Guide · From the shore

Whale watching from the Hermanus Cliff Path

You do not need a boat to see whales in Hermanus. Here are the lookouts along the cliffs, how to reach each one and how to make a whole day of watching from the shore.

Check availabilityfrom $96 · free cancellation

Editorial team, whale-watching-hermanus.comUpdated October 5, 2026about 6 min to read12 sources

The tour that goes with it Hermanus: whale and dolphin watching by boat 4.6 (872 reviews) 2 hoursPurpose-built catamaranSpecialist whale guide from$96per person Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

Quick answer

01The path: About 12 km from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach.¹
02How close: At points whales come within five meters of the shore.²
03Easy lookout: Gearing's Point gives an open view over the Old Harbour.³
04By car: The Kwaaiwater lookout can be reached by vehicle.⁴
05When: Whale season runs from June to November.⁵

Why the cliffs are so good for whales

Whale watching from the Hermanus Cliff Path is free, flexible and often astonishingly close. The path follows the rocky coast for about 12 km, from the New Harbour all the way to Grotto Beach.¹ Along the way, benches, steps and small headlands look straight down into the water where southern right whales rest and play in season.

The shape of Walker Bay does the work. The water off the cliffs is sheltered and fairly shallow in places, which suits mothers with calves, and the low cliffs lift you just high enough to see a whale's outline below the surface. Hermanus.co.za says that at certain points whales can be seen playing as close as five meters from shore.²

That closeness is what surprises first-time visitors. You can stand with a coffee on a sunny morning and hear a whale breathe before you see it. You can follow a calf's clumsy breaches without any engine noise, and you can come back the next day and watch the same stretch of water again. Few places in the world make whales this easy to meet from land.

The walk

The Cliff Path from west to east

Start

New Harbour

The western end of the path, where the boats leave.¹
Near Fick's Pool

Dreunkrans

A popular lookout on the way to the New Harbour.⁶
Town centre

Gearing's Point

An open view over the Old Harbour.³
Next door

Old Harbour

Terraces over Walker Bay with whale boards.⁷
East

Sievers Point and Kwaaiwater

Favourite lookouts, one reachable by car.⁴
End

Grotto Beach

The path ends here after about 12 km.¹

The lookouts from west to east

The path starts at the New Harbour in the west, where the whale watching boats leave.⁸ Walking east, you soon reach Dreunkrans, a popular lookout about 100 metres along the path from Fick's Pool towards the New Harbour.⁶ It is a good first stop, with the rock pools below and the open bay ahead.

Closer to the town centre you come to Gearing's Point. It overlooks the Old Harbour and gives an uninterrupted view of the ocean.³ Next to it, the Old Harbour has viewing terraces over Walker Bay and information boards about the whales.⁷ This is the busiest stretch in season, with the harbour museum, cafés and the market a few steps away.

Further east, Sievers Point is one of the most popular whale watching spots in town and the closest to where the whales play, while the Kwaaiwater lookout can be reached by car.⁴ The path ends at Grotto Beach, and the rocks above the sea at Voëlklip and Grotto are good for whale spotting too.⁹ Each lookout has its own character, so it pays to try more than one.

Lookouts

Cliff Path lookouts compared

Lookout	What you get	Access	Best for
Dreunkrans	A popular lookout near Fick's Pool	On foot	A quiet first stop
Gearing's Point	Open view over the Old Harbour	Town centre	A short visit
Old Harbour	Viewing terraces and whale boards	Town centre	Families
Sievers Point	Closest to where whales play	On foot	Close sightings
Kwaaiwater	A lookout above the bay	By car	Limited mobility
Voëlklip and Grotto	Rocks above the sea	End of the path	A long walk

Lookouts and their features as described by Hermanus.co.za.⁶ ³ ⁷ ⁴ ⁹

Pick a lookout

Three lookouts for three kinds of visit

Quick visit

Gearing's Point

In the town centre

View: Over the Old Harbour
Walk: Very short
Nearby: Cafés and museum

See the boat trip

Close whales

Sievers Point

East of the centre

View: Close to the whales
Walk: On the path
Nearby: Quiet residential coast

See the boat trip

By car

Kwaaiwater

Further east

View: Above the bay
Walk: Short from the car
Nearby: Voëlklip beach

See the boat trip

Decision helper

Which lookout suits you?

Tap what you are looking for

Gearing's Point

It gives an uninterrupted view over the Old Harbour.³

Sievers Point

Hermanus.co.za calls it the closest to where the whales play.⁴

Kwaaiwater

This lookout is accessible by vehicle.⁴

Old Harbour

Its terraces carry information boards about the whales.⁷

The whole path

About 12 km from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach.¹

The Cliff Path offers 12km of the best whale watching view points in the world, stretching from one end of Hermanus to the other. At certain points whales can be seen playing as close as five meters from shore.

Hermanus.co.zaSource 2

Finding a good whale watching viewpoint in Hermanus

Choosing a whale watching viewpoint in Hermanus comes down to time, mobility and crowds. If you only have an hour, Gearing's Point and the Old Harbour terraces give you the most for the least effort, with parking and the town close by. If you can walk, the quieter stretches further east often have fewer people and just as many whales.

