Car Hire Cape Town Airport

Organising a car rental from Car Hire Cape Town airport will ensure you're able to explore the city from the onset. Here's how to enjoy every aspect of Cape Town Travel that boasts attractions such as Table Mountain, Robben Island and the V&A Waterfront - Cape Town has something for everyone travelling to this beautiful city.

At first point of contact car rental Cape Town airport ensures transportation from the airport. This is essential as your safety is paramount. It’s great to venture into a city with plenty to offer without considering how you’ll reach various places safely and efficiently but you’ll most appreciate the city if you’ve planned well. Of course, you’ve heard plenty about the Cape Town City Travel and this is most likely the reason why you’re considering boarding the plane and throwing caution to the wind. You’re on the right track as Cape Town’s particularly known for its beautiful scenery which lends itself to a relaxing ambiance.

"If you’re keen to withdraw from the harsh realities of everyday life, venture into a world of serenity or nightlife that dissipates everyday stresses."

One of the greatest reasons for Cape Town Travel is that the inner city offer an array of wonderful leisurely activities as well as small towns strewn a few hours outside of the city, If you’re keen for citylife, venture into the inner city and explore the V&A Waterfront where the luxurious One & Only Hotel is situated. The waterfront has numerous clothing stores ranging from South African designer stores such as Maya Prass, Stoned Cherrie and Young Designers Emporium to Overseas brands such as Jimmy Choos and Ed Hardy. The V & A Waterfront is certainly a shoppers dream as it houses various stores from camping equipment at Cape Union Mart and an Apple Computer store.

Once you’ve ventured into Cape Town’s city life, why not use your car hire, head away from the Car hire Cape Town airport and towards small towns such as Swellendam. Riversdale and Bredasdorp, or why not try a Wine Route Travel route? Cape Town offers quaint towns where you’ll find cosy bed & breakfast accommodation ensuring a relaxing no-hindrance getaway surrounded by huge oak trees and majestic mountains. Most towns have interesting historical monuments such as churches which were built centuries ago. These towns are particularly family-orientated. In Swellendam for example, you can take your family for a visit to the fairy sanctuary, a popular spot for picnics and hot chocolate.

Organising car hire and heading toward Cape Town airport is all it takes to start the journey of discovery.

Source: Car Rental Cape Town

Cape Town – What’s the Weather Like?

As with any vacation destination, the weather in Cape Town is an important factor to consider when you are planning your holiday. Certain seasons are better for some specific activities than they are for others. For example, while summer is the best time for beach lovers, the city’s winter months are better for visitors who want to head out of the city on wildlife safaris, as various weather-related conditions can make the animals more visible.

Mediterranean Climate

Because South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite of those in North America and Europe. It is located halfway between the Equator and Antarctica, so overall it has a temperate climate. Cape Town’s southernmost location on a peninsula between two oceans gives it a Mediterranean-like climate. The summers are warm and dry, and the winters are wet and cool. But be forewarned, the weather can be fickle in Cape Town at any time of year. In the summer, cool winds can bring a sudden chill to the city, ruining plans for a day at the beach. Likewise, in winter a sudden warm spell can bring gorgeous, sunny days. A rule of thumb for tourists going to Cape Town is to pack a sweater or jacket if you’re visiting in the summer, and some light clothing if you’re going in the winter to cover all bases.

Southeaster and the Cape Doctor

The nippy summer wind that can suddenly sweep across Cape Town is called the southeaster. It blows in from across False Bay and can reach gusts of up to 60 km per hour. On those days you’ll want to find something to do indoors! In its gentler form, this wind is called the Cape Doctor and is a breeze is just cool enough to provide relief from the humidity. The Cape Doctor is what causes the mantle of cloud around Table Mountain which locals call the Tablecloth. The Tablecloth is beautiful to look at, but it can shut down the cable car service on the mountain due to poor visibility.

