The beaches are a sun worshippers dream with long expanses of soft powdery white sands or cosy rock protected coves. Grotto Beach is the longest while Voelklip Beach is closer to town and has terraced lawns.Kammabaai Beach is popular with surfers with braai and picnic facilities under milkwood trees. Langbaai is a secluded beach and Onrus is the beach for surfers.

Just outside Hermanus is one of the best locations to do shark cage diving with the great whites.
Tours taking people out Sea Kayaking enables you to get out on the water under your own steam to search for seals and even whale.

Hermanus boasts that it has the best land based whale watching in the world. From its rocky cliffs, whales can be seen from as close as five meters. The peak whale season when sightings are virtually guaranteed every day, the season starts as early as May going on into November. A must to see is the worlds only whale crier who walks the streets of Hermanus who by giving different blows on his kelp horn, alerts everyone to the whereabouts of the whales. His sandwich board tells where each of the horn codes refers to and the number of whales spotted at each location.

The Fernkloof Nature Reserve Over 50km of hiking trails showcasing a diverse variety of unspoilt coastal mountain fynbos. There are guided tours by arrangement for a nominal fee plus a series of graded trails for all ages and fitness levels giving everyone the chance to experience the wonderful flora found in Fernkloof.

The Cliff Path is a unique attraction - stretching from the new harbour to Grotto Beach 10km long. You can pick up the path at many points and view the beaches, watch whales or just sit and watch the scenery.

Day Trips from Hermanus include Bettys Bay (51kms) to see the colony of Jackass penguins at the Stoney Point Reserve. The historical town of Swellendam (151kms) for its ancient oak tress, stately white washed homesteads, the Drostdy Museum and the Marloth Nature reserve.Danger Point is the rocky peninsular which extends for 8km our to sea. This is there the Birkenhead rock which sank the HMS Birkenhead in 1852. There are tours to the lighthouse and the Birkenhead Memorial arranged on request. Just a few of the many places to visit. You can pick up good tourist information at many points in Hermanus giving you full details.

Knysna and Plettenberg Bay are only 20 min’s drive apart on the N2.
Located on Leisure Isle Bollard Bay Beach is ideal for families with safe swimming in shallow waters. Buffalos Bay is a fine sandy beach stretching al the way to Brenton-on-sea. It offers safe swimming for families, for walking and fishing and whales and dolphins can be spotted from the shore too. The beach at Brenton-on-sea is suitable for walking and sunbathing but with strong currents it is not suitable for swimming, but offers lovely little bays and coves to explore. Sedgefield-on-sea is sheltered by its famous dunes and is a haven for fauna and flora.

For adventure there is abseiling at The Knysna Heads, boat tripsthrough The Heads, canoeing, fishing, cycling, golf and horse riding, plus for those who enjoy a real thrill, the worlds highest bungy jump at Bloukrans Bridge!

Take a ferry ride across the estuary to the Featherbed Nature Reserve where a 4x4 drawn trailer takes you to the top of the Wester Head. You can then choose to walk back along the trail or stay with the trailer on the way down.
Knysna and Plettenberg Bay offer a good range of golf courses to enjoy in the area.  Some with stunning ocean views.  

If you like steam trains there is the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe which until recently operated between Knysna and George.  Sadly the service is no longer in operation although there is a service that takes in the route across the lagoon.
The Knysna Elephant Park has up to 3 young, tame elephants and offers a rare and exciting opportunity to get close to these gentle giants, who live in a controlled, free range environment. You will also learn about the sad and mystical story of the Knysna Elephants - the world's Southern most elephant.  There are supposed to be 3 left which you can scan the forest for whilst enjoying mapped hikes planned by Knysna Forest Trails.  The trails varying form days of hiking such as the Outeniqua Tail which takes a week to day hikes such as the Four Elephants Trails.  Accommodation on the hikes over days is in the trail huts. Cycle Trails are also available as are bikes to hire.  

Wilderness National Park offers a variety of marked and mapped trails for hiking and cycling.  The park covers a unique system of lakes , rivers, wetlands and estuaries that are vital for the survival of may species.  The bird life is amazing including many varieties of king fishers and the Knysna lourie.

Day trips can easily be made to the Robberg Nature Reserve at Plettenbery Bay , forest and costal walks at the Tsitsikamma Forest , the dramatic beaches at Wilderness , the historic George and finally Mossel Bay.

