Whether you visit South Africa’ s whale-watching capital Hermanus or choose a scenic spot along the Garden Route or Wild Coast, seeing these marine giants in their natural environment is an experience that you won’ t want to miss. From June until November, Southern Right Whales are highly visible along the Cape south coast, making this the perfect time of year for a whale-watching trip. You don’ t even have to go out on a boat to see them because Hermanus, overlooking
Whale Watching
Walker Bay, is considered to be the best landbased whale-watching spot in the world. Southern Rights often come in close to the shoreline, sometimes appearing just a few metres from the shore. Clear, windless conditions are the best for spotting whales. You should look out for the whale’ s blow, as it’ s usually the first sign of its presence. Other good places to see the giants of the ocean from the shore are at Plettenberg Bay, Algoa Bay and along the Wild Coast. in their natural environment.
South Africa’ s diverse geography, encompassing deserts, forests, mountains, grasslands and coast, supports an astonishing variety of wildlife. Kruger National Park alone has 16 different vegetation zones fed by six rivers, sustaining a multitude of game including 10,000 elephant, 20,000 buffalo and endangered species such as black and white rhino, wild dog, cheetah and lion. Sabi Sand is known for its quality leopard viewing. The private reserve boasts one of the most stable and bio-diverse wildlife populations anywhere in Africa, drawn to the steady water supply of the Sand and Sabie rivers. The“ giants” of Mashatu Game Reserve include large bull elephants, ostrich and eland, the world’ s largest antelope. On your South Africa safari you can expect to see elephant, lion, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, zebra, hyena, wildebeest, warthog, baboon and a huge variety of antelope including kudu and gemsbok. You may also see rhino, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and aardwolf.
South Africa’ s varied geography has diverse habitats, including deserts, savannahs, rainforests, mangroves, wetlands and mountain regions, such as the Soutpansberg and Maluti mountains. The region has more than 300 dedicated places or reserves for wildlife, including more than a dozen national parks. Many of these parks are now linked to reserves in neighbouring countries. These large conservation areas allow for the natural migration of the animal populations. De
february 2017 | destination exotica 13