Party Time

For fun in the sun, sand and surf, the best times to visit Cape Town are from October to mid-December, and from mid-January to Easter. These periods will produce an average of ten hours of sunshine a day. From mid-December to mid-January, Cape Town is one of the favourite places for South Africans looking for a seaside holiday and this is also party time when the city hosts numerous festivals. So it is advisable to book accommodation and transport well in advance if you’re planning your holiday around this time.

Joys of Spring and Autumn

In spite of the shorter hours of daylight, the autumn period, from April to mid-May, is a pleasant time to visit Cape Town. The southeaster drops off, the temperature is comfortably warm, and the light is sharp and bright. Likewise, the spring month of September can be very attractive. These are good times to tour the Garden Route or enjoy spectacular views from Table Mountain.

Winter Wonderland With No Snow

June and July are considered the depth of winter in South Africa. However, aside from periods of heavy rain, the weather is usually quite mild and temperatures rarely dip below six degrees Celsius. Flowers are always in bloom and there are no bare trees, making it a picturesque time. In addition to being the best time to go on wildlife viewing excursions, winter also marks the beginning of whale watching season. Migrating whales begin to appear off the Whale Coast in July, and remain until November.

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Boutique Hotel Hermanus

The Whales Are Arriving in South Africa

Whale watching in South Africa: Every year, these beautiful gentle giants congregate to our shores to mate and calve. South Africa has got to be one of the most incredible destinations

in the world for watching marine mammals. In early June, southern right whales leave their Antarctic feeding ground to frolic in the warmer waters of the Western Cape coast. Here they mate, calve and generally hang out, occasionally flopping a tail up, or sticking their heads out of the water, much to the delight of onlookers. They are a true marvel to behold.

Whale watching in South Africa is done from June to November, although it's not uncommon for whales to be spotted outside this period. They pick some of the most beautiful stretches of our coast for their activities. Some of the best viewing spots include Lamberts Bay on the Cape West Coast, the Cape Peninsula, False Bay, Hermanus, Arniston, Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. Some 37 species of whales and dolphins are found in South African waters, but the most common are the humpback whales and southern right whales (in spring), which are frequently encrusted with white barnacles. Humpback whales are similar in size to southern right whales (around 15m), and are often seen off the South African coast between July and November as they move to Mozambique to calve and breed, and to Antarctica, where they feed.

The absolute best way to enjoy whale watching in South Africa, is to go on a whale-watching boat trip. The boats are big, comfortable and moderately dry. Boarding is easy and people in wheelchairs can be accommodated. In some cases, the prices of these whale watching boat trips can be quite high, but the chance to get within metres of whales at water-level is simply unforgettable.

Hermanus is one of the finest places for South African whale watching. It is home of the Southern Right Whale which is named as such because it was considered to be the 'right' whale to catch. Whether it is the calm waters or their well-documented curiosity that brings them closer in, whales often come within a few meters of the shore. Hermanus as a town, is very much geared towards whale watching and many vantage points have been set up to accommodate the hundreds of people who flock here for the Hermanus Whale Festival every year in late September. The festival consists of nine days filled with music, theatre, sport and parties. The famous Whale Crier will be around to give everyone the latest whale watching news.

You could also visit one of the many coastal nature reserves to enjoy more South African whale watching. For example the De Hoop Nature Reserve near Bredasdorp which offers numerous spectacular trails and hikes varying in distance to get the most out of your whale watching experience.

Plettenberg Bay justly lays claim to the title of the South African Whale Watching Capital. The southern right whales can be seen for the whole season and when they are getting ready to leave in early November, the humpback whales arrive with their calves, and stay until the end of December or early January. A truly memorable sight! Plettenberg Bay is where the South African dolphin and whale watching industry is said to be the most organized. There are whale watching boat trips, dolphin-watching kayak trips and a number of aircraft from which you can check out the whales from the air. The town has made a vast effort to promote a responsible boat-based whale and dolphin watching program. Viewing, distances and time spent with each animal are strictly monitored so that there is minimal interference.

