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Hermanus is a pleasant seaside resort town, situated just 120 km east of Cape Town. Hermanus is probably most well known for its magnificent sightings of Southern Right Whales between June and November.

It is not necessary to get on a boat as these majestic creatures can be clearly viewed from the cliff top walk, filled with the fragrant scent of flowering Fynbos plants. At the coastal town of Hermanus, guests can enjoy good views of whales as they frolic in the bay. However, there is more to Hermanus than whale watching.

Diving is also good, as is sea kayaking and golfing. The golf course is scenic and offers lovely views of the sea. It is not a links course though. Hermanus is a botanically rich and diverse destination, with the prolific Kogelberg Nature Reserve housing more than 1 600 species of plant in an area of just 18 000 hectares.

The Walker Bay wine region has some of the most southerly vineyards in the world and a wine tasting trip is worth the effort. Gansbaai, with its spectacular Shark cage diving, is about 20 kilometres from Hermanus.

Hermanus Pieters

Hermanus was originally called Hermanuspietersfontein, after a Dutch school teacher Hermanus Pieters who liked to water his sheep at the natural fountain there. He travelled from Caledon in the mid 1800’s and found Hermanus to be good grazing and with a plentiful supply of fresh water. Here he remained for several months before returning to home. Hermanuspietersfontein is a bit of a mouthful and the post office complained at the length of the name and so it became simply Hermanus in 1904. By Ann Gadd