What to do in Hermanus, South Africa - 12 tips

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What to see and do in Hermanus, South Africa? Hermanus is a beautiful coastal town known for its incredible whale watching opportunities. Here we have gathered all our tips for things to do in Hermanus.

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Hermanus in South Africa

Hermanus is a nice little South African town, with many large villas and a beautiful coastline. We managed to stay one night in a guesthouse and one night at home. at our friends' friend's house. All in all, it was a very nice visit!

Hermanus is located on Walker Bay on the South African coast, about 118 kilometres southeast of Cape Town.

What is there to see and do in Hermanus?

So what is there to see and do in Hermanus? The town is perhaps best known for whale watching, but there are plenty of other things to do. We've put together a list of our top tips here.

1. Walk along the 'Cliff Path' on the coast.

One of the things you won't want to miss in Hermanus is a walk along the Cliff Path. The path offers stunning views of the cliffs and sea, and at certain times of the year you can even see whales from here.

2. see art

Hermanus is also known as a place for art. Along the Cliff Path there is a large number of artworks. There are also several art galleries in the town.

3. shopping

You can also go shopping in Hermanus. There are shops ranging from arts and crafts to fashion and jewellery. Every Saturday there are also Hermanus Country Market with ceramics, wood and leather crafts, clothes, plants, food, pastries and drinks.

4. Sunbathing and swimming

Hermanus is located on the South African coast and there are several beautiful beaches here. For example, you can sunbathe and swim at Langbaai beach, Voelklip beach or Grotto beach. Keep in mind that the water is a bit cool, but it's definitely possible to take a dip for a refreshing dip.

5. Watching elections

Hermanus is known for its fantastic whale watching and our new friend in Hermanus, Belinda, told us that she can usually see whales from the window of her home. The whale watching season is between June and November, when the whales come here to calve and care for their young. "We were here at the wrong time of year, but if you are here at the right time, you can see whales from the coast and from different boat trips.

6. Visit the Whale Museum

Right in the centre of Hermanus is the Whale Museum or Whale House. The museum isn't very big, but it's still well worth popping in to learn more about the huge animals that tend to appear just off the coast.

7. Kayaking in Walker Bay

Another popular activity in Hermanus is kayaking in Walker Bay. We saw a group of kayaks going out, and it looked both peaceful and adventurous at the same time.

8. Eat tapas at Ficks restaurant

If you're only going to visit one restaurant in Hermanus, we recommend Ficks, which is beautifully situated in a small bay along the coast. Here you can sit under umbrellas, surrounded by rocks, swimming children and skipping 'dassies' (rock hyraxes).

At the restaurant you can order "flambé" (tarte flambée) or tapas, and we went for the latter. A mix of patatas bravas, lamb meatballs, prawns and salmon ceviche made us very happy.

9. Enjoy a breakfast at Burgundy restaurant

We also had time to eat breakfast at the Burgundy restaurant, which offers everything from "healt breakfast" with yoghurt and muesli to eggs benedict with optional accessories. Very tasty! The restaurant also has dinner and coffee on the menu.

10. Experience the Rotary Way and Fernkloof Nature Reserve

If you are looking for nature experiences and beautiful views, it may be worth going to Rotary Way or Fernkloof Nature Reserve. These sites are located in the mountains, behind the city, with views of the city and the sea.

Here you can hike and experience the vegetation known as the fynboswhich is the shrubby vegetation of the Western Cape, home to over 9,000 plant species.

We settled for driving a bit up the Rotary Way. Here we found a viewpoint where we had our lunch of grilled chicken, tomatoes and bread. Not bad at all!

11. Discover Klipgat Caves

At the southern end of Walker Bay is Klipgat Caves which, as the name suggests, offers caves. You have to pay a small fee to drive into the area and once you've parked, there's a walk down steps to a beautiful beach.

Once down at the beach, you can choose to sunbathe and swim, or discover the cool caves that are right next door. Finds from the site show that people have been using the caves since prehistoric times. The oldest finds are between 65,000 and 85,000 years old, and tools used by shepherds around 2,000 years ago have also been found.

12. Wine tasting at the Creation winery

There are several vineyards in the vicinity of Hermanus, and we visited the fine vineyard of Creation. The farm offers an absolutely fantastic environment, with lovely greenery, nice places both inside and outside, and really delicious works of art.

We ordered samples of some different wines, which turned out to be really good. We also got a very good introduction to the wines, by a wine savvy waiter who showed photos of himself together with the King of Sweden. Reportedly, we got to taste the same wine that His Majesty the King drank, and apparently he also appreciated this.

More to see and do in Hermanus

Want even more tips on things to do in Hermanus, South Africa? Here are some more suggestions, in addition to our tips above.

• Bientang's Cave restaurant is nicely located in the old harbour.
• Grootbos Florilegium is a contemporary botanical art exhibition.
• More vineyards such as Bouchard Finlayson and Hamilton Russel.
• Hermanus Golf Course is the local golf club.
• The Wine Glass Hermanus offers food and local wines.
• The Rock is a restaurant in the new harbour, with great views.
• Adventure there is a range of different ones, such as quad biking, fatbike tours, scuba diving, shark cage diving, zipline and the like.

Where to stay in Hermanus?

There are many different hotels, guesthouses and bed & breakfasts in Hermanus. We stayed one night at The Potting Shedwhich is a wonderfully cosy place. Here we had a room/apartment upstairs, with a private patio.

On the lower level there is a nice little pool.

Breakfast is served in a cosy little breakfast room with a few tables. It offers fruit, juice and bread, as well as a hot breakfast dish on request.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

If you're driving south-east from Hermanus, take the opportunity to check out The southernmost point of Africa Cape Agulhas. If you head north-west instead, you can get to the stunning wine region Stellenbosch or to lovely Cape Town. On the way there, you can choose to take the stunningly beautiful road Clarence Drive, which runs between Rooi-Els and Gordon's Bay.

More tips for things to do in Hermanus?

Have you visited this South African coastal town? Do you have even more tips on what to see and do in Hermanus?

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