Attractions IN Hermanus

Beaches

Cape Overberg Beaches

While much of the Cape Overberg is inland, there are a number of spectacular beaches to be found here. Hermanus is a coastal town known for its excellent whale-watching opportunities. It is also home to some of the magnificent beaches that have earned it ...

Nature Reserves

Fernkloof Nature Reserve

Fernkloof Nature Reserve lies in the Kleinrivier Mountains above Hermanus with some pretty choice views over the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Walker Bay. The close on 2 000 hectare reserve protects the priceless and unique coastal fynbos and a small patch ...

Popular Tourist Routes

Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Directly translated from the Afrikaans, Hemel-en-Aarde means 'heaven-and-earth' and, certainly for those who live there, the valley is often described as, literally, Heaven on Earth. It is through this sumptuous valley that the Hermanus Wine Route ...

Beaches

Hermanus Beaches

Where? +/-2 hours drive from Cape Town on the south coast of the Cape. Includes: Onrus Beach, Grotto Beach, Kammabaai and Langbaai Beach. Go there for whale watching, sun bathing, swimming, angling, surfing. Being the whale watching capital of the ...

Golf Courses

Hermanus Golf Club

The course doesn’t only challenge however, you are rewarded, hole after hole, with panoramic views that overlook the sparkling ocean and adding to the charm of the course is the ability to see the seasonal whales splashing about as you go about your ...

Miscellaneous

Hermanus Hiking Trails

While most visitors to Hermanus have many things to do on their itinerary, most involving the whales that have made this town famous, there are many other activities on offer. One of these is surely the abundance of excellent and well maintained hiking ...

Landmarks

Hermanus New Harbour

Hermanus' New Harbour lies west of town, alongside the township Zwelihle and close to the western end of Westcliff Road. The well-known Old Harbour, by comparison, lies close to Gearing's Point - the town's main promenade, now strewn with outdoor ...

Cultural / Miscellaneous / Uniquely South African

Hermanus Whale Crier

Hermanus on the Cape Whale Coast has its very own whale crier, and, what’s more, Hermanus lays claim to the only whale crier in the world. The popular town of Hermanus, connected directly to the Mother City by the R43 and N2, is famous for whale ...

Landmarks / Miscellaneous

Hoys Koppie

By definition, a koppie is a small hill on an otherwise flat area, and Hoy’s Koppie certainly earns its name by this account. This little treasure is dramatic in its stature, beautiful for its fauna and flora, and thrilling to ...

Landmarks / Mountain Passes / Popular Tourist Routes

Rotary Way

Rotary Way may be a short route, but it is one that showcases some of Hermanus’ loveliest views within a space of just a few kilometres. It is a partially tarred road and climbs 188 metres up the mountains and ...

Activities / Popular Tourist Routes / Whale Route

The Whale Coast Route

The Whale Route begins in Cape Town and follows the particularly pretty R44, also known as Clarence Drive, through the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. It is a popular drive that easily rivals Chapman's Peak in Cape Town as one of the most scenic in the ...

Nature Reserves

Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy

Part of the value of this conservancy is that it is the natural hub of a range of endangered and rare fynbos species and habitats. So many of these are otherwise decimated or damaged by urbanisation, agriculture, alien species, deforestation, and ...

Nature Reserves

Walker Bay Nature Reserve

Extending along a stretch of coast between the town of De Kelders and the Hermanus Lagoon, the Walker Bay Nature Reserve lies just 3 kilometres from Gansbaai, east of Hermanus on the Danger Point Peninsula. One can get into the reserve at Stanford, via ...

Activities / Wine Routes

Walker Bay Wine Route

Walker Bay, a 45 minute drive from Cape Town, has become a fashionable region to visit, particularly with the establishment of over a dozen wineries in and around Hermanus, already popular for its whale spotting between June and November. The ...

Landmarks / Museums

Whale House Museum

As the acclaimed home of the whales between around June and December, Hermanus celebrates these cetaceans in many ways, not least of all at the Whale House Museum. Here, the mysteries of their behaviour, migration, diet, reproduction and ...

Activities / Miscellaneous / Whale Route

Whale Watching in Walker Bay

Walker Bay – heart of the whale coast. The waters between Hermanus and Pearly Beach attract hundreds of whales annually to the shallow waters of this coastline, also known as the whale coast. Daily sightings of these giant beasts of the sea, certainly in ...

Attractions AROUND Hermanus

Birdlife or Wildlife Sanctuaries

Caledon Blue Crane Route

The Caledon farmers grouped together to protect the Blue Crane bird and increase tourism in the area, establishing the Caledon Blue Crane Route, which allows visitors to see the blue crane in its natural environment, and encouraging the blue crane onto ...

Nature Reserves

Flower Valley Farm

Flower Valley Farm partners with Fynsa, based in the nearby town of Stanford. They provide a group of local people to pick fynbos at Flower Valley. The group of mostly women arrange the fynbos into bouquets for both local and overseas retailers, like ...

