Discover the places where the whales play during your southern African safari. June to November is whale season, let’s find out what brings these giants to this part of Africa.
The Whale Coast
Over 1 200 miles of prime whale coast stretch along these sandy reaches of South Africa’s coastline, harboring over 37 kinds of whales and dolphins. Here you can see these water-bound mammals from vantage points on land and sea. Of these species, southern right whales provide the best showmanship and are also the most numerous.
Hundreds of Southern right whales migrate to the warmer waters around the African coast from Antarctica to breed and calve in these warmer waters. Most of them have arrived by September, and the females and their young calves stay in the area until November to build up their strength for the long return trip southwards.
Best land-based whale watching worldwide
Their courtship rituals are a joy to behold, with the whales blowing, breaching, lob tailing and spy-hopping to impress their mates – often within 50 meters of the shoreline.
Females are known to give birth in the shallow, protected waters around Hermanus providing hours of entertainment for onlookers as they play and bond with their young calves. This spectacle is celebrated every year at the annual Whale Festival in September. During this time, the small town becomes a hive of activity and good humor with concerts, fairs and special meals to celebrate the occasion.
While in Hermanus, you can listen out for the whale crier who announces the presence of nearby whales by blowing his kelp horn.
The best place to spot whales from the land is at Walker Bay in Hermanus, but they are also present (and often seen) all the way along the coast from Lambert’s Bay in the north, around the peninsula, along the Garden Route and all the way up to the Far North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal to Sodwana Bay.
They’re everywhere!
Whenever you are near the coast during your South African during the months of June to November, watch the ocean for the tell-tale V-shaped spray of the southern right whales at play. You can even take a seafaring safari to see these colossal yet gentle creatures up close.
Ask us about opportunities to include whale watching in your southern African safari itinerary, we know all the best spots to catch the action during the southern right whale migration.
