Hermanus Things to Do

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Their Pinot Noir is famous, so when we couldn't find our guesthouse (due to bad Google Maps directions) we decided to regroup by visiting Hamilton Russell :)

The grounds are beautiful, and the woman pouring the wine is full of historical information. They only make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and tasting is free. They also have olive oil, which I bought a bottle of, and it is delicious!

Contrary to what we were told, however, you can buy their wine at other outlets - Including a wine shop in Seattle! I didn't need to lug that bottle home in my luggage - but am glad I did.

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Hermanus is famous for whales. Often, you can see whales from the shore. However, if you want to increase your odds of seeing them, the best way to do it is to go on a whale watching cruise, which we did. Our cruise lasted for 3 hours and we saw about 10 different whales, including both right whales and humpback whales. One group of whales came within 30 meters of our boat.

Little museum has several exhibitions They have big huge skeleton of Southern Right Whale. The have many examples of different fish against the wall and then also some marine tanks where sea urchans are kept.
Tickets R7.00 per adult and R2.00 per child

Hermanus started in - 1855
Allengenski Complex built in - 1870
Harbour wall was built in - 1904
Crane was built in - 1915
Gutting tables were built in - 1935
Last boats in Old Harbour - about 1958

The Old Harbour was proclaimed 'a Museum' in 1972
I include a web site with more info!

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This is probably what you will visit Hermanus for in the first place. The whales visit Hermanus from July onwards with the best month being October and then petering out to December. Sightings are more likely on wind free cloudless days but a quick phonecall to the local tourism office 0283122629 will confirm if sightings have taken place.
Once in Hermanus listen hout for the Whale Crier's horn, indicating where the latest sighting has been.

Grotto Beach is one of many beaches along the shores of Hermanus. Grotto is different to most though due to its physical characteristics. This beach stretches on for (litterally kilometers) along the bay and is great for swimming or long easy walks.

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The Whale Festival is without doubt the Premier event of this little holiday town's yearly calendar. Thousands of people flock here to see the Whales that gather along its shores. Definitely worth a visit and a great time of year to visit this area. What is particularly great bout this is that the whales can be spotted from both land or sea!

Whale watching is particularly popular in this area because there is quite a large amount of whales in the area. Hermanus lies within a huge bay which provides some level of protection to newborn whales which in turn means that this is where they come to give birth. The best would be to take a boat tour out and experience this for yourself. These animals are beautiful and majestic and always a stunning site.