Hermanus Whale Route

Clarence Drive and the Whale Coast

Clarence Drive is the stretch of road between Gordon’s Bay and Hermanus, and it is routinely cited among the finest coastal motorcycle roads anywhere in the world. The road hugs the base of the Kogelberg mountains where they drop straight into False Bay, with sheer cliff walls on one side and the ocean on the other. There’s no straight stretch longer than a few hundred metres. On a clear winter morning, with whale blows visible in the bay and the Hangklip mountain ahead of you, it’s genuinely hard to believe this road exists.

We leave Cape Town early — the light on Clarence Drive before 8am is something you need to see — and ride around the bay via Gordon’s Bay before turning onto the coastal road. We take it slowly. There’s no point rushing this one.

Hermanus is one of the world’s premier land-based whale-watching destinations. Between July and December, southern right whales bring their newborn calves into Walker Bay to nurse before the return journey to the Antarctic feeding grounds. The old harbour cliff path puts you close to the water’s edge, and even in quieter months dolphins are often visible from the cliffs.

After lunch we head into the Hemel-en-Aarde (“Heaven and Earth”) valley, which rises into the Kleinriviersberge mountains west of Hermanus. The valley produces some of South Africa’s finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A cellar tasting is included on the 2-day version.

Day two returns to Cape Town via the R43 and Sir Lowry’s Pass — the road climbs to 520 metres and the view back over the Strand and False Bay is the perfect final frame for the trip.