The breeding grounds of the southern right whales are the sheltered bays of the Western Cape coast, where these magnificent creatures spend up to five months a year. They spend their time playing, courting, and nursing their young calves, which makes for excellent on-land viewing.

Cape West Coast

On the Cape West Coast, just north of Cape Town, there are several great viewing spots from Strandfontein to Lambert’s Bay, Elands Bay, the beautiful St Helena Bay, Saldanha, and Ysterfontein.

Cape Town

The whales are also visible from the road along the False Bay shoreline. For another shot, you can drive along the beautiful coastal Victoria Road (M6).

You can also go whale watching from lookout points at various points in Cape Town, but specifically on Boyes Drive (which traces the mountainside from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay) and Clarence Drive (which is the coastal road between Gordons Bay and Betty’s Bay).

Garden Route

The Garden Route from Stilbaai to Knysna and Tsitsikamma is a breath-taking coastline. You can often see:

• Southern right whales from June to November;
• Humpback whales from May to December;
• Bryde’s whales all year; and,
• If you are lucky, you may see killer whales.

Hermanus

Hermanus is further south, (approximately 2 hours from Cape Town). It is the self-proclaimed whale-watching capital of the world.

Here you can find some of the finest land-based whale viewing in the world. (Each September, Hermanus hosts a whale-watching festival).

The whales can be viewed from a beautiful cliff-top stroll, or listen for the Whale Crier, who notifies residents and tourists of whale spottings.

Top whale watching viewing spots in Hermanus include:

• Voelklip and Grotto beaches,
• Gearing’s Point (overlooking Old Harbor),
• Dreunkrans (towards New Harbor),
• Siever’s Point (one of the most popular locations)

To check if the whales are indeed out and visible, you could call or email the folks in Hermanus before you leave: 028 312 2629 / hermanustourism2@hermanus.co.za.

Cape Agulhas

Continue down the coast to Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southernmost point, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. This is a great spot because it provides excellent views of southern right cows and calves playing—up to 50 pairs at a time!

Mosselbay

Mossel Bay’s whale-watching season spans from June to November, during which four whale species may be observed. The southern right whale is most prominent but watch for humpbacks, orcas, and Bryde’s whales too.

Drive along the coast, stopping at viewpoints with informative whale interpretation boards. You could also join a boat-based whale-watching excursion or walk on the St Blaize path to see if you can spot some dolphins or whales.

Mosselbay is a great place to see dolphins. There are schools of up to 500 dolphins! Throughout the year, the most common dolphins seen are Hobson’s, common, dusky, and bottlenose.

Bryde’s whales and orcas are seen on occasion, while bottlenose and humpback dolphins are year-round residents.

Plettenberg Bay

Further east, Plettenberg Bay also has a remarkable variety of marine animals, including a breeding colony of Cape fur seals.