A guide to whale watching in south africa flight centre uk. Santa lucia guest house is situated in a world heritage site. Kwazulu natal whale watching south africa accommodation. Linda and paul are very friendly and well informed on the local flora and fauna. Sep 18, 2017 hermanus, the whale capital, was ranked in the top 12 whale watching locations in the world by the world wildlife fund. We just returned from a trip to south africa that was to have included whale watching with advantage tours out of st.
Stay in st lucia go on an adventure with renowned skipper danie bennett, who together with his qualified crew has a treasurehouse full of knowledge about the whales. However, i have to warn you that advantage tours canceled our planned tours two times because we were the only two people who had signed up. The best time for watching the southern right whale along the cape south coast is between june to november, with peak calving season in july and august. I learned that you should never start off a whale watching trip by saying i never get seasick. St lucia won kwazulunatals town of the year in 2010 and 2012. A south african beach popular with christmas holidaymakers has been closed until the carcass of a beached whale is removed amid concerns its blood may attract sharks, the city of. Whale watching in st lucia, south africa monkeys and mountains. Lucia got the best whale watching in south africa, and the whales come within just 3 kilometres of the st. The boat is licensed to carry 40 passengers but we restrict the loading to 25 passengers, this avoids overcrowding and passengers can move freely. Opens out onto a private patio with views over pool area and tropical garden. The curious humpback whale can be seen between may to december, moving up along the coast from hermanus to st lucia in kwazulunatal. At this stage, only the tugela river mouth was known as st. Theres no better place than south africa to witness the seas most awesome creatures in action, and its topnotch restaurants, hotels, and culture round out the experience. You can search for sperm whales, humpbacks and pilot whales, as well as spinner, spotted, fraser and common dolphins.
St lucia is an excellent holiday destination with plenty to do. We booked a four day safari experience with heritage day tours and had a great time, which i would recommend to anyone visiting the area. You may download the appchoices app at appchoices to opt out in. Witness one of the largest marine mammals on earth, humpback whales join us whale watching from st lucia south africa. Aug 26, 20 theres no better place than south africa to witness the seas most awesome creatures in action, and its topnotch restaurants, hotels, and culture round out the experience. Whale watching st lucia south africa home facebook. South hemisphere humpback whales make up the majority of whale sightings in. St lucia, south africa 15 contributions 1 helpful vote adrenaline experience if there is one thing you can not do then it is to compare our whale watching in st lucia with the whale watching of hermanus from the beach.
A full speed start from the beach to cross the breaking waves. All the way east in south africa from santa lucia, you can do boat trips to crocodiles and hippos to the lake of the same name. It is located on zululands elephant coast, between the indian ocean and the lake st lucia estuary, and is the only town located in a natural world heritage site. The route traverses several famous protected areas, including the garden route, tsitsikamma national park, and the transkei. Aug 17, 2011 whale watching st lucia south africa,st lucia south africa, whale watching saint lucia south africa, south africa whale watching,w. Go on an adventure with renowned skipper danie bennett, who together with his qualified crew has a treasurehouse full of knowledge about the whales.
Durban i mainly took local minibuses again, and walked not a difficult city to navigate. Anonymous from south africa, 02 nov 2010 whalesong. The dive sites of sodwana bay represent the most southerly hard coral reef systems in the world. Whale watching st lucia south africa,st lucia south africa,whale watching saint lucia south africa,south africa whale watching,w. Whale watching waters off the coast of southern africa run from false bay, south of cape town, up as far as st lucia in kwazulunatal on the east coast. This is an aspect that most other whale watching tours dont have. Dec 25, 2016 south african whale watching territory runs from doringbaai, far up the cape west coast, around the cape peninsula and as far up the east coast as st lucia, near the mozambique border. Whale sightings are virtually guaranteed during this time. On this tour, take to the waves with your guide and cruise to the best whale and penguinwatching locations around walker bay and stoney point. An up close and personal experience from as close as 50ms, which will leave you with fond memories. Aerial view of group of whales in st lucia, south africa, one of the top safari tour destinations.