Which ever way you choose to watch these magnificent creatures, it is an absolute must. South African whale watching is truly an unforgettable experience!

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Whale Watching in Hermanus, South Africa

And what better time to do this than during the whale season, as this is the home of the Southern Right Whale. These beautiful creatures can be seen between the months of July and December when they come into the bay to mate, calve and just relax in the relatively warm water.

Hermanus, also known as the "Riviera of the South", has been said to be the best location for land based whale watching in the world. It is situated on Cape South Coast. It is also possible to take a boat trip and on such a trip you might even see three types of whales, dolphins, seals, penguins and a variety of sea birds.

However, the whales are usually so close to the shore there is no need for a boat trip. You can see them frolicking at Walker Bay, and have to wonder if they aren't watching you, instead of only you watching them. Hermanus is the only town in the world which has its own a whale crier who alerts everyone to the whereabouts of the whales by blowing a horn.

The most popular whale to be seen from Hermanus is the Southern Right Whale, given its name while still hunted as it was the "right" whale to hunt. Reason for this being that the whales float when dead, instead of drowning. They also have a large amount of oil (also known as blubber) and baleen.
Today these whales are rather looked at with awe than hunted. The estimated number of Southern Right Whales is 7000 and approximately 2000 of this total can be found on the shores of South Africa. The birth rate of these whales is 7% which means that every 10 years the population doubles.

Most of Hermanus' shoreline is rocky cliff, high above Walker Bay, thus offering magnificent viewpoints from which to observe the whales.

Every year a whale festival takes place in Hermanus during the month of September. This festival is a joyous occasion filled with music, theatre, fairs and even sporting events. People come from all over the world to marvel at these giant and graceful mammals. There is a wonderful atmosphere in Walker Bay and Hermanus during this time, where a variety of entertainment in available. From stalls, galleries and craft markets, to performers who delight in a variety of drama and comedy. Of course the highlight remains the land based whale watching!

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The Whale season has begun.

The whale season in Hermanus has officially begun. The first few whales are being sighted off the coast as our old friends return to breed and calve. In honour of this occasion here is some info about the Southern Right Whale courtesy of Hermanus.com

The Southern Right Whale
(Eubalaena australis)

The Southern Right Whale is a baleen whale, which means that instead of teeth it has long plates hanging from the top jaw. These baleens work like a sieve when the whale feeds.

The Southern Right Whale got its name during the time when they were hunted. They were reffered to as the "right" whales to kill because they would float when dead (which made it easy for the whalers to find them in the ocean and transport them back to the whaling station. These whales have a large amount of oil (also called blubber) and baleen.

They are named "Southern" as there are two species worldwide of Right Whales, one in the Northern Hemisphere and the South African species in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Southern Right differs from most other whales in the following ways:

• It has no dorsal fin on its back
• When it breathes out there is a V-shaped cloud above the water.
• Presence of callosities on its head. These callosities are white warts or rough skin patches on which little creatures, called whale lice, are attached.

The Southern Right Whale is a migratory whale, which means that they spend one season in one place and the rest of the year in another, and travel long distances between these seasons. In summer (December through May), they are in the cold polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere where food (mainly krill) is present and in quantity. Winters (June through November) are spent around the shallow coastal waters of Southern Africa, South America and Australia.

Our coast is exactly what they need during this season.The shallow, sandy-bottomed and sheltered bays are perfect for mating, calving, nursing their young and resting.

One female will mate with a number of males. There can be even up to 8 males at a time trying to mate with one female. During mating, there is a lot of activity on the surface (splashing, pushing, shoving, large and frequent blows). The males producing the most sperm is probably the father of the calf. This mating strategy is known as sperm competition.

