Western Cape, Overberg Fishing
Overberg offers whale watching from the long golden beaches, and plenty of accomadation for the holidaymaker to walk along the “cliff paths” or follow the coast all into Hermanus small town, or, in the opposite direction, walk along kilometres of pristine beaches to the lagoon and beyond.
There is paragliding off the Olifantsberg, vineyards tours that include sampling their wines, and shopping for art and crafts bargains in Market Square . Whatever your vigor level, Hermanus offers it all in the sun and “champagne air”.
Some activities include arts and crafts, there are numerous artist owned studios and galleries to view.
Grotto Beach is Hermanus’ most celebrated beach, As the coastline dotted with coves ends, so Grotto Beach begins, extending past the magnificent lagoon at the mouth of the Klein Rivier all the way to De Kelders. Other beaches include Voelklip, Kammabaai, and Langbaai.
Bird watching is an ornithologists dream with mountain, coastal, river and estuarine avian habitats. De Wets huis photo museum offers a over-the-top photographic documentation of the history and development of the town and dolphins are often seen in the region. Species include the endemic Heavisides dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin and Common dolphins.
Extreme sports are also on offer in the area such as, hang-gliding, paragliding, mountain biking, powerboat racing. Fernkloof in the saddle between Lemoenkop and Olifantsberg, Fernkloof Nature Reserve hosts one of the richest flowered kingdoms in the world. It has 50 km of hiking trails and a mountain biking track.
The Hawston Sea fete (December) and the Food & Wine Fair (July) are a must for a cultural education, with
sea fishing and lagoons full of galjoen, steenbras, kob, red roman, silver fish, red stumpnose, John Brown, and many more, Hermanus attracts fishermen from all over the country. In addition, the New Harbour is a working fishing harbour where you can buy fresh fish, live crayfish, oysters and other quality seafood direct from the sea in the New Harbour.
Hiking on the fynbos-covered mountains, Fernkloof Reserve offers unparalleled beaches on a variety of walks above the town. Hermanus boasts all manner of spas and beauty salons that offer the very with-it treatments all aimed at ensuring you relax and de-stress. Passion play is held in the Old Harbour every year PERLEMOEN, ABALONE or VENUS EAR is up for your taste buds, Hermanus is regarded as the principal centre of the perlemoen industry with a plethora of excellent restaurants that offer a delicious variety of local and international cuisine with stunning vistas.
Rock lobster eating and fishing tours, along cage diving with the Great White Shark in the cold Atlantic. Let’s not leave all the shopping for the ladies with charming boutiques, markets and shops galore. And for the young and adventuresome, water sports, windsurfing or water skiing on the lagoon, or diving, fishing and boating in the sea.
