Top 12 Whale Watching Trips in Cape Town

1.Hermanus Whale Watching Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 378 reviews · 7 hours · from $221Our pick

Speedboat whale watching from Gansbaai, with early Cape Town pickup, expert crew, and close Southern Right Whales in De Kelders waters.

“It was a long drive from Cape Town but our guide gave some very interesting information on the way. Worth the drive to see many mother and baby whales and a couple of dolphins. All very respectful to the animals, we were the only boat in the nursery waters area and waited for whales to come to us, the babies were interested in checking us out and mum followed, everything on their terms. Would recommend.”

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2.Full Day Guided Hermanus and Whale Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 155 reviews · from $51Best value

Full-day guided trip from Cape Town to Hermanus for Southern Right whales, scenic stops, urban wine tasting, and farm food, plus panoramic coastal viewpoints.

“The coastal drive alone made the trip worthwhile but seeing the whales up close is something I will never forget. Our tour guides, Louis, wealth of knowledge was unbelievable and made the tour that much more interesting.”

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3.Full-Day Hermanus Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 119 reviews · 1 day · from $120

Full-day Hermanus whale watching from Cape Town with small-group stops at Harold Porter, Fernkloof, Elgin, and Sir Lowry’s Pass.

“Nice trip. Hermanas is lovely. Nice coastline. Unfortunately no whales and no boats as it was windy. Still a beautiful place”

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4.Whale Watching Tour in Hermanus and Gansbaai

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 110 reviews · 2 hours · from $249

Cape Town to Hermanus and Gansbaai for a 2-hour whale watching boat trip plus coastal stops, penguins, and a farm stall visit.

“perfect organisation, a verry charming and helpfull guide (neil fergusson) he was verry flexible from the route planing. we saw a lot of whales, direct in front of us. absolutly to recommended!!”

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5.Hermanus Whale Watching Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 30 reviews · 8h 30m · from $68

Cape Town to Hermanus full day: coastal drive, Rotary Way lookout, shore whale watching, Hemel-en-Aarde wine tasting, optional cruise.

“Nice drive to and from Hermanus and we enjoyed the day. Sadly no whales. Probably frightened away by the number of people at the Whale Festival (very busy!) which we didn't know was on when we booked - this would have been useful info! We lost time in Hermanus because of the festival traffic and felt like our departure time was made earlier to ensure another passenger returned in time for a flight (why book the tour on that day!). We were also disappointed that we were not returned to our pick up point in the same vehicle and had to transfer/wait for a bus with vague instructions . This…”

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6.Boat Based Whale Watching from Hermanus

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · from $287

Early-morning boat whale watching from Hermanus New Harbour with a specialist guide, catamaran comfort, and optional video purchase.

“Paul was an exceptional guide during our boat-based whale watching tour in South Africa. His knowledge about the marine life and whales was both fascinating and educational. His professionalism and friendly demeanor added so much to our adventure.”

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7.1 Day Whale Watching at Yzerfontein

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $331

Small-group RIB whale watching from Yzerfontein, tracking humpbacks, dolphins and seabirds with Meganova and expert guides.

“Thanks Jan for introducing and immersing into wild ocean life especially whales!”

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8.Hermanus Whale Watching Tour with Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7 reviews · from $317

Whale watching from Hermanus with hotel transfer and a scenic drive, plus Southern Right whale facts and practical tips for value.

“Very expensive for what it is, poor management of registrations, the office where we were supposed to go did not identify us, they sent us elsewhere and after several phone calls we finally returned to the starting point, no excuses, we missed the basic debriefing and almost missed the start ... The information was very limited and accessible only to people on the upper pontoon. In case of bad weather they should perhaps cancel, poor visibility and the animals less visible ...”

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9.Cape Agulhas, Hermanus whales & Wine Tasting Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 6 reviews · 10 hours · from $264

Day trip from Cape Town to Cape Agulhas, Hermanus whales, Stony Point penguins, and Stellenbosch wine tasting.

“We enjoyed the day very much! Roland was knowledgeable, told us many facts other guides didn’t before, and was attentive to the guests’ needs. We appreciated Roland’s flexibility and client service orientation. Thank you very much for the wonderful day!”

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10.Hermanus Whale Watching Tour with Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $219

A Cape Town to Hermanus day trip with a coastal walk and a 2 to 3 hour whale boat ride to spot Southern Right and Humpbacks.

“All in all, a successful day. We were picked up on time by our friendly driver, the whale watching tour was informative and we got really close to the animals, plus we saw tons of dolphins. Then a nice stay in Hermanus, coastal walk recommended! On the way back, we made a quick stop at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden - thanks to Rasheed!”

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11.Hermanus Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 5 reviews · 8 hours · from $218

Cape Town to Hermanus for whale watching by boat, then Hemel-en-Aarde wine tasting at Benguela Cove, with flexible pickups.

“I didn’t go. I received an e-mail that there would be no tour because of the raining weather. I would like to know if it was rescheduled for Tuesday, 10/06. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.”

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12.Private Tour: Hermanus- Boat Based Whale Watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 9 hours · from $370

Private Hermanus whale watching with coastal drive, Stony Point penguins, guided time in town, and about two hours on the water.

“A great day full of wonderful experiences. We felt safe and welcomed and got a lot of information about this wonderfull part of the world.”

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