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Things to do in Hermanus

Our most recommended things to do in Hermanus

Hermanus: Whale and Dolphin Watching Boat Trip

1. Hermanus: Whale and Dolphin Watching Boat Trip

Discover Hermanus, one of the best destinations for watching marine mammals, on a boat trip with a whale specialist guide. Sail to areas that receive seasonal visits from southern right and humpback whales along with year-round sightings of Bryde’s whales and dolphins. Enjoy refreshments onboard. Sail on a purpose-built catamaran ensures maximum passenger comfort and spectacular viewing opportunities. During the tour, the crew is on hand to make sure everyone has a great experience, from helping get the perfect photo to serving complimentary light refreshments. The guide, a whale specialist, will interpret the marine life encountered en route and provide insight into the behavior of the whales while the action is taking place. The expert videographer will ensure the best footage is captured.

Hermanus: Boat Based Whale Watching Experience

2. Hermanus: Boat Based Whale Watching Experience

Board your vessel for the day and receive a safety briefing before starting your whale watching adventure. In good weather conditions travellers will be allowed on the top-deck before departure for great unobstructed views, otherwise they will be allowed on top only after the whales have been found. Travel out onto the ocean taking in great views as you go.  Once the whales have been spotted, the vessel is allowed to move closer to the whales where it stops and the engines disengage is to prevent the whales from being injured by the propellers. Experience for yourself the astonishment of being so close to these majestic creatures.  As the whales are curious creatures, they might move up to the vessel for some 'people watching'. See a variety of other marine wildife such as dolphins and seals as you coast along the water. As you travel through the day and spot these beautiful creatures learn more about them from your crew, before they take you back to land after a once in a lifetime experience. 

From Cape Town: 2-Day Safari at Garden Route Game Lodge

3. From Cape Town: 2-Day Safari at Garden Route Game Lodge

Get the chance to see lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, and more on a 2-day safari tour from Cape Town. Enjoy 2 game drives and an overnight stay with included dinner and breakfast. On the first day, depart Cape Town and drive along the scenic coastal road to Cape Agulhas via Hermanus, the whale watching capital of the world. Make a stop at the southernmost tip of Africa to admire the beautiful lighthouse. Continue on to Garden Route Game Lodge. Here, embark on a sunset safari in an open-air vehicle. Observe a variety of native animals, including elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, and more. After the safari, settle in for a three-course dinner. Spend the night in one of the beautiful 4-star wooden chalets and admire the clear skies over the lodge. In the morning, head out for another game drive to see some of the animals you might have missed the evening before. After your drive, tuck into breakfast. Make your way back to Cape Town in the evening.

From Hermanus or Cape Town: Shark Cage Diving Experience

4. From Hermanus or Cape Town: Shark Cage Diving Experience

Discover the excitement of meeting a great white shark on this day trip. Choose from a tour with hotel pickup in Hermanus or Cape Town or a tour where you can meet the boat directly in Gansbaai. Enjoy a delicious breakfast and lunch and get a certificate for your shark cage dive. First, enjoy breakfast at the stunning Lodge. The continental breakfast consists of freshly made muffins, quiches, yogurt, cereals, toast and cold meats, tea, and coffee. Meet your skipper for the day, who has extensive experience working in the unique marine area off the southern Cape coast. The skippers log more contact with great white sharks than anyone else worldwide. Have a brief introductory presentation on the Great White Shark and learn how the activity provider works with the sharks in the area. Spend 2 to 4 hours at sea, depending on how often the sharks visit the boat. Be sure to ask as many questions as you wish. Hop into the cage, which takes 6 people at a time. Each person spends about 20 minutes in the cage. All scuba equipment, including 7 mm wetsuits, is provided – you don’t need a scuba license to cage dive. On your return to dry land, you will return to the Lodge for a light lunch.

