De Kelders

De Kelders near Gansbaai, on the whale coast of South Africa, is considered one of the best land-based whale viewing spots in the world.

Walker Bay seems to be the ideal spot for the southern right whale with its sheltered bays and rocky inlets which entice the whales, year after year, as the place to mate and calve, from July to December.

Whales come to within metres of the rocks that line the edges of kelp beds along the De Kelders coastline.

There is no better place to whale watch than from the veranda of Coffee on the Rocks Restaurant, which has a bird’s eye view of the bay. If you want to get up close and personal, why not go out on a kayak or on a boat cruise.

And it is not just the whales that love to swim in the bay. A protected cove, Stanford’s Bay, in the middle of De Kelders is perfect for swimming, and there are miles of beautiful white beaches, rock pools and private coves in the area.

The little village of De Kelders, which lies just 5 km north of Gansbaai and about 25 minutes’ drive from Hermanus, has managed to remain largely immune to the large scale tourism that envelopes this part of the country, and is still essentially a fishing village and famous for its seafood.

De Kelders (Dutch for “The Caves”) and after which the town was named, is known for the amazing network of underground caves that penetrate deep into the limestone rock formations beneath the cliffs. The best known of these caves, Klipgat, named for its remarkable window-like openings that offer spectacular views of the bay and sea, was home to Middle Stone Age people about 65’000 to 85’000 years ago. Excavations have yielded important artefacts. There is a beautiful 7km trail along the coast to the Klipgat Cave.

The beaches of the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, well known for fishing, can be accessed by a 4×4 Fishing Trail which gives anglers easy access to popular angling sites. The reserve has a magnificent 17km beach, ideal for walks, picnics and kite surfing. If you prefer boat-based fishing, you can take a charter with a seasoned skipper.

From nearby Gansbaai, you can take a Dyer and Geyser Island boat trip, and see penguins and colony of 50 000 Cape Fur seals and maybe the great white shark. Or, you could be brave and experience an excellent shark-cage diving trip.

If prefer to have your feet on solid ground, take a quad bike trail or ride a horse on the beach or in the mountains or just walk around Platbos Forest, the most southerly indigenous forest in South Africa.