Hermanus Whale Festival

Hermanus is built along the shores of Walker Bay near the Southern most tip of Africa. Magnificent mountains watch over the town which is home of the Southern Right Whale. Nature lovers from all over the world visit Hermanus to view these magnificent creatures from the best land based whale watching destination in the world.

Every year, from July to December, the Southern Right Whales travel thousands of miles to the Cape south coast of South Africa to mate and calve in the bays. Join the villagers of Hermanus to experience awesome sightings of these magnificent animals as you enjoy a meal in a restaurant, browse through the craft market, walk along the cliff paths or gaze out your window.

Intresting Facts:

The Southern Right Whale is a migratory mammal. They spend one season in one place and the rest of the year in another, and travel long distances inbetween these seasons. In summer (December through May), they are in the cold polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere where food (mainly krill) is present and plentiful. Winters (June through November) are spent around the shallow coastal waters of Southern Africa, South America and Australia. The shallow, sandy-bottomed and sheltered bays of our coastline are perfect for mating, calving, nursing their young and resting.

One female will mate with a number of males. There can be even up to 8 males at a time trying to mate with one female. During mating, there is a lot of activity on the surface (splashing, pushing, shoving, large and frequent blows). The male producing the most sperm is probably the father of the calf.

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