Look for height and a clear view along the coast rather than straight out to sea. Whales often move parallel to the shore, so a lookout that lets you see a long stretch of water gives you more chances to spot a blow. A small rise, a bench on a headland or the rocks at the end of a path are often better than the busiest platform.

Stay a while once you have found a good place. Whales come and go, and a quiet patch of sea can come alive within minutes. Many regular watchers pick one spot, sit down and scan slowly, rather than walking from point to point. It is a calmer, more rewarding way to spend a morning on the cliffs.

Map

Where to watch whales along the Cliff Path

The Cliff Path runs about 12 km from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach, past the town's best-known lookouts.¹

Map of Hermanus with the Cliff Path from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach — The whole Cliff Path

Map of central Hermanus with the New Harbour, Dreunkrans, Gearing's Point and the Old Harbour — Town centre lookouts

1
New Harbour
The western end of the Cliff Path and the harbour the whale watching boats leave from.¹ ⁸
In Google Maps ↗
2
Dreunkrans
A popular lookout about 100 metres along the path from Fick's Pool towards the New Harbour.⁶
In Google Maps ↗
3
Gearing's Point
Above the Old Harbour, with an open view across the sea.³
In Google Maps ↗
4
Old Harbour
Viewing terraces over Walker Bay, with boards that explain the whales.⁷
In Google Maps ↗
5
Sievers Point
One of the most popular spots in town and the closest to where the whales play.⁴
In Google Maps ↗
6
Kwaaiwater
A lookout you can reach by car.⁴
In Google Maps ↗
7
Grotto Beach
The eastern end of the path; the rocks above the sea here and at Voëlklip suit whale spotting.¹ ⁹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

A day on the cliffs

Bring

Binoculars
Water and a snack
Sunscreen and a hat
A windproof layer

Wear

Sensible shoes for steps and rocks
A light rain jacket in winter

Remember

Calm mornings are often best
Stay on the path near the edge
Ask other watchers where the whales are

Cost check

Shore walk or boat: what it costs your group

Choose an option and the number of people.

Cliff walk with a guideHistory walkfrom $37 Boat tripThis site's tourfrom $96

People 2

Total from$73

per head from $37

Check availabilityfree cancellation

From-prices as GetYourGuide lists them, converted at the ECB rate. The booking page shows the exact amount.

Video

Hermanus Whale Watching: Southern Right Whales, Cliffs and Walker Bay

Until you tap play, the video stays unloaded.

Land-based whale watching in Hermanus, step by step

Land-based whale watching in Hermanus needs little planning, but a few habits help. Go in the morning when the wind is often lighter and the water is calmer, and watch for the blow: a puff of mist above the surface is usually the first sign. Once you have seen one, keep your eyes on that spot, because the whale will surface again nearby.

Binoculars make a big difference on the cliffs. They let you see the pale patches on a southern right's head, the shape of a tail or a calf beside its mother. A phone camera works for close whales, but a longer lens or a pair of binoculars turns a distant splash into a real sighting you will remember.

Listen too. Hermanus has a whale crier who sounds a horn to alert people to whales in season, according to South African Tourism.¹⁰ Local people and other visitors are also quick to point out a whale. If you see a small crowd gathering at the rail, walk over and ask: most watchers are happy to share what they have found.

When to walk the Cliff Path

The Cliff Path is open all year, but the whales are seasonal. The local tourism site gives the whale season as June to November, with the best sightings between August and October.⁵ In those months the cliffs are at their most rewarding, and in the peak weeks you can see several whales from a single lookout.

Calves arrive in August and September, and October is when the population peaks as the males arrive.¹¹ Mothers with young calves stay in the shallow, sheltered water, which brings them closest to the rocks. If seeing whales from the shore is your main goal, these are the months to aim for.

Time of day matters less than weather. A calm morning with low wind and good light makes blows and splashes easy to see, while a strong wind turns the sea white and hides the whales. If the wind is up, try a more sheltered lookout, or come back later when it drops.

Walking it as a whole

If you have half a day, walking a long section of the path is one of the best things to do in Hermanus. The full route runs about 12 km between the New Harbour and Grotto Beach.¹ You do not have to walk it all: many people start in the centre and walk east to Sievers Point or Kwaaiwater, then return the same way or take a taxi back.

The path is mostly easy, with some steps and uneven ground near the rocks. Wear sensible shoes, bring water and sun protection, and plan for wind on the headlands. In winter, showers can pass quickly, so a light rain jacket is worth carrying even on a bright day.

For background as you walk, a guided history walk along the cliffs is also offered, starting from $37 and lasting 2 hours. It is a good choice if you want to hear about the town and its whaling past while you watch the bay.

Cliffs or boat: why not both

The cliffs and the boat give you two different experiences. From land, you watch whales in their own time and often very close to the shore. From a boat, you reach whales further out, see them at eye level and hear their blows up close. Neither is better in every way, and many visitors do both.

The rules on the water are strict. South African law requires everyone to keep 300 meters away from any whale unless they hold a permit for a closer approach.¹² Licensed operators work with such permits. This site's tour leaves from the New Harbour on a purpose-built catamaran with a whale specialist guide and lasts 2 hours.

A good plan is to spend your first morning on the cliffs, learn what the whales look like, and then book a boat for a calm day. You will understand much more of what you see on the water, and you will have the cliffs to come back to whenever you have a free hour in town.

Book your trip