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Home9-Hour Hermanus Land Based Whale Watching and Wine Tasting Tour
Highlights
- Get mesmerised by the sight of huge whales
- Savour the taste of various wines
Description
This trip combines both whale watching and wine tasting - two of the most popular tours in Cape Town. You literally hit two birds with one stone. Moreover, the drive to and from whale watching is so scenic, and along it, there is a UNESCO heritage site, among other impressive attractions. This is a full-day tour of nature and is capped by some award-winning wines which will help you relax and enjoy time passing before your eyes. You will see penguins, amazing bird species, other wild animals and mountainous landscapes that will take your breath away.
Itinerary
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Hermanus Land Based Whale Watching and Wine Tasting Tourexpand_more
- Beautiful drive to Hermanus. We depart from Cape Town via the N2 and drive to Hermanus, which is one of the coastal towns located on Walker Bay, with stunning views of the bay and mountains in the background. Hermanus is situated on the stunning South Coast of the Western Cape (90 min) from Cape Town and is famous for the incredible viewings of these gentle giants. This magnificent coastal town is considered to be the world’s premier whale-watching site, and thousands flock to Hermanus during the whale season to catch sight of these intelligent creatures.
- Whale watching is one of the most amazing and enthralling experiences of a lifetime. The Southern Coast of Africa, specifically in Hermanus, is a hive of activity during the period from June to December every year. The Southern Right Whale, the humpback whale and the Bryde's whales visit the African shores for mating and calving. They might not come and depart at the same time, but you are assured of them gracing our shores every year as per the demands of nature. Whale watching – boat-based (optional). You must be at the new harbour 30 min before departure for checking-in and safety briefing. Departure times a 09:00hrs, 12:00 and 15:00hrs from the harbour. On getting to the new harbour, you take a boat ride out at sea for probably once in a lifetime experience. You then depart from the harbour aboard a comfortable purpose-built boat where you can catch sight of these amazing creatures at unbelievably close range. On board will be friendly, highly qualified, knowledgeable and experienced crew members who will take you through all the proceedings. The whale specialist guide will provide all the necessary information, guide, and also interpret the marine life encountered along the way. He will also explain the behaviour of the whales while you are watching them in action. Meanwhile, the videographer will be busy putting everything on the video, making sure that the best action is not left in the ocean. The whales love and enjoy playing. They are known to manoeuvre their flukes (tails) to catch the prevailing wind and “sail” along in the water just for the fun of it. They also love to breach (jumping out of the water and crashing back down into the sea with an almighty splash). The trip out of sea normally takes about 2hrs, depending on how soon you encounter these gentle giants in their natural habitat. Then one heads back to the crew house at the harbour. There you can obtain a great souvenir movie of the year trip, which was captured by the videographer.
- Wine tasting After whale watching, we head back to Cape town via a Wine Estate where you can have lunch and sip down the day’s experience in stunning views of Walker Bay with a glass of wine.
- African Penguin-stony point nature reserve. We now head to the stony point nature reserve, located in the quaint coastal town of Betty’s bay, the Overberg. This nature reserve is home to a unique colony of African penguins. You can catch a view of these flightless birds up close via the boardwalk through the colony in their natural habitat without disturbing or disrupting them. Within the nature reserve are three species of cormorant, namely the crowned cormorant, cape cormorant and the black cormorant, all of which breed on the outer rocks. The rock hyrax popularly known as the Dassie, the Hartlaub Gulls and the Kelp Gulls are also found in the nature reserve.
- The bay is named after Rear-Admiral Thomas Pringle of the Royal Navy, who commanded the naval station of the Cape in the late 1970s. In Afrikaans, Pringlebaai is a small coastal town with an estimated population of just over 1600 habitats in the Overberg region of the Western Cape. It is situated at the foot of the Hangklip overlooking False Bay from Cape Point and is a UNESCO Heritage site (the town and surroundings are part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve). Pringle Bay is situated between Betty’s bay and Gordon’s Bay, and most of the houses within the small community are used as holiday homes by the owners.
- Clarence drive is one of the most scenic drives in the world, stretching for just over 48km between Gordon’s Bay and Kleinmond. Steep majestic mountains meet the beautiful Blue Ocean, and the results are simply jaw-dropping. With many viewing points along this scenic drive, you can pull over and take great photos or simply sit and take in the outstanding views. This magical scenery is also home to the ever-famous chacma Baboons are prepared to pause for great photos anytime, anywhere. This is no doubt one of the most scenic drives in South Africa and is well worth the effort. If you like passes with lots of corners, this one is for you, as it has 77 curves and corners, of which 4 are in excess of 150 degrees. The road surface is in great condition and attracts tourists, locals, bikers and cyclists in their droves. Word of caution, please stick to the speed limit and overtaking is limited. Be careful not to be in an accident as you drive and gaze at the strikingly impressive scenery. At the end of R44, we join the N2 and head back to Cape Town.
What's Included
- Snacks
- Bottled water
- Air-conditioned vehicle
What's Excluded
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Fees for optional activities such as boat rides
Know before you go
- Infants must not sit on laps
- Not wheelchair accessible
- We pick up from any hotel in Cape Town within a 5 km radius of the city. We also do pick-ups from the Cape Town Cruise Ship Terminal at the V & A Waterfront area
Language
English
Activity Level
Easy