Watch as whales come within metres of the shores, and join in on the festivities of the annual hermanus whale festival this year held on. Whale watching in st lucia in st lucia, kwazulu natal. The tour includes narration on whale behaviour and the latest whale research. Whalesong bed and breakfast is situated on the elephant coast in the heart of the exquisite st lucia world heritage site between lake st lucia and the indian ocean in south africa. Enjoy magnificent views of the west coast of st lucia and sip on complimentary rum punch or nonalcoholic beverages on a 3. But if you have booked a whale watching trip with us we would advise you to leave 2 hours before your whale watching trip departs just to give you 30 minutes extra travelling time just in case there might be delays with traffic etc. Humpback whale sightings offer the most incredible cure for seasickness. Where to whale watch in south africa fodors travel guide. Humpbacks and brydes whales are mostly spotted offshore from boats, but by far the most commonly sighted species, either from land or from a boat, is the southern right whale. Danie bennett from advantage charters st lucia has been involved with boatbasedwhalewatching for the last 10 years, and since the start of permitted whale watching in south africa, he has been sending photo ids of the humpback whales spotted on his tours, slooth skin and other data diligently to his scientist mike meyer at marine and. Dead whale closes popular south african beach amid shark. Advantage tours and charters are the only legal boatbased whale watching tour operator in st lucia and,although the trip is costly. In 1822, st lucia was proclaimed by the british as a township. Make your way to south africas 2000km long whale coast for a privileged encounter with the largest mammals on earth.
Whale watching tour south africa saint lucia youtube. When you think of whale song, you think of the sound that the humpback whale makes. So i did the unthinkable for a travel bloggeri put the camera away. Humpback whales may be witnessed from the st lucia town as well as cape vidal. The best time for traveling to the east of south africa is the dry and mild winter from may.
All whale watching excursions are weather dependent. Luxurious and spacious en suite room with king size bed or two singles, air conditioning, room safe with tea and coffee tray. Come and experience our friendly environment where our intention is to ensure you have pleasant and relaxing experience. Whale watching st lucia south africa,st lucia south africa, whale watching saint lucia south africa, south africa whale watching, whale. Hermanus whale watching best close encounters, purpose. St lucia, south africa 15 contributions 1 helpful vote adrenaline experience if there is one thing you can not do then it is to compare our whale watching in st lucia. Although whales can be spotted from the beach right place right time, viewing whales from a boat is a completely different experience. Comfortable and accessible hippo and crocodile cruises on lake st lucia. Whale watching archives st lucia tours and charters. The atlantic ocean waters off south africa are home to a diverse range of marine creatures, but finding the best viewing spots requires local knowledge. Whalesong is a 4 star guest house situated in the world heritage site of st lucia. Hermanus has become one of the many small towns to visits when coming to. Hermanus, the whale capital, was ranked in the top 12 whale watching locations in the world by the world wildlife fund. Ocean experience whale watching st lucia tripadvisor.
Lucia, the isimangaliso wetland park is a pristine wildlife reserve in south africa. Heritage tours and safaris offers a 2 hour whale watching excursions from june november when humpbacks are migrating. A legally permitted holder ocean experience will undoubtedly ensure a value for money experiance. It was one of the best whale watching trips ive ever been on. St lucia, where the guest house is situated is the gateway to the isimangaliso wetland park, south africas first world heritage site. More than 11,000 marine species have been recorded in local waters, more than 5% of all known global marine species. Know before you go whale watching in st lucia isimangliso wetland park. Getting up close and personal with 45 tons of marine mammal is always an exhilarating experience. Their collection of moans, cries and howls can continue for hours and have made them rather famous. Whalewatching waters off the coast of southern africa run from false bay, south of cape town, up as far as st lucia in kwazulunatal on the east coast. When these gentle giants migrate off the shores of st lucia south africa during the winter months. St lucia offers you a opportunity to witness one of the most incredible sightings of humpback whales. They can be viewed from cliffs and beaches, while boat operators offer trips out to sea for close encounters. They might look friendly, but hippos are some of the most dangerous animals of africa.
