Things to do in Gansbaai

Hermanus Whale Cruises

Hermanus Whale Cruisesis famous for its whale-watching cruises, where visitors can take a whale-watching boat into the bay to search for these massive marine creatures on the open sea. From June to December each year, southern right whales and humpback whales gather here, providing excellent viewing opportunities. Professional whale-watching cruise services are available, allowing visitors to observe these magnificent marine creatures up close. When whales appear near the boat, it often creates an unforgettable visual experience. Visitors may see massive mother whales swimming slowly across the water with their calves, and if they encounter an active pod, they might even see whales breaching, rolling over, or slapping the waves with their massive tail fins. The moment their massive bodies suddenly leap out of the water and crash back down is one of the most anticipated scenes during whale watching.

Gansbaai

Gansbaai is a fishing town and a very popular tourist destination in South Africa. It is located in the southeast of Cape Town, and there are often great white sharks in the waters near the town, so it is also a famous place for viewing great white sharks. There are many shark watching companies in Gansbaai that offer a variety of diving programs to see great white sharks. After the tourists go out to sea, people stand in special cages, and the sailors on the boat use bait tied with cables to lead the great white sharks over, and then put the cages with people down, and tourists can ride the iron cages to dive into the bottom of the water and interact with them. Get up close and personal with a great white shark, a thrilling experience you will never forget. In addition to great white sharks, right whales are also frequented in the waters here, especially near the rocky coast of DeKelders on Walker Bay, which used to be the site of the old whaling station and is now a very popular whale watching spot.

African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary - Gansbaai

Uilenkraalsmond Holiday Resort Gansbaai

Klipgat Caves

White Shark Projects

White Shark Diving Company

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope is located at the southwestern tip of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa and is part of Table Mountain National Park. It is a steep, rocky headland on the Atlantic coastline. In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias arrived here and named it the "Cape of Storms" after encountering violent storms. It was later renamed the "Cape of Good Hope" by King John II of Portugal, symbolizing the hope of opening a new sea route to the East. Together with the nearby Cape Point, it forms the prime southern area of Table Mountain National Park. Standing on the edge of the cliff, you can see towering brown reefs plunging into the deep blue Atlantic, with white waves constantly crashing against the rock walls. The old lighthouse at Cape Point stands high above, offering a panoramic view of the entire arc of False Bay. Visitors can take the "Flying Dutchman" funicular up the mountain to reach the lighthouse observation deck. There is a stone monument here marking the coordinates, which is a classic photo spot for visitors.

Gearing's Point

Ivanhoe Sea Safari's - Whale Watching Tours - Gansbaai