Cape Town Whale Watching
See Whales from the Best Spots !

Come and do some Cape Town Whale Watching along the best spots the country has to offer.

In Cape Town we have the luxury that these gentle whales visit our warmer waters during winter from Antartica. Whales like the Humpback and Southern Right do come here to spawn. You'll have the opportunity to enjoy the sight of these gentle giants. Our coastline is one of the best places in the world to watch them from. The most popular place to see them is at Hermanus not very far from Cape Town


CAPE TOWN WHALE WATCHING TOUR DETAILS

Distance: 297 km / 185 miles

Duration: Full day

Best time: Late Winter till Spring (Aug -€“ Nov)

Included: Certified driver/guide, a/c vehicle and gasoline

Excluded: Entrance fees, extra optional excursions, lunch, drinks

Price: R1450.00 pp for 2 persons per day, R975.00 pp for 3 persons per day, R775.00 pp 4+ persons per day.

Approximate entrance fees: none (possible boat tour)

Note: All tours can be customized


Inquire about Cape Town Whale Watching

1. CITY BOWL CAPE TOWN
We start the Cape Town whale watching tour in Cape Town's city centre which lies cradled in a vast blue-grey amphitheatre formed by Table Mountain, Lion's Head and Devil's Peak. This conglomeration of Dutch and Victorian architecture, interspersed with modern wonders of glass and concrete, is the heart of Cape Town and on either side of Adderley Street is an eclectic array of sightseeing highlights and urban attractions that endowed the Mother City with its unique flavour.


2. GROOTE SCHUUR HOSPITAL
Prof Christiaan Barnard transformed the first human heart transplant in 1967 in Grootte Schuur Hospital. Prof Barnard and his team implanted the heart in Mr Louis Washkansky, a Polish dentist. He lived for 18 days before succumbing to pneumonia. The operation was considered as a success.




3. RHODES MEMORIAL
Rhodes Memorial, temple-like, was constructed in 1912 from Table Mountain granite. At the foot of the monument's stone steps, which are guarded by eight massive bronze lions, stands an impressive equestrian statue. Magnificent views of the city and the immediate suburbs below can be enjoyed. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed in a charming old stone cottage that serves as a restaurant.


4. SOMERSET WEST
The quiet flower-filled residential town of Somerset West lies among vineyards, orchards and farmlands at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain. The Helderberg Nature Reserve on the slope of the Helderberg is famed for its magnificent proteas, disas and abundant bird life. The wine farm Vergelegen is situated in the corner of the Helderberg and Hottentot Holland Mountains and producing fine wine. The ancient camphor trees on this farm have been proclaimed national monuments


5. SIR LOWRY'S PASS
Sir Lowry's Pass is also known as “Gantouw”, the KhoiKhoi word for Eland. The pass was built and opened in 1830 and named after Sir Lowry Cole, Governor of the Cape Colony 1828-1833. Major Charles Mitchell was instructed to repair the old pass but he decided to build a proper pass across the face of the mountain. A lookout point at the crest provides magnificent views over False Bay and the Cape Flats.


6. GRABOUW
Grabouw was built on the farm allocated to a German- born painter named Wilhelm Langschmidt in 1856. The town was given this name because of the birthplace in Germany (Grabouw) of the owner. Grabouw is known for the fact that more than half of South African's apples are grown here. This town is also the commercial centre for the fruit and timber growing areas of Elgin and Hottentots Holland.


7. HOUWHOEK PASS
The N2 passes through a flurry of orchards, from the Hottentots-Holland Mountains to Houwhoek. The new Houwhoek (“hold corner”) pass was constructed by major Charles Mitchell in 1831 and lasted for 15 years before it was reconstructed by Andrew Geddes-Bain, one of the Cape's great road builders. Beautiful landscape, fynbos and magnificent views await the visitor along the pass.


8. BOT RIVER
The serpentine road descends effortlessly to the village of Bot River on the banks of the river with the same name. The main economic activity is agriculture and the district is known for its onions. The name originates out of the Khoi Khoi word Canga (much butter) for the river. Much butter was produced by them and sold to the early white travelers.


9. WHALE WATCHING IN HERMANUS
Hermanus is one of the world's finest holiday and fishing resorts and also the best landbased whale-watching place. The town is named after Hermanus Pieters and the first municipality proclaimed in 1904. An official whale crier, complete with uniform and horn, announces the arrival of the gentle giants of the deep: mostly Southern Rights. There are many viewpoints to watch them from winter to spring. The giant marine mammals enter the bays both to mate and, after a yearlong gestation period, to calve.


10. CAPE TOWN WHALES
In Cape Town we are spoiled for choices and have the luxury that these gentle giants of the oceans visit our warmer waters during winter from Antartica. Whales like the Humpback, Southern Right and Bryde's Whale do come here to give birth to the little calves and to mate.


12. KLEINMOND
Kleinmond is locates in Sandown Bay and is a holiday resort 3 km beyond the bridge over the Palmiet River. It's a great cape town whale watching spot. The name is derived from the fact that the resort is located at a small mouth of the lagoon of the Bot River. Often during late winter to early spring whales can be seen in the Bay of Kleinmond.


13. BETTY'S BAY (PENGUINS / HAROLD PORTER BOTANICAL GARDEN)
Betty's Bay was named for the daughter of Arthur Youlden in the 1930s. Together with two other businessmen of Johannesburg, they developed the seaside in the municipality. The African Penguin lives at Stony Point and a visit will be worthwhile. The Herold Porter National Botanical Garden in and around Disa Kloof represents one of the largest concentrations of wild flower species in the country and has an entrancing waterfall.


14. FALSE BAY
Lying in the protective inner curve of the Peninsula, and extending as far as the Hottentot Holland Mountains, False Bay earned its name from the fact that the early ships sailing in from the East often mistook Cape Hangklip for the Cape Of Good Hope. This sheltered bay, with its warm waters, its abundance of marine life (especially cape town whales) and its beautiful safe beaches, is one of premier surfing, boating and angling locations.


15. CLARENCE DRIVE
From Gordons's Bay the R44 skirts the western end of the Hottentots Holland range to seek out the one coastal resort after another. This scenic drive was named in honour of Mr. Clarence, who together with 2 other Johannesburg businessmen was responsible for development south of the Hottentot Holland Mountains. Magnificent viewpoints offer spectacular scenes over False Bay.


16. GORDON'S BAY
Tucked into a secluded corner of False Bay, another great stop for cape town whale watching. This holiday village has a small harbour and is a popular angling and boating resort. It takes its name from Colonel Robert Gordon, commander of the garrison at the Cape from 1780 to 1795. A beautiful marine scenic drive (Route 44) extends from Gordon's Bay to Hangklip, a 454m high ‘hanging' chunk of rock that marks the easternmost end of the False Bay.


17. STRAND
Originally known as Somerset Strand, a suburb of Somerset West, this holiday resort grew rapidly and finally gained municipal status in 1897. The white flat beach in Milk Bay is backed by a promenade and offers the safest bathing in False Bay.





18. ADDITIONAL: WINE TASTING
If you'd like to combine Cape Town whale watching with wine tasting. Two of South African's fine wine estates are located 5km outside of Hermanus in the Hemel en Aarde (‘Heaven and Earth') valley. This is an excellent opportunity to combine two great excursions on one day and have a wonderful day.

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