The Southern Right Whales arrive in Hermanus around June and remain in the Hermanus area until November. During this time, Hermanus Whale Watchers run daily whale-watching trips from New Harbour. As whale watching is such a memorable experience, seating on the vessel is limited so it is advisable to contact us to book this incredible experience today!
Your Whale Watching Trip and Experience
Southern Right Whale Season
Whale Watching Trip Duration and Departure times:
Duration: Usually 1.5 – 2 hours, sometimes longer, depending on the whales
Departure times: 9h00, 11h00, 14h00 and 16h00
Trip times might vary due to weather and tide conditions.
Hermanus Whale Watchers Futures:
- All Ages are Welcome, we are child-friendly
- Choose from various daily departures
- Included – Bottled water.
- Guiding: You will be accompanied by our SATOUR-qualified guides for the duration of the trip.
Before Your Whale Watching Tour:
…meet the southern right whales in Hermanus close to Cape Town.
The tour starts at our orange office on your right-hand side as you enter the New Harbour. You will be welcomed by our very friendly and efficient Kylin and Angelique who will set the scene for a memorable trip. Sylvias’ freshly brewed coffee is complimentary, and so are the toilet facilities and WiFi. Peter will be your tour guide and will start the tour with a short briefing to introduce you to the whales and other marine wildlife you might encounter.
You will enjoy the beautiful view over Walkerbay during the 2-minute walk down to the boat. Once on board your guide, Peter, will give an orientation briefing about the trip, safety, and facilities on board as well as introduce you to the crew, Skipper Freddie, Marius, Bongani & Damian.
The Whale-Watching Experience
In this exhilarating one-and-a-half to two-hour voyage, you will discover Walkerbay’s wonderful wildlife, stunning coastline and famous whales. Depending on conditions and recent sightings, you could find yourself exploring the coast towards De Plaat or the sandy beaches of Hawston, in search of the stars of the whale watching trip – Southern Right Whales. On the way to our whale-watching area we regularly encounter two different whale species inhabiting these waters, Humpback and Bryde’s whales. Each trip is different, which makes the experience even more exciting! ! When we set out from the harbour we never know exactly what kind of whales wait for us out at sea on that particular day.
Return to land:
On the return trip, you can enjoy the boat ride and magnificent coastline and mountain ranges. The guides are always on hand to advise on the different points of interest on the coastline.
As we are interacting with wild animals, it is possible especially at the beginning of the season, that no Whales will be encountered as they might be off-shore in deeper waters. In the unfortunate event of no sightings, we offer you the option re-book on an alternative trip which will be free of charge.
Full refunds will only be applicable for company cancellations due to the weather.
Optional Extras
Return Transfers from Cape Town & Hermanus can be arranged; please contact us for rates and availability.
