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South Africa Field Trip: Hermanus

Our Southern Africa embed Jill Nawrocki recently ducked out of Namibia for a field trip to South Africa.

A mere hour east of Cape Town, Hermanus has become one of the biggest destinations for adventure travelers to the coast. Yet this unassuming town, set on high rocky cliffs with quiet streets and traditional craft markets, is also the perfect place to unwind after a week of urban bliss.

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Whale Watching / Hermanus Whale Festival / South Africa Travel / → All Tags

Thar She Blows: Whale Watching in South Africa

We already know about the popular whale-watching in spots like Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii but we haven't heard much before about South Africa. That is until we found out that the town of Hermanus is hosting the Hermanus Whale Festival this weekend that celebrates the Southern Right Whale.

The festival kicks off September 21 and lasts for three days. And what a jam-packed three days it is. We, even at the height of our whale-worshipping and aspirations to be a marine biologist in 5th grade, couldn't imagine devoting this much to whales.

For starters, this festival goes beyond whale-watching. Sure, you can watch whales whenever you want either by "land, sea, kayak, plane, guided walk, guided boat based watching," but the weekend is also billed as an enviro-arts festival that:

Focuses on raising environmental awareness and showcasing established and emerging local musicians and talent.

On Saturday, join in on the Welcome Whales Waves where groups of people follow a band to form a human chain on the Cliff Path and perform a special wave to the whales "for the television and media cameras."

Throughout the weekend, there will also be a children's carnival, a "Whales n' Wheels" car show, a Whale show at the Whale museum, a Battle of the Bands type of concert, soccer games, more music concerts, a half-marathon and even a golf tournament. Let's just hope there is no "whale-tastings" going on.

Related Stories:
· Hermanus Whale Festival [Official Site]
· South Africa coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tim_Ellis]