay. It forms the centre of the cape whale route and is surrounded by nature reserves. This is an adrenalinfilled outing, not for the faint hearted. Hermanus whale watching is renowned for the most prolific whale viewing experience in the world. Mar 02, 2012 walk with whales while they frolic in the ocean, just metres away, along our cliff paths and follow the hermanus whale walk. Sure enough, as we park just off the beach we see the now familiar water spouts that signify whale venting.
Hermanus whale view beach house takes a front row seat on a breath taking private rocky beach a mere 30m from the crashing waves in hermanus, cape town, south africa. The whale viewing during the months of july and august vary from year to year with regards to how many whales are. Self catering accommodation whale huys is located near gansbaai. Mar 02, 2012 gansbaai is real, welcoming and full of surprises a great place to start your day trip along the coast. Every year july to november during calving season, southern right whales migrate to hermanus, to the sheltered waters of. These trips are highly popular and can fill up very quickly. Visitors can watch whales from the clifftops, from the air or via boatbased whale watching.
Whale watching hermanus what you need to know before you go. Hermanus whale cruises boat based whale watching in hermanus. If you want to experience south africas incredible marine wildlife for yourself, dont hesitate to get in touch. Day 6 whale watching at gansbaai southern africa holiday blog. Which location is best for whale watching and shark cage diving. Scuba diving and shark cage diving are also available. Whales and whale watching in hermanus, south africa cape. The shuttle bus is available to collect from hotels in cape town and surrounds, and deliver guests to the doorstep, however please be advised that collection may be as early as 04h00. On your daytrip hermanus to gansbaai, just 6km from gansbaai is kleinbaai, the slightly overlooked of the two towns that dot the shark alley coast. Kleinbaai has its own assortment of lovely shops and restaurants and is also known for the. Hermanus whale festival is celebrating the return of the migrating southern right whales during the only ecomarine festival in south africa.
Still on a high, we begin our trip back, initially retracing our steps back as far as hermanus. Gansbaai is a fishing town and popular tourist destination. A warm welcome awaits you at whale waters selfcatering lodge. How far away are hermanus and gansbaai, and is there public transportation that will run between the 2. Do some wine tasting in the overberg, experience the fynbos on horse back or on foot.
After you have booked your whale watching gansbaai big 5 ocean safari with us, whale watching hermanus we will send a confirmation email and whatsapp of your booking and supply details of your booking including directions and times etc for your trip. Although the southern right whale is the most prolific. Depending on the vehicle you choose, you can also calculate the amount of co2 emissions from your vehicle and assess the environment impact. Places from which to observe these gentle giants include hermanus, where the whale cryer informs on whale sightings and where whales come into the old harbour to calve, then all along the coast to gansbaai, further down to cape agulhas, struisbaai and arniston, where whales come into.
Enter the natural habitat of the marine big 5 in south africa, for the opportunity to see whales, dolphins, penguins, seals and great white sharks. The hermanus whale crier is one of the main attractions during the whale season in hermanus this unique character alerts people to the whereabouts of the southern right whales in the bay by blowing on his kelp horn along the cliff tops modelled on the town criers of the uk, the whale crier was created 20 years ago to attract attention to the hermanus whale season and he has subsequently. For selfdrive clients, you will be issued detailed directions with gps locations. Also, how long do people tend to stay at hermanus for whalewatching, 34 hours type thing. To find the map for the driving distance from hermanus to gansbaai, please enter the source and destination and then select the driving mode. For the most amazing sightings of these wonderful creatures, the cliff paths are just 200 metres from eastbury cottage. Hermanus whale watching near cape town, gansbaai in south. Places from which to observe these gentle giants include hermanus, where the whale cryer informs on whale sightings and where whales come into the old harbour to calve, then all along the coast to gansbaai, further down to cape agulhas, struisbaai and arniston, where whales come into the protected waters. Gansbaai, arniston and struisbaai are visited, as well as the moravian mission stations of elim, genadendal and zuurbraak. From your 20 square meter balcony you will have a 180 degree view of the sea as well as the hermanus mountains across the bay. Hi, we will be on a 2 week tour of south africa in early october and will be driving from cape town to hermanus for a 2 night. I wondered why and you lied when you said youd changed the day we were going whale watching from friday to saturday to give us more time. Conveniently, near the historic old harbour, the famous hermanus cliff path and nearby shops, restaurants and art galleries.
