Whale Watching in Hermanus
Today it was time to move on from Franschhoek to Hermanus.
We started the day with another lovely breakfast at Motherdough before setting off on the drive to Hermanus. It took a few hours, but the scenery along the way was stunning and made the journey just as enjoyable as the destination.
When we arrived, we managed to park right in the middle of the village, directly outside the Whaling Museum. We tipped the car park attendant to keep an eye on the car for the day before calling in at the tourist office, where we booked ourselves onto a whale-watching cruise from the New Harbour for 2pm.
With a few hours to spare, we visited the Whaling Museum and then the Photo Museum, which has lots of fascinating historical photographs depicting the history of the village. We also explored the Old Harbour, where the original fishing shacks once stood, now preserved as part of the museum.
From there we walked the coastal path from the Old Harbour to the New Harbour. It took about an hour and was a lovely walk, passing beautiful homes, colourful flowers, impressive sculptures and some stunning coastal scenery along the way.
At 2pm we boarded our whale-watching boat for what turned out to be a fantastic two-hour trip. We saw lots of whales, including a mother and her calf. We were lucky enough to spot both Southern Right Whales and Humpback Whales. They were quite difficult to capture on camera, but incredible to watch. At one point there were around eight whales close to the boat.
On the way back we were also treated to dolphins leaping through the water, before spotting whales close to the shoreline repeatedly lifting their heads and bodies clear of the water before crashing back down again. They did this six or seven times and it was an amazing sight.
After the boat trip we walked back to the Old Harbour to collect the car before heading to our apartment.
Our apartment is beautiful and overlooks the coastline, so tomorrow we should be able to do a bit of whale watching from the lookout above it. The sound of the sea is so relaxing and peaceful. The balcony even has a pizza oven and a small paraffin burner to keep warm in the evenings.
As I write this, we're sitting outside with a glass of wine, some cheese and nothing but the sound of the sea.
For dinner we went to Milk Restaurant overlooking the ocean, where we enjoyed a delicious stew with a cider. On the way back we called into the supermarket to stock up on breakfast items, along with a little more wine and cheese for tomorrow.
Another wonderful day and another beautiful part of South Africa to explore.