Gansbaai, beyond De Kelders on the R43 (about a 35 minute drive from Hermanus.) There, depending on your nerves you can go boatbased whale watching, scuba diving or shark cage diving. There are 4x4 trips, plane trips, The Danger Point lighthouse to visit and, to end the day, sundown boat trips. Gansbaai is named the Big2 town after the numerous Great White Sharks that cruise in the waters east of Danger Point peninsula and the many Southern Right Whales that hang out around the shores on the western side of Danger Point. Here you will find various restaurants and bars in and around Main Street and many arts and crafts shops. Don’t forget to visit the harbour.

Danger Point

Danger Point (9kms from Gansbaai). The peninsula of Danger Point extends for about 8km into the sea. There are many reefs and uncharted rocks along this coastline which make it one of the most dangerous places in the world for ships coming too close inshore.

A hidden rock lurks just below the surface off the point. It was on this rock that the legendary Birkenhead met her doom in 1852. Seven shipwrecks surround Danger Point peninsula and 140 wrecks are dotted along the shores between Danger Point and Cape Infanta.

Tours to the lighthouse and Birkenhead Memorial can be arranged.

Call the Gansbaai Tourism Office, Main Road, Gansbaai 028 384 1439

De Kelders

De Kelders, the place that the Southern Right Whales call home! On the R43 beyond Stanford you will find a residential area called De Kelders. “De Kelders” is the Afrikaans name for The Caves. Numerous larger and smaller caves penetrate deep into the rock formations under the houses of De Kelders.

There is a great coffee shop and restaurant called Coffee on the Rocks, overlooking the bay. You will find it in Cliff Street. Just drive all the way down to the sea and turn right. It is truly unique and a good vantage point for whale watching!

The Klipgat Cave, in the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, is one of the most important cultural assets in the Western Cape. The remains found in the cave date back to the Middle Stone Age people as well as the Khoisan. The Klipgat Trail is a path meandering along the coast from Gansbaai Harbour to Klipgat Cave. Maps and information about this 7km trail are available from the Gansbaai Tourism Office, Main Road, Gansbaai:
Tel: 028 384 1439

Kleinbaai

This is a lovely picturesque little fishing village surrounded by milkwood trees and summer daisies. It is situated on the eastern side of the Danger Point peninsula and it makes the ideal launching site for local fishermen to fish in the Dyer Island area. The shark diving, whale watching and Dyer and Geyser Island tours all operate from the boat launching facilities at the small but natural harbour of Kleinbaai.