Forests

Platbos Indigenous Forest

Just off the coast of Gansbaai you will find Africa's southernmost forest. Platbos is an ancient, indigenous forest that lies on the slopes of the Baviaanspoort Hills on the Grootbos Road just outside Stanford, the largest remaining fragment of the ...

Nature Reserves

Salmonsdam Nature Reserve

Just 20 kilometres east of the pretty village of Stanford, in the hills of the Perdeberg Mountains, the Salmonsdam Nature Reserve is well known as both a hikers’ and birders’ delight, not least because of the particularly attractive mountain landscape, ...

Landmarks / Mountain Passes

Shaw's Pass

Also known as Shaw's Mountain Pass, this passage into the Overberg links the Hemel en Aarde valley outside Hermanus to Caledon. It lies on the R320 a little way from Teslaarsdal, where you will see a turn-off indicating Shaw's Mountain Pass. It is a ...

Lakes / Dams / Landmarks / Miscellaneous

Vermont Salt Pan

Vermont, a suburb of Hermanus, lies between Hawston and Sandbaai. It was developed with twenty percent of its area dedicated to retaining the original coastal fynbos, which forms natural green corridors between the homes, up the mountain and ...

Wine Estates

Walker Bay Wine Estates

The Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley is one of the most productive regions in terms of the production of wines. It has the ideal climate, as the icy wind from the Atlantic Ocean cools it down. In addition, the mountains, which surround the ...

... and a little further afield

Landmarks / National Parks / Nature Reserves

Agulhas National Park

Lying in what is known as the Agulhas Plain at the southernmost tip of Africa is the Agulhas National Park, just 45 kilometres from the popular village of Gansbaai. This might be the meeting place of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but the Agulhas ...

Golf Courses

Arabella Golf Club

Set in the Majestic Kogelberg mountain range and bordered by the Bot Rivier Lagoon is the Arabella Golf Course with its tricky bunkers, immaculate Kikuyu fairways and inventive water hazards it is of little wonder that the course has consistently been ...

Entertainment / Miscellaneous / Popular Tourist Routes

Baardskeerdersbos Art Route

The artist's village of Baardskeerdersbos, more commonly known to locals simply as Bbos, lies on a dirt road somewhere between Stanford and Wolvengat. Most commonly it is accessed via the road that takes you past Grootbos Nature Reserve and Platbos ...

Marine Protected Areas

Betty's Bay Marine Protected Area

Betty's Bay MPA lies adjacent to the popular seaside town of Betty's Bay and the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, both managed by CapeNature. It protects a diverse number of habitats – from rocky shores and exposed sandy beaches, to subtidal ...

Nature Reserves

Boosmansbos Wilderness Area

Boosmansbos Wilderness Area lies in the beautiful Langeberg Mountains, over 14 000 hectares that is, in turn, part of the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve. It is regarded as a hiker's domain, a great space in which to scale peaks to reach views that are ...

Beaches

Cape Agulhas Beaches

Cape Agulhas is a rocky headland with some gorgeous beaches, making it a stunning weekend getaway for travellers along the Garden Route or those exploring the Cape Overberg. The Cape Agulhas region is home to the coastal towns of Arniston, L’Agulhas, ...

Natural Wonders

Cape Whale Coast

The coming of the whales to the Cape Overberg coastline, also known as the Cape Whale Coast, every year between June and November, not only creates a stir, but brings to our shores a large, intelligent and remarkable giant of the sea and the only mammal ...

Marine Protected Areas

De Hoop Marine Protected Area

De Hoop Marine Protected Area (MPA) lies adjacent to the De Hoop Nature Reserve on the Cape Overberg coastline, protecting 253 km² between Stillbaai Point and Ryspunt, and extending three nautical miles offshore. Marine protected areas ...

Nature Reserves

De Hoop Nature Reserve

The De Hoop Nature Reserve is approximately 34 000 ha in size and one of the largest natural areas managed by Cape Nature Conservation. It is a favourite destination for hikers, cyclists, bird watchers and during the winter and early summer months, whale ...

Nature Reserves

De Mond Nature Reserve

As its name suggests De Mond Nature Reserve lies at a river mouth – the Heuningnes River - in the curve of a natural bay, almost halfway between the coastal towns of Arniston and Struis Bay. The De Mond estuary has remained relatively undisturbed and ...

Hermanus as a destination

Also in the neighbourhood

Baardskeerdersbos, Barrydale, Bettys Bay, Botrivier, Buffeljagsrivier, Caledon, Cape Agulhas, De Hoop, De Kelders, Elgin, Fisherhaven, Franskraal, Gansbaai, Grabouw, Greyton, Hawston, Heidelberg, Kleinbaai, Kleinmond, Malgas, Onrus, Pearly Beach, Pringle Bay, Riviersonderend, Rooi Els, Sandbaai, Stanford, Suiderstrand, Suurbraak, Swellendam, Tesselaarsdal, Vermont, Villiersdorp, Witsand

Staying Overnight

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Tourist Attractions
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