From Cape Town or Hermanus: Shark Cage Dive Boat Cruise

5. From Cape Town or Hermanus: Shark Cage Dive Boat Cruise

Discover the thrill of diving with sharks in a protective cage on this boat tour to Shark Alley. Choose from a tour with a pickup and drop-off service from Cape Town or Hermanus, or a tour with a meeting point at Kleinbaai Harbor. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks on your trip.  On arrival, enjoy complimentary snacks with coffee or tea during the safety briefing on land and get fitted with your high-quality wetsuit. Embark on your cruise from Kleinbaai Harbor. Arrive at shark alley and watch as the boat is anchored and the sharks are lured by bait line to the cage. Watch the sharks from the deck of the boat while waiting to hop into the cage for your own unforgettable close encounter. Sip on drinks and snacks on board while you warm up on the deck before having another underwater encounter with these awe-inspiring apex predators. No diving experience is necessary for this surface-level cage dive, it's as easy as holding your breath. Have your experience captured by an onboard cameraman and after viewing the day's footage back on land, while tucking into a hot meal, you can choose to purchase a souvenir USB.

From Cape Town: Hermanus Whale Watching Boat Trip

6. From Cape Town: Hermanus Whale Watching Boat Trip

Join a whale-watching tour in Hermanus and visit the area with the highest concentration of whales on the South African Coastline. Launch from the quaint fishing harbor of Gansbaai and travel along the cliffs of De Kelders to see these magnificent creatures. Along the way hear commentary about whales, and facts about right whales. Learn about the habitats and their feeding processes. Look for southern right whales in their natural environment, along with dolphins, Cape fur seals, and other marine life. Keep an eye out for humpback, minke, and Bryde's whales frolicking in the ocean. Catch a glimpse of the beautiful orcas, false killer whales, and enchanting African penguins. This tour offers a great selection of marine life and allows you to get an up-close look at wild animals. Relax without an ethical dilemma as you support businesses that celebrate animals in the wild. Return back to the harbor at the end of your boating adventure.

From Cape Town: 3-Day Safari and Coastal Tour with Transfer

7. From Cape Town: 3-Day Safari and Coastal Tour with Transfer

Departing Cape Town, we head towards Cape Agulhas, the true Southern Tip of Africa and its famous lighthouse. En-route visit Betty’s Bay where an African penguin colony calls this home. On to Hermanus which is known as the best land-based whale watching destination in the World and where the majestic Southern right whales calve their young in the Bay. We meander to Cape Agulhas with views over the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and tonight you will overnight at a 4-Star Guest House Leaving the Southern Tip of Africa, you make your way to the magnificent Garden Route Game Lodge. This 4-Star facility offers a unique Safari experience. Check into our chalets with time to spare to enjoy the attractions and views it has to offer. In the afternoon, hop aboard an open-aired Safari vehicle, where a local guide will take you on a 1.5-hour game drive. Spot elephants, rhinos, lions, hippos, herds of antelope, and much, much more. A 3-course dinner is on the menu for the evening. Spend the night at the Garden Route Game Lodge A morning game drive awaits you bright and early, spotting some of the animals you perhaps did not see the day before. After a scrumptious breakfast, make your way back to Cape Town via the incredibly scenic Route 62 through mountain passes and characterful towns. Wine tasting and exploring are on the menu before arrival at your place of accommodation around 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Garden Route and Addo Elephant National Park: 6-Day Safari

8. Garden Route and Addo Elephant National Park: 6-Day Safari

Day 1: Cape Town – Hermanus – Cape Agulhas The tour departs from Cape Town and heads to Hermanus. Follow the scenic coastal road to Betty's Bay to see a colony of endangered African penguins. Spend the afternoon in the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for playing home to hundreds of Southern Right whales from July to November. The town also features many shops, restaurants, and markets. In the afternoon you'll drive on to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, and the place where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Day 2:  Cape Agulhas – Oudtshoorn Travel to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, known as the ostrich capital of the world, via scenic Route 62, South Africa’s longest wine route. Sample local wines before experiencing the subterranean beauty of the Cango Caves on a guided tour. Day 3:  Oudtshoorn – Knysna – Sedgefield After breakfast head over to Outeniqua Mountain Pass, where you'll explore Wilderness National Park by canoe. Enjoy a paddle up the Touw River through the indigenous forest, admiring the diverse local birds along the way. After about 40 minutes, leave your canoe behind for a 2-kilometer hike along a boardwalk that leads to rock pools and a lovely waterfall. Afterwards, head to the famous town of Knysna via the beautiful Garden Route Lake District. Visit the famous Knysna Heads viewing point, overlooking the Knysna estuary. Spend the late afternoon exploring the beaches of Sedgefield. Day 4: Sedgefield- Tsitsikamma - Addo After breakfast, head off to Tsitsikamma National Park. En route, you'll stop at Bloukrans Bridge, the world’s highest bungee jump bridge, standing at 216 meters tall. You'll spend the afternoon in Tsitsikamma National Park, which features a unique combination of indigenous forest and beautiful Indian Ocean coastline. The park offers hikes of varying lengths including a walk across a suspension bridge, and swimming. In the late afternoon, depart the Garden Route for Addo. Day 5: Addo-Wilderness/Mossel Bay Spend the morning exploring Addo Elephant National Park. You'll get up to 2-3 hours to roam the 28,000-hectare national reserve, home to approximately 600 elephants and various other animals, including buffalo, lions, rhinos, warthogs and many more. After an exciting morning on safari, we drive back to the Garden Route where we overnight in Wilderness/Mossel Bay. Day 6: Wilderness –Mossel Bay - Cape Town After breakfast, stop in Mossel Bay to spend some time on the gorgeous beaches, hike the Cape St. Blaize trail along the seaside cliffs, and visit the famous Diaz Museum complex which commemorates the first known European exploration around the tip of Africa. The more adventurous can try a 10,000 foot tandem skydive or sandboarding on the longest dune in South Africa. Arrive back at Cape Town in the early evening.

