Less than two hours drive from Cape Town the town of Hermanus offers the best landbased whale watching in the world. Southern right whales approach to within 20 meters of the look-out points on the rocky shores.

Since the ban on whaling, the numbers of these magnificent creatures have increased to the point where over two thousand of them make an annual migration to the coastal waters of South Africa. Here they calve and mate in the warmer and calmer waters.

Every year between mid-July to November locals and tourists alike take time to see this natural spectacle. Although Hermanus is the best place to get close to them you are likely to see whales anywhere along the cape coast at this time of year.