The best time for whale watching in south africa is during our winter months from july to november. Each airconditioned room is individually decorated. Sodwana bay lies hidden amongst the coastal dunes at the northern edge of the st lucia wetland park. Whalesong bed and breakfast is situated on the elephant coast in the heart of the exquisite isimangaliso world heritage site between lake st lucia and the indian ocean in south africa. Whale watching is one of the major attractions of the western cape. Whale watching season starts june to end of november. From the 1 st of june to the 30 th of november there are daily tours if the weather allows which brings you as close as 50 metres to the humpback whales, the 5 th largest animal ever to inhabit this planet.
It is a beautiful, modern house with tropical gardens and large swimming pool, lounge with big screen tv and dstv. South africa is one of the top 10 locations worldwide for whale watching, with exceptional land and boatbased whale viewing from cape town and the garden route to the wild coast, richards bay and st lucia. Whale watching south africa humpbacks, southern rights, bryde. St lucia offers you an opportunity to witness the mighty humpback whale as they migrate past st lucia from june to end november, this magnificent 2 hour boat based whale watching excursions allows one to get closer to nature. There is something enchanting and exciting about coming face to face with sea creatures which are 60 feet long, weigh approximately 44 tonnes and make noises that can be heard up to five miles away. At least 37 species of whales and dolphins can be found in the waters off south africa. The apparent suicide game made news this week with claims that it was heading to south africa. Located at the centre of a vast marine reserve, sodwana bay is widely regarded as the scuba diving capital of south africa.
St lucia is a veritable mecca for those that love wildlife and the outdoors that make south africa such a desirable destination. South african whalewatching territory runs from doringbaai, far up the cape west coast, around the cape peninsula and as far up the east coast as st lucia, near the mozambique border. Breaching of humpbacks is a common sight and definitely one to remember. The peak time, when daily sightings are virtually guaranteed, is during september and october. Unforgettable whale watching boat tour from saint lucia south africa. Whale watching tours south africa best whale watching in sa. Ocean experience whale watching st lucia 2020 alles wat u. With landbased, boatbased and aerial whale watching options, south africa offers some of the most accessible and rewarding whale and dolphin watching opportunities in the world. Aerial view of group of whales in st lucia, south africa, one of the. Rates and accommodation whalesong st lucia guest house. Opens out onto a private patio with views over pool area and. Jan 03, 2014 unforgettable whale watching boat tour from saint lucia south africa. Youll learn a lot of interesting things about humpback whales.
St lucia won kwazulunatals town of the year in 2010 and is unique in that it is the only private village in the world that is surrounded by a world heritage site. The whale route starts along the south of cape town and extends to durban, 1,200 plus miles of whale watching coastline. Advantage tours are one of the top two boat based whale and dolphin watching operators in south africa. Humpback whale sightings are virtually guaranteed in st lucia from june november. Whalesong st lucia st lucia south africa accommodations. Humpback whale watching off st lucia nightjar travel. Whaletrips south africa the best tips for whale watching.
Only a two hour drive from cape town, this little town is the heart of the whale route. South africa is wellknown as one of the best destinations worldwide for watching whales. Best time for whale watching in south africa rhino africa. Amazingly, 31% of these species are endemic to the region not found anywhere else. Africas top ten whale and dolphinwatching destinations. Whale watching with st lucia charters in st lucia, kwazulu natal. Dec 24, 2015 a south african beach popular with christmas holidaymakers has been closed until the carcass of a beached whale is removed amid concerns its blood may attract sharks, the city of cape town said. Whalesong guest house is located in the heart of the st lucia world heritage site, between st lucia and the indian ocean along the elephant coast. Whale watching in south africa home brand south africa.
66 141 139 1347 297 237 205 1527 1403 810 1497 1009 1339 1079 528 864 1281 328 161 967 1024 452 1143 899 924 1211 537 1623 1049 877 750 147 1109 772 247 1123 865 247 883 1175 812 914