Whale Watching Hermanus:

Cape Town, South Africa

8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Cape Town is world-renowned for being a great whale-watching destination, and with this boat tour, you can head out on an exciting adventure to look for the Southern Right Whale, as well as dolphins, and seals. Booking your package in advance means you can secure a date that works for you, and benefit from having hotel pickup included, as well as snacks and bottled water.

No worries about getting to the boat: Hotel pickup is included
Get taken to a place where Southern Right Whales congregate—Walker Bay
Avoid crowded trips: The group size is capped at 8 people
Tour includes a scenic drive along the Clarens Drive coastal route

What's Included

Private transfers
Snacks
Bottled water
Lunch

A R100 lunch voucher for an amazing restaurant in Hermanus
5 star service and the best guides ever.
Boat Trip included in price

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pickup time will be confirmed once the booking is completed.

Operating hours
.10:00 am

What To Expect

Hermanus

Betty's Bay

Walker Bay Nature Reserve

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infants must sit on laps

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Jenny_B

My son and I were incredibly pleased with our tour...and we were soo thankful we saw the whales😄 Everything went seamlessly and it was an incredible experience. Hayley, with Go That Way was absolutely amazing....she was soooo generous, friendly, knowledgeable and we had such a great time with her traveling to and from Hemanus!!! She was always concerned about pur comfort!! I will definitely come back to see more whales during mating season and will definitely seek out Go That Way for my transportation needs. THANK YOU for teh experience on a lifetime🫶🫶

Reviews

4.4

based on 27 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Hermanus Whale Watching

Jenny_B, Oct 2025

Fantastic day

Nicky_T, Sep 2025

A wonderful day. Martin, the driver was very friendly and couldn’t do enough to help. The whale watching trip was great and we saw whales up close in pretty rough seas. To confirm what other reviews have said - the transport was in a lovely minivan (just 2 of us) but the boat is licensed to take 81 passengers, there was about 50 on it today. The trip is advertised as 2 hours but we were back in the harbour after 90 minutes which was a shame (but the sea was rough and it was cold and windy). On the way back to Cape Town we had an hour in Hermanus ( small interesting museum about the whales), and stopped of to see the Bettys Bay penguins and other sea birds and then also stopped at the Cheetah Outreach/sanctuary which was well worth a short visit. All in all, a great day.

Must do out of Cape Town!

Marie_M, Aug 2025

Unbelievable experience with the Southern Right Whales! Wonderful crew also enjoying these magnificent and curious creatures.

Great trip

Jay_G, Jun 2025

Great trip. Great guide and we had whales right next to the boat. Lots of photo ops. We were also given snacks and drinks and were picked up directly from our hotel

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Thank you for your feedback. We look forward to hosting you in our beautiful country again. Gothatwaycapetown.com

sort of whale watching in Harmanus

Mass_F, Sep 2023

The boat was far too small for the number of people take onboard... much too small especially since the weather was not good and the seas were rough bouncing passengers around, many got seasick and there was no way for all to sit and get away from the vomit.... waves were at the edge of the boat water washing over the boat and coming into the 'cabin'... for info, we did see whales, I was not sick but it was not a pleasant experience and I would not recommend it to other people. I found the arrangements irresponsible.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hi there Mass, unfortunately this trip took place when the weather in CapeTown was unexpectedly at its worst. The service provider assured us as the hosts that the boat could go our safely on the day you booked. Our apologies for your less than enjoyable experience. Your review has assisted us to review our approach to booking clients to do a boat based whale watching trip when weather conditions are less than perfect. Please do not hesitate to contact us when you are again in CapeTown as we look forward to making amends for this less that perfect experience.

Nice day

Jessica_W, Sep 2023

The drive to Hermann's was about 1 hour, 45 mins from the V&A Waterfront. The whale watching was nice; it was mating time, so we saw a lot of activity. Although this was set for 2 hours, it was more like 1 hour, 20 mins. It was enough time. The drive back was along a scenic road. You should know that there was no time or accommodation for a meal. The day was long - leaving Cape Town at 9am and returning at about 4pm. I asked the driver to stop for a snack, but built in time would be appreciated. Note that you should either ask for a stop or bring a small meal.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hi there, Jessica Thank you for the feedback, We have noted your comments. And will advise future clients on a lunch or refreshment stop.

Deceived by Viator

Svenja_K, Aug 2023

The drive to and from Hermanus is limited to 8 people but the boat trip was with a big group. I have read the comments before and was contacting viator about the group size, they confirmed a small group with max. 8 people also for the boat trip. That wasn’t the case… you barely see whales but the driver was very nice

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Svenja. We have re looked at the description of the Whale Watching Experience. Apologies for the confusion and totally understand the misconception. We will change the description of the activity. Our vehicle to transport you to Hermanus for the activity takes max 9 people. The boat used for the whale watching activity has a much larger capacity. Bookings vary daily as to how many are on the boat. It is whale season at the moment and this activity is extremely popular. Apologies again. Please do not hesitate to re-contact us in the future should you wish us to arrange a private charter. Kind Regards Hayley

Saw some whales.

Michaela_K, Jul 2023

In a group of almost 90 people! Online description said group of 8. It was okay. To expensive in my opinion. Even though we saw some southern right whales. That was fascinating.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Hi there Michael, the maximum number of people that we take to Hermanus to do the boat based Whale Watching in our transfer vehicle is 8. The number of people on the boat is managed by the Boat Company. Apologies that the description was misunderstood or not clearly advised. Kind Regards Hayley