Gansbaai is named after the egyptian geese, home to many of them. Tourists and alist celebrities travel across the globe to visit gansbaai, a fishing village across the bay from hermanus, south africa, to take a plunge into the ocean with the great white sharks. The area of gansbaai on the cape whale coast offers excellent whale watching, shark cage diving, diverse fynbos, coastal cliffs and deserted beaches. Sail out to sea for an ocean safari to spot the marine big 5 which includes whales, dolphins, african penguins, cape fur seals and the great white shark. Whale watching in plettenberg bay june december of every year. South africa the best tips for whale watching in south. With cape agulhas, the southernmost tip of africa, lying just 85km to the north, youll find whale huys the perfect spot to start your garden route tour. Since august 1992, hermanus has had the worlds only whale crier, the first being pieter classen 19921998, then wilson salukazana 19982006, and zolile baleni since april 2006, who sounds his kelp horn. Hermanus is a town located along walker bay on the southern coast of the western cape province of south africa. Mostly at cape town, plettenberg bay, gansbaai, simons town and from table.
Did you miss an opportunity to go whale watching in hermanus or gansbaai. Not only is the large population of whales and sharks unparalleled elsewhere, but the locations are so accessible and in close proximity to land, that you are virtually guaranteed to witness numerous animals. A hermanus whale watching tour is a definite mustdo. The hermanus whale crier is one of the main attractions during the whale season in hermanus this unique character alerts people to the whereabouts of the southern right whales in the bay by blowing on his kelp horn along the cliff tops. Hermanus whale watching near cape town, gansbaai in south africa. See the big marine five of africa besides the usual big five of safari animals, there is also a big marine five. The walker bay whale sanctuary marine protected area is an inshore conservation region in the territorial waters of south africa in the western cape province between hermanus and gansbaai. Hermanus has been recognized by the wwf world wildlife fund as one of the 12 best whale watching destinations in the world.
Hermanus whale view beach house is located in hermanus, 1. Your guide will provide commentary about the area en route. All the of the shark cage dives in that area take place from gansbaai or the nearby kleinbaai. Hermanus whale view beach front house self catering. Hermanus in south africa is without a shadow of a doubt, the best and most productive destination for experiencing great white sharks and whales at close quarters anywhere in the world. Find out where the best places are, which cruise to take or read more about the southern right, humpback and brydes whales. Later, head out on a 2hour boat trip in search of southern right whales. Every year july to november during calving season, southern right whales migrate to hermanus, to the sheltered waters of walker bay to calve their young.
Hermanus should in fact be considered the official home of the southern right whale, since every year during late septearly oct, hermanus hosts its annual whale festival, which attracts over 150,000 people and when the southern right whales arrive in large numbers to breed, give birth and playfully frolic in the sea this year the whale. You can also find the distance from hermanus to gansbaai using other travel options like bus, subway, tram, train and rail. The best time to enjoy whale watching in hermanus is between july and november either from land, by boat or from the air via a scenic flight. It is famous for southern right whale watching during the southern winter to spring seasons, and is a popular retirement location, too. Whale watching trip by boat gans bay, south africa. Whalesong lodge was purpose build as a guest house making most of the spectacular view over walker bay towards hermanus and cape point. The experience of boatbased whale watching in hermanus, heart of the south african whale coast. Walk with whales while they frolic in the ocean, just metres away, along our cliff paths and follow the hermanus whale walk. Southern right charters hermanus whale watching whales. Hermanus whale watching hermanus is known as the landbased whale capital of the world, you can see whales frolicking from the winding coastline, observe from the benches along the cliff paths. Just a 2 hour drive from cape town to the whale capital of. Apartment hermanus whale view beach house, south africa. The quaint coastal town of hermanus, is said to be the worlds best land based whale watching spot.
Hermanus is the capital of the cape whale coast, and about an hour from cape town in south africa. Get away from the hustle and bustle of busy city life and visit the natural unspoiled beauty of gansbaai with its warm and friendly people. The distance between hermanus to gansbaai is 43 km by road. We started our first tour of the day launching from gansbaai, and at danger point. Cape town whale watching south africa whale watching. In many ways gansbaai is better for whale viewing as there are far less crowds. Hermanus at the coast of south africa is one of the most popular whale. Self catering accommodation whale huys is located near. Hermanus whale watchers offers boatbased whale watching trips from the new harbour in hermanus. Shark cage diving is situated in kleinbaai, about 2 hours drive from cape town. Xplora tours, hermanus whale watching hermanus gansbaai. Gansbaai south africa is about a 30minute drive from hermanus heading south.
What is the best time for whalewatching at hermanus. Cape whale coastwhale watching on the cape whale coast. It is known for its dense population of great white sharks and as a whalewatching location. Cape town tourism cape town hotels bed and breakfast cape town.
Hermanus whale watching whale route tour shark zone. It is known for its dense population of great white sharks and as a whale watching location. Hermanus whale watching season runs from june to december however, these are wild animals and should the whales change their migration schedule arrive early and leave later we will adjust our schedule accordingly. Jan 22, 2014 hermanus is a town located along walker bay on the southern coast of the western cape province of south africa. Could we do it later that evening or the next morning.