Walker Bay and the Overberg

Where It Is

The Overberg is the stretch of coast and farmland east of Cape Town, beyond the Hottentots Holland mountains. Hermanus sits on Walker Bay, with Stanford and Gansbaai further along the shore. The coastline between St Sebastian Bay and Pearly Beach near Hermanus is the core of the southern right whale's South African calving ground, and the waters at Hermanus and De Hoop have extra protection for that reason.

What You Do There

• Walk the Hermanus cliff paths, about 12 kilometers in all, and watch whales from land
• Take a licensed whale-watching boat trip in season
• Visit the African penguin colony at Stony Point in Betty's Bay, one of the largest breeding colonies of the species
• Explore fynbos on foot or on a guided botanical drive

Gansbaai was long known for cage diving with great white sharks, but sightings have been far less reliable since 2017, when a pair of orcas began hunting sharks in the area. Treat it as a maybe rather than a reason to come.

Best Time to Go

Southern right whales arrive around June and stay until about November. July to October gives the best odds, and the Hermanus Whale Festival runs around late September and early October. Summer, November to March, is warm and good for walking and beaches, though the coast is often windy. Winter can be cool and wet.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Drive from Cape Town in about two hours along the coast road through Betty's Bay, one of the best drives in the country. Two nights is enough for whales and walks, three if you want a slow stop between the city and the bush.

Where We Like to Stay

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve covers about 3,500 hectares of hills above Walker Bay, about 160 kilometers from Cape Town, with more than 1,000 plant species, an old milkwood forest and views out to the whales. It suits families and nature lovers, and works well paired with Cape Town and the Cape Winelands.