Females usually have one calf every three years. gestation (pregnancy) is about 13 months. Most calves are born during August. They have an average length of 6.1 meters (20 feet). They suckle for 4 to 8 months and drink up to 600 liters of milk per day growing 3 cm (1.2 inch) per day. The mothers apparently do not feed during this season but live on the blubber they store up during the summer feeding season closer to Antartica.

After the mating and calving season ends (November / December), the Southern Right Whales move South. By April they are between 50 and 55 degrees South (2000 kilometers or 1300 miles South of Cape Town) where they then feed.

Females measure about 13.9m and males are generally slightly smaller, average weight estimated 41 tonnes. They have a life expectancy of about 50 years.
Their favourite food is small animals called copepods (a plankton crustacean) of which they consume up to 600kg per day.
Right whales only long-term bonds are between mother and calf.
Their number grows by about 7% every year, which means that their population doubles every 10 years. The number of Southern Right Whales should be back to what it used to be in 2040.

Hermanus Accommodation

Swiss winemakers find heavenly spot near Cape

Hemel-en-Aarde, "heaven and earth", is a region east of Cape Town, South Africa, where two Swiss expatriates produce their own selection of wines.

The last stretch of the drive to the vineyards of Jean-Claude Martin and Christoph Kaser is a reddish-brown dirt road. A gate with the South African flag - and a smaller Swiss one - indicates the entrance to the Creation Wines estate, a few kilometres inland from the quaint coastal town of Hermanus.

It is distinctly cooler here 350 metres above sea level. Yet it is still warm for a winter day in South Africa. The sounds of frogs and crickets from the nearby water reservoir welcome visitors. The scent from the tasting room and a garden around the cellar hangs in the afternoon air.

Ideal conditions for winegrowing and little piece of heaven for 37-year-old JC, as Martin is called by his staff.

“It was love at first sight,” he recalls. He and his Swiss business partner bought the land in 2002.

Sheep were grazing here before the two winemakers decided to turn the virgin land into vineyards. The terroir stretches around between two mountain ranges, which occasionally receive a sprinkling of snow in the cold season.

“Temperatures can also drop below freezing at night on the estate, which is good for the vines. But the weather conditions are stable throughout the year,” says Martin.

The 22 hectares now yield about 200 tons of grapes and an annual output of 120,000 bottles. It is a niche production for South Africa but remarkable compared with Switzerland.

Standing in the middle of the hilly territory of the valley, away from the bustle of the city, the quiet is interrupted only by a farmer’s car on the road in the distance or the hum from a ventilation system in the cellar.

Jean-Claude Martin (swissinfo)

Production

Growing as many as ten different varieties of white and red wines, including sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah and merlot, on a plot this size might not necessarily be best from a commercial viewpoint, Martin acknowledges.

But it’s the quality that counts. “At this stage it is also about finding out what varieties do better than others here,” he explains.

The first wines were only harvested four years ago and in 2009-2010 the estate reached full production levels.

Martin and Kaser know they are in for a long haul as it will take up to ten years before their investment could begin to pay out.

So far there has not been a day when Martin has regretted the decision to leave Switzerland and settle in the country of his South African wife.

Entrepreneur

Martin is aware that he has been taking a risk as a young entrepreneur, but he is confident. “You don’t know how things will work out in the end. But it is important for me to have taken the step and I have a great time here.”

The Swiss is also quite optimistic about the future of South Africa, despite the problems that plague the country.

There’s no denying the huge gap between the rich and the poor and the potential for tensions between blacks and whites.

Martin says by settling in South Africa he has been creating jobs that can feed around 30 families in the area. He employs farm labourers and local staff for the cellar and the wine tasting facilities.

He says he makes no difference between people of different backgrounds. “It is their work that counts.” He says he wants to pay fair salaries and to keep work done manually in the vineyards and the cellar rather than use machines.

Swiss or South African?

Martin says he knows of other Swiss winemakers in the region, but he doesn’t seem to feel a special urge to seek close contact. “We all have our own busy lives and clients,” he says.

