A Day Trip To The Whales @ Hermanus

A recent newspapers article...

I always return from time away in the Cape deciding that I must go live there. It must have something to do with the dramatic landscape of mountains cloaked in clouds, sloping to the sea. It was no different this time. In among admiring the view, I asked lots of questions about property prices, wondering how I would ever be able to afford a studio flat there, never mind the more spacious quarters I've become partial to.

Still, dreaming is good, visiting is immensely rewarding, and every time I go down I find there's even more to do and more to see. No wonder tourists are flocking to the Cape and Cape Town has won a string of awards from various magazines and airlines.

Hermanus prides itself on being a prime whale-watching siteFor example, in 2003 Conde Nast Traveller ranked the city as the best value-for-money city in the world, while Newsweek nominated the city as one of the top eight cultural centres in the world. In 2004 BBC's Holiday programme rated the city the best place for a holiday. Amazing stuff indeed.

Even more amazing to walk around the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and hear the snatches of Italian and German and Asian languages from the hordes of tourists. Cape Town is on the tourist map, and us landlocked Gautengers can only boast that at least most foreign tourists visit Gauteng, although, sadly, they don't spend very long.

I wasn't long in Cape Town this time - enough time to catch a sunrise as I ate breakfast, watching the sun illuminate Table Mountain in patches while the water sparkled in the bay. Still, a return visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium at the waterfront and lunch in Hout Bay with the backdrop of ocean was enough to make me start enquiring about property prices.

The real reason for my trip was to experience Hermanus, and to get a glimpse of what the Western Cape has to offer tourists. In madcap press trip fashion we had a day to take in the salt air, eat some fish, and take a whirl through Hermanus and its surrounding regions. Certainly a day's not long, and if you're going to do this, at least rent a Ferrari and then put your foot down.

We started off with a whale-watching trip with Southern Right Charters at 9am. The Cape had been buffeted by rain and miserable weather prior to our visit, and the boat hadn't been able to go out to sea the previous four days. We had good luck - and a tour guide who called himself the Kalahari man - and the rain cleared up, the sun shone, and the sky was crisp blue.

Hermanus prides itself on being a prime whale-watching site, and even has a local whale crier in the form of Wilson Salukazana. Even if you don't take a cruise to watch the whales, you can still sit in the lively town centre overlooking the ocean and watch these enormous creatures at play.Although the skipper didn't know where the whales were, we soon found them frolicking in the waters.

None were playful enough on this trip to come close enough to the boat for us to photograph their barnacled faces and bodies, but we did take delight in spotting them not too far from the boat. We watched as they sprayed through their blowholes, dived and thrust their tails into the air in that classic whale pose. It was, somehow, enough. It was also enough to be bobbing on the ocean, watching the waves crash to shore in turquoise plumes, while all around whales went on with their business, perhaps not entirely oblivious to us, but not taking too much notice either. There is something deeply satisfying about being at sea, lost in a blue world.

Our frenetic pace picked up speed as we headed to a wine tasting at Bouchard Finlayson Wine Estate. Situated just a short distance from the New Harbour where we had been whale watching, the estate is surrounded by the Overberg mountains, situated in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Wine tastings take place in a genteel French Provencal-inspired room. We were guided through a round of reds and whites. It's hard for this non-drinker of wine to comment on the quality from the other side of a glass of juice.

But the murmurs were appreciative, wine was purchased, and much was learned about what to look for in a wine. Wines on offer include Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Blanc de Mer. You miss out on a lot when you don't drink vino, but boy are you in demand as taxi driver after boozy dinners...

No boozy dinners at the Harold Porter Botanical Garden, though. And if you're in need of a fix of nature, take a stroll. Again, those magnificent mountains, and the endless blue sea border the gardens.It's a spectacular place to walk. Recent storms damaged parts of the ground and broken boulders are enclosed behind fencing. But the gardens are currently being upgraded, new signage is going up, instructing visitors on such things as wetlands, for instance, and the cosy tea-room, named the Sugarbird, is due to be moved.

But the real reason for going to the sea is to actually see the sea, smell the sharp briny air and watch the waves crash on the shore. A quick visit to Stoney Point penguin estuary followed. It's clear how much we Gautengers miss the energy of the sea by being landlocked. We flocked to see the penguins rooting in the sand, marching importantly and generally doing what penguins do. Those of us who had grown up on the coast wearily sat on the bench to exclaim, "I just can't get excited about smelly penguins, guys". But the rest of us cavorted, snapping pictures, and feeling like we were 10 years old again. And that, of course, is the beauty of a trip to the sea.

The day ended at Bs, a local restaurant that was packed on a Saturday night. We took an age finding it hidden away in an outdoor shopping complex, and thought that it must surely need advertising. But we weren't locals, of course, and the place was packed, and humming with atmosphere and conversation. The restaurant has no natural views to boast about, but the food speaks for itself. And if you don't believe the meat is the best in this part of the world, read the many testimonials scrawled all over the walls, or add to them yourself. The owner will gladly hand you a pen.

Of course there's a lot more to do in Hermanus and we only just scratched the surface with our whirlwind breeze through town. There's horse riding and shopping, tandem paragliding, shark tours, township tours, or you can take in a lot of art at the many galleries. And, of course, if the longing gets too much, pop into one of the town's estate agents...

HERMANUS WHALE FESTIVALThe Hermanus Whale Festival takes place from September 23 to October 2, 2005. It was started in 1992 as a community project to create a tourism season during a very quiet time of the year. Its objectives were to celebrate the magnificent Walker Bay environment and the annual return of the Southern Right Whales to the bay. This year the programme is packed with activities, from concerts and plays, an art exhibition, sports events, lectures and welcoming the whales with a huge group wave.

For more information, phone: 028-313-0928; fax: 028-313-0927; e-mail: festival@hermanus.co.za or visit the following website: www.whalefestival.co.za.

CONTACT DETAILS:For more information on visiting the Cape call Cape Town Routes Unlimited on 021-426-5647 or email info@tourismcapetown.co.za or visit www.tourismcapetown.co.za.

Harold Porter Botanical Garden: contact Jane Forester or Beryl Carolus. Tel: 028-272-9311 or email haroldpnbg@intekom.co.za.Southern Right Charters: phone 082-353-0550 or email seascapes@hermanus.co.za.

Bouchard Finlayson: Contact Mia on 028-312-2515.

Two Oceans Aquarium: phone 021-418-3952 or visit www.aquarium.co.za.