The Knysna-Avontour road climbs through the Outeniqua Range via the awesome Prince Alfred’s Pass.  The pass reaches a height of over 1,000m offering great views to the north.

The endless sandy white beaches of Plettenberg Bay are legendary but there is also la lots more to do then sit on the beach, soaking up the African sun and relaxing..

Robberg Nature Reserve should be a priority on any list of things to do in Plettenberg Bay. Offering sweeping views, superb whale and dolphin watching, excellent bird watching, interesting hiking routes, and the Nelson Bay Cave - an archaeological site with evidence of human habitation that stretches back for more than 120 thousand years.

If its big game you're after then a guided drive or hike at Buffalo Hills Private Game Reserve to see if you can spot white rhino, buffalo, impala giraffe or many other mammals.

Monkeyland, the world's only multi species free roaming primate sanctuary. It offers a home to many varied species of monkey that are captive bred prior to their release at Monkeyland.  Here is now home to 2 of the monkeys from London Zoo.  In the same area serviced by the same car park is Birds of Eden which is fantastic even the most least likely bird watcher is impressed by this experience.  Also in the same area is the Elephant Sanctuary, home to neglected and mistreated Elephants. A guide will introduce you to the Ellie’s allowing you to have stroke and a cuddle even let you take an elephant for a little walk, hand to trunk, fantastic!

Knysna and Plettenberg Bay offer a good range of golf courses to enjoy in the area.  Some with stunning ocean views.  

Making the most of the natural landscape and scenery there is also canoeing, boat cruises, diving, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and township tours.  All year round there are boat trips in the bay, during whale season make sure you go out in a licensed whale boat that adheres to the regulations allowing you up close but not too close.  Outside of whale season the boat trip is an experience still worth while taking in the seals out at Robberg and hopefully finding the dolphins.  The boats are launched from the beach in an exciting manner shunted off into the ocean and beaching on return is just exciting riding the surf of a wave up the beach!

The surf school at Plett’ hires equipment and offers lessons to get you up and away.  The lagoon offers more sheltered waters if the ocean is too choppy.  Kite surfing, wind surfing and surfing are excellent and provide plenty of entertainment for those that prefer the drier ground of the beach or indeed Lookout Restaurants deck with the company of a glass of wine. 

Tsitsikamma National Park protects 82km of coast on the Eastern Cape including up to 5km out into the ocean.  The most acclaimed hike the 42km Otter Trail hugs the coastline from Storms River Mouth to Natures Valley.  There are plenty of trails offering short hikes and cycle ways, varying in length from part day and day trails to those providing accommodation in hiking huts and hotels spanning several days.  TreeTop Canopy Tour where you glide through the forest treetops from platform to platform via a series of cables is a must.  A guide will instruct you and lead you through the canopy pointing out tree formations, bird life and monkeys.  Alternatively a wood cutter journey forest tractor ride provides a less high flying way to see the forest.  Konga Bush Eco-Camp offers an overnight bush experience.  Bloukrans River Bridge Bungee at 216m is the worlds highest bungee jump.

Being less then half an hour from Knysna you can enjoy all the day trips listed for Knysna too. 

Sadly tours do not really allow enough time, listed below are the key sights and activities in our experience.
Winelands

Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are both historical towns, however Franschhoek is far smaller and has the reputation of the ‘best town to eat out in in the
Southern Hemisphere’ this is because it has more of the top 10 awarded restaurants than any other. 
Oudtshoorn
Sadly this area has manage to gain a frightening quantity of ghastly ‘tourist traps’ the must do’s are:

• Cango Caves
• Two passes route, Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort Pass
• An ostrich farm
• Walking with Meerkat - at experience which is amazing but time consuming and an early start plus sadly not guarantee the tour will go ahead

Prince Albert
Is a lovely old Karoo town and an experience in itself.  In the area are wonderful hikes in Swarberg Nature Reserve or if you prefer pony trekking and quad biking. 

Plettenberg Bay
See above but recommended must do’s are:

• A boat trip in the bay regardless of whale season or not
• Canopy TreeTop Tour
• Monkeyland & Birds of Eden, Elephant Sanctuary if you are not going on safari
• Knysna day trip taking in the Heads and the lagoon

Swellendam
Historical town dating back to 1776, dotted with oaks surrounded by fields

• De Hoop Nature Reserve

Stroll the town take in Dutch Reform Church and if you like museums Drostdy Museums including the Old Gaol and Mayville dating back to 1853.