Day 9 – From Whales to Wine

We had a more relaxed start this morning and got to fully enjoy the beautiful breakfast buffet at Knysna before setting off for our next destination – the Stellenbosch wine lands. On our way we stopped off at Hermanus, the world’s best location for on-shore whale watching.

At first we scoured the bay for even a jet of water spray from their blowholes but found nothing. However things will come to those who wait and after about 20 minutes of agonising patience, we saw our first Southern Right whale. They come here for around 6 months (June – December) from the Antarctic as the waters are much warmer and shallower here which is better to breed and play in. We watched their tails splash out of the water and were thrilled that we had such a good view of them.

We spoke to a local who was also watching the majestic creatures and she estimated that there was at the very least three whales in the bay. Just as we were finishing up to move on however, the whales decided to really impress us as one breached the surface (where they come up out of the water) – not once but twice! I can still picture it now – it was utterly breath taking.

We then continued on to Stellenbosch, through the spectacular scenery of the garden route. The landscapes were breathtaking – mountain after mountain covered in lush greenery of the vineyards as they stretched over the hillsides that overlook Cape Town.

The hotel here was stunning and I think my favourite of all the hotels we stayed in. It felt incredibly grand and had plenty of luxurious fittings, furnishings and superb views.

 

The dining facilities were also great and I enjoyed a wonderful pork fillet dish that was stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and roasted pine nuts, served with a buttery fondant potato. This was of course accompanied by the hotels own superb Stellenbosch wine.