Hermanus offers some of the best shore-based whale watching in the world, with a seaside trail that runs for miles along the coastal cliffs. The land drops off sharply into a deep bay below where whales come to cruise of play, sometimes as little as 20 metres away from the shore. To ensure that visitors are kept in the know, a designated ‘whale crier’ patrols the trail, sounding his kelp horn when he spots these majestic ocean mammals.