Whale watching stays in South Africa
30+ results in South Africa
Every winter southern right whales come up from the Southern Ocean to calve in the sheltered bays of the Cape coast, and for a few months they are close enough to watch from a cliff path with a cup of coffee. Hermanus and Walker Bay are the best-known shore-based whale watching in the world for that reason, and the coast either side, from False Bay past Gansbaai and De Hoop to the Garden Route, sees them too. Plettenberg Bay adds humpbacks on their migration and Bryde's whales through the year, and boat-based trips run from several towns under permit.
The season runs from June to November, with the most whales and calves between August and October. Hermanus holds a whale festival in late September. Humpbacks pass the Garden Route and the east coast from around May to December. Outside those months you may still see dolphins, seals and the occasional Bryde's whale, but the southern rights are gone.
Stays on this page look onto whale water or sit a short walk from it, and many hosts know the bay well enough to tell you which cove the mothers favour. A sighting is never guaranteed, but in season on the Overberg coast it is close. Pair whale watching with the penguins of Simon's Town and Betty's Bay, spring fynbos flowers, a surf or a sea kayak, and the sea-rescue stations a booking here helps fund.
- When is the best time for whale watching in South Africa?
- June to November for southern right whales on the Cape coast, with the peak between August and October when mothers and calves are in the bays. Humpbacks migrate past the Garden Route and the east coast from about May to December. Sightings are never guaranteed, but in peak season on the Overberg coast they are frequent.
- Where is the best place to see whales?
- Hermanus and Walker Bay for shore-based viewing from the cliff path, with Gansbaai, De Hoop, False Bay and the Overberg coast alongside. Plettenberg Bay and the Garden Route for humpbacks and Bryde's whales, and boat-based trips from several licensed operators. Many stays on this page look directly onto whale water.
- Do I need a boat?
- No. The Cape coast is unusual in how close the southern right whales come to shore, and cliff paths at Hermanus and De Hoop are often better than a boat. Licensed boat trips add closer views and humpbacks further out. Only permitted operators may approach whales.
- What else is on the whale coast in season?
- Spring fynbos flowers, the penguin colonies at Betty's Bay and Simon's Town, surfing, sea kayaking and the Overberg wine and wheat country inland. The Hermanus whale festival in late September and the Whale Coast and Garden Route routes in our trip planner link several of these.