Situated about an hour's drive from Cape Town, Hermanus is most well known for the fantastic sightings of southern right whales between June and November. It's not even necessary to go on a boat as these huge mammals are clearly visible from the cliff-top walk, redolent with the fragrant scent of flowering fynbos plants. A pair of binoculars is always useful but even without those, keen watchers can get a pretty good view of the whales as they frolic in the bay.
Fascinating as the whales are, there is more to Hermanus. The diving is good, there is a small, dedicated sea kayaking operation and the local golf course is particularly scenic with lovely views of the sea - it's not a links course, though.
A particularly botanically rich and diverse destination is the tiny but prolific Kogelberg Nature Reserve, which has over 1 600 species of plants, about 150 of which are endemic, in an area of only 18 000 ha. The Walker Bay wine region has some of the most southerly vineyards in the world and a wine tasting trip is well worthwhile. Gansbaai is about 100km from Hermanus.

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