Gansbaai: Whale Watching Trip by Boat

9. Gansbaai: Whale Watching Trip by Boat

Launch from the quaint fishing harbor of Gansbaai and travel along the cliffs of De Kelders. Enter a nature reserve with the highest concentration of whales in South Africa. Look for southern right whales in their natural environment, along with dolphins, Cape fur seals and sharks. Keep an eye out for humpback, minke and Bryde's whales frolicking in the ocean. Catch a glimpse of the beautiful orcas, False killer whales and enchanting African penguins. Return back to the harbor at the end of your boating adventure.

From Cape Town: Full Day Tour to Hermanus

10. From Cape Town: Full Day Tour to Hermanus

Every year, from June to December a magical event takes place. The Southern Right Whales come to bask in the warm waters off the Hermanus coastline. This beautiful gift of nature cannot be missed when you are in Cape Town. This full-day whale watching and sightseeing tour will not only take you the Hermanus coastline, but will guide you along the scenic coast. Led by a registered tour guide the route will take you through the charming seaside towns of Gordon’s Bay, Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay. You will also have the chance to visit the famed Harold Porter Botanical Garden, the Fernkloof Nature Reserve, the Eglin region and Sir Lowry’s Pass. Of course, the highlight of this trip will undoubtedly be taking the time to watch the whales frolic in the warm waters. As an added option you are also welcome take a boat to look at them more closely. This tour is the perfect option for those looking to take part in a unique Cape Town experience.

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What people are saying about Hermanus

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 1,032 reviews

Wonderful experience!! Everything on this trip went smoothly and our guide Christopher was the Highlight of our trip. He picked us up on time, made many stops for us to use the bathroom or walk around for a bit and gave us a lot of information of cape town and south africa. He could answer every little question we had, showed as amazing food spots were we could try traditional foods and drinks and made the long car ride super comfortable. The safari in generally was a super nice experience although the weather was super cloudy, windy and sometimes rainy. Luckily, they didn't cancelled the 2 safari tours. They gave us big rain jackets, that kept us warm doing the game drive. We saw every single animal and were super happy. The rooms were super cozy and the food was amazing! One thing I would change is the time between arrival and the first safari. Unfortunately, there is little time left to spent time at the pool/spa. However, since there was bad weather anyway, we didn't mind.

This trip was so cool! Our guide Dylan was the best; from the moment of pick-up till the very last drop-off his positive energy was contagious. He also has lots of nice stories and details to share. We stopped at various viewing points, scenic locations and had plenty of stops for toilet breaks and shop for light refreshments. The Game Lodge was luxurious, a great location with amazing food and very friendly staff. The game drives are also really cool, good chance to see many indigenous animals from upclose. Don’t forget to bring some binoculars. Would definitely recommend this trip and hope to meet Dylan again!

Fantastic experience … absolutely exceeded expectations… not just the safari drive but also the trip and stops there and back … we were with bokbus and saw amazing views and visited Cape Agulus , Hermanus and Betty’s Bay … absolutely fabulous xx

Tour excellently arranged, guests get a good insight of important highlights along the Garden Route within a few days. I am fully satisfied with the accommodations and meals.

We loved our experience on this tour. Everything was 5 stars.