He aims for an international market and exports his wine to ten countries. His winery also attracts an increasing number of South African wine enthusiasts who find their way to Hemel-en-Aarde.

He feels a greater degree of independence as a winegrower and entrepreneur in the Cape region than in the closely-knit Swiss society, where projects can be blocked by long administrative procedures and complaints by jealous neighbours, he says.

Martin is convinced that he could go and live in many other places around the world as he finds it easy to adapt to a new environment.

And when it comes to the football World Cup in South Africa he takes a pragmatic view.

“I think my family supports neither the South African nor the Swiss team. Together with our son we will be rooting for Spain.”

Urs Geiser in Cape Town, swissinfo.ch (With input from Stéphane Gabioud, RSR)

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If you are interested in visiting Hermanus check out this great Hermanus Guest House and find info on all Hermanus activities.

Viewpoints on Whale Watching in Hermanus!

If you're looking to spot a whale, the first few things you'll hear people say is:

"Hermanus has the best land-based whale watching in the world" and "You're sure to see hundreds of whales breaching from the waters off the rocky cliffs to the West" or "You'll definitely see them lob tailing from the vantage point of the golden beaches to the East".

And this indeed is a fact.

Every year, like clockwork, the whales return to Hermanus for their yearly rendezvous in Walker Bay, carrying out their annual rhythms of mating and calving.

Considering what people actually understand about the Southern Right Whale - named because it was the "right" whale to hunt - the whales perspective will always be something mysterious and unknown.

What we do know is that they prefer the warmer waters of Walker Bay for a breeding ground rather than the cold waters of their usual haunt, the Arctic Circle.

According to the calendar they can be seen from July to November. What areas of Walker Bay or the time of day to expect them is hard to say. But there is one expert in Hermanus who is sure to know.

The Whale Crier of Hermanus

If you've never heard of the Whale Crier of Hermanus, it's because Hermanus is the only place in the world to have one. If you're interested in whales this is one whale expert you definitely need to meet.

Pieter Claasen was the first to lift a horn-shaped tube of kelp to his lips at age 11, sounding the first base notes announcing the arrival of the whales. Since then, his predecessor, Wilson Salukazana, has become Hermanus's second whale crier.

He answers any questions posed to him about whales...

Wilson can tell you where they come from, what kinds there are in the bay and even the names of the aerial stunts they perform. He also knows the best coves along the shore and the places where you can get within 20m of these gentle submariners.

However, his most useful service is a system for notifying whale enthusiasts by coded calls issued from his kelp trumpet.

When he sees the whales on yonder horizon, he blows his trusty horn like he was at home watching a soccer match! And the crowds come running. Two long calls for the viewing spot at Roman Rock. One short call for the Old Harbour, where you can zoom in on the whales with the telescopes provided. One long, one short and another long call for the Voëlklip lookout position.

These are just a few, but there are other spots the Whale Crier claims are even better standpoints for whale watching.

Wilson, the Whale Crier, has many whale tales to tell. If you catch him at the right time, you can hear the legends he has gathered from the past that only he knows how to tell.

The ancient whale migration patterns have remained unbroken for thousands of years...

The Moby Dick Hermanus Whale Festival

Another thing you can count on is the annual Moby Dick Hermanus Whale Festival, happening during the last week of September. Expect things to be in full swing, offering festive greetings to the whales on their return.

The festival is perfectly timed for the spring season and serves as a great way of welcoming back the spirit of springtime for both parties.

The festival centres on the towns market place. Food stalls sell freshly produced foods from the nearby farms, crafters display skilfully made earthenware pottery and assorted trinkets all uniquely crafted by hand. Restaurants bustle with activity and the pubs pour drinks well into the night.

Hermanus is for Everyone

Hermanus is a haven for crafters and musicians, quiet folks and artists. All see its mountains, beaches, wild flora, fauna and of course the whales from their own point of view.

Whether you're gazing at the ocean from the rocky cliffs to the West or marvelling