Whale watching in South Africa
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Eastern Cape |
| departures: | This trip can be arranged at any time and can be tailored to fit your own unique requirements, interests and budget. It can also be incorporated into a longer visit to South Africa to include wildlife safari, scuba-diving, horse riding etc. |
| price: | From £750 (10 days) per adult and £605 per child (up to 12 yrs) excluding flights, based on a family of 4 people. Price includes accommodation (B&B), some excursions and car hire. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This stretch of coastline is an absolute must for nature lovers and especially marine enthusiasts, who have done the Big Five. Dive with Great White Sharks and go and see Whales and land-based African Penguins - the ultimate marine thrill.The Southern Cape provides some of the world's easiest and best places for whale watching with all 9 of the southern hemisphere great whale species passing its shores. The Southern Right Whale, a species once hunted to the verge of extinction, is most commonly spotted visiting the area between June and November to calve and mate. Humpback whales are also seen, but less commonly.
This trip will take you to several excellent sites for land based Whale watching including the small town of Hermanus, where whales often spend time in the bay close to the shore. Later there will be opportunities for boat-based whale watching as well as sea kayaking and diving.Boat based whale watching is growing in popularity in South Africa, although only 16 permits have been issued by the government so as to keep the practice limited and non-intrusive to the whales. Ocean Blue Adventures offer marine eco-tours in the Plettenberg Bay area. Their boat traverses into the middle of the bay, where groups of migrating Southern Right & Humpback whales may be observed close up. Ocean Blue have been awarded a licence to approach to within 50 m of whales in the bay and record information on sightings for scientific purposes.
At the Robberg Peninsula there is a growing colony of Cape Fur seals, which are an absolute joy to observe. Pods of Bottlenose & Indopacific dolphins and sharks are also typically encountered. You will finish this marine experience with an exhilarating landing on Central Beach.
This trip will take you to several excellent sites for land based Whale watching including the small town of Hermanus, where whales often spend time in the bay close to the shore. Later there will be opportunities for boat-based whale watching as well as sea kayaking and diving.Boat based whale watching is growing in popularity in South Africa, although only 16 permits have been issued by the government so as to keep the practice limited and non-intrusive to the whales. Ocean Blue Adventures offer marine eco-tours in the Plettenberg Bay area. Their boat traverses into the middle of the bay, where groups of migrating Southern Right & Humpback whales may be observed close up. Ocean Blue have been awarded a licence to approach to within 50 m of whales in the bay and record information on sightings for scientific purposes.
At the Robberg Peninsula there is a growing colony of Cape Fur seals, which are an absolute joy to observe. Pods of Bottlenose & Indopacific dolphins and sharks are also typically encountered. You will finish this marine experience with an exhilarating landing on Central Beach.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival in Cape Town. Collect your rental car and check into Breakwater Lodge whose position close the waterfront and unique history as a former prison make it an interesting place to visit. |
| Day 2: | A day in Cape Town, to explore the city and its surroundings. Alternatively take the cable car to the summit of Table Mountain or the boat trip to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was once held prisoner. |
| Day 3: | Drive to Hermanus along the rugged coastline of the Southern Cape. Visit the land-based penguin colony at Betty’s Bay. There are also numerous excellent sites for land-based whale watching. Check into Nelshof with its sea view rooms over the bay, where up to 120 whales at a time may congregate. |
| Day 4: | A full day in Hermanus, “the Whale capital of South Africa”. Explore its art galleries and shops and walk along the cliff top footpaths to view the whales in the bay below. |
| Day 5: | Drive into the Cape Overberg region and pass throught the historic town of Swellendam. Check into the unique Potterberg Guest Farm, where you can have your own barbeque. Just a few kilometres away is the last remaining breeding colony of the Cape Griffin Vulture in the Western cape region |
| Day 6: | A full mornings drive into South Africa’s famous Garden Route. Arrive at Plettenberg Bay and check into Hogs Hollow lodge. |
| Day 7: | Take a boat trip across the bay with Ocean Blue Adventures to see whales and cape fur seal at close quarters. You will also see pods of bottlenose dolphin. |
| Day 8: | Another day in Plettenberg with opportunities to dive or go sea kayaking. If you wish to stay on land visit the sandy beaches of the bay or take a township tour. |
| Day 9: | Drive to Port Elizabeth (P.E.) and check into Calabash Lodge in the heart of the city. Take a Shebeen township tour to experience PE colourful townships and its pubs. |
| Day 10: | Depart from P.E. |
don't leave it too late!
Please note that due to the nature of tailor-made trips to Sub-Saharan Africa we need at least 14 days between time of booking and departure. This time is essential for you to sort out passport, visa and health requirements and for us to make all the necessary holiday arrangements.how this holiday makes a difference
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Hog Hollow is an excellent example of high quality accommodation being managed by the local black community. The South African owners have fully trained cooks, waiters, cleaners and a management team from the Plettenberg Bay region, hence the money spent here by tourists immediately benefits the local community.Ocean Blue Adventures offer marine eco-tours based on non-consumptive and sustainable utilisation of marine resources.
They were awarded the WWF Green Trust award in 2001 for their work on eco-tourism and sustainable tourism in Plettenberg Bay. The company have also been awarded an educational licence to approach to within 50 m of whales in the bay and record information on sightings for scientific purposes. Ocean Blue Adventures donate a proportion of their income to the ORCA (Ocean Research & Conservation Africa) Foundation. ORCA's objective is to develop a practical and useable model for sustainable tourism development in Plettenberg Bay, which combines the needs of conservation, local business and international tourism. Calabash Tours is a commercial venture with a social agenda. Calabash adheres to the principles of fair trade and feels it is imperative that the communities you visit benefit directly. They employ mainly previously disadvantaged individuals and provide training and skills development for their employees. The Calabash Trust develop and assist township projects, resulting in direct benefits for the communities visited, including support for local artists and service providers. Recently, Calabash Tours won the Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards 2003 in the category for the Best Social Involvement Programme. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |