Go Cape Tourism Services | Day Tours departing Stellenbosch | Tagesausflüge von Stellenbosch

Whale Route

Whale Route - Hermanus

Whale Route Tour

Hermanus, a picturesque seaside town situated in the Overberg area and on Walker Bay, is a popular holiday village close to Cape Town. Two words come to mind: holiday & Southern Right whale watching.
The town, embraced by majestic mountaintops, is most famous for being the home of the Southern Right Whale. Every year these gentle creatures of the sea migrate along the coast of South Africa with Walker Bay as one of their destinations, to calve and nurture their young.
From the harbour of Hermanus, boat trips depart on a regular basis to see these majestic whales from up-close. One can also stay ashore as Hermanus is the best land based whale watching destination in South Africa, and possibly the world, especially during the Hermanus Whale Festival.

Apart from whale watching, the area of Hermanus boasts some excellent holiday accommodation such as the Misty Waves. Also, plenty of possibilities to spend the day in an active way: hiking, fishing, boating, horse back riding, and more.
Gordon's Bay lies peacefully situated alongside False Bay’s beautiful, aquamarine ocean, and nestled in at the foot of the Hottentots Holland mountain range is the picturesque seaside town, Gordon’s Bay – offering visitors a series of fine activities and attractions to indulge in, which include everything from delicious Cape cuisine to natural wonders.

The Southern Right Whale is a migratory whale, which means that they spend one season in one place and the rest of the year in another, and travel long distances between these seasons. In summer (December through May), they are in the cold polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere where food (mainly krill) is present and in quantity. Winters (June through November) are spent around the shallow coastal waters of False Bay and Hermanus
Our coast is exactly what they need during this season. The shallow, sandy-bottomed and sheltered bays are perfect for mating, calving, nursing their young and resting.

One female will mate with a number of males. There can be even up to 8 males at a time trying to mate with one female. During mating, there is a lot of activity on the surface (splashing, pushing, shoving, large and frequent blows).
After the mating and calving season ends (November / December), the Southern Right Whales move South. By April they are between 50 and 55 degrees South (2000 kilometers or 1300 miles South of Cape Town) where they then feed.

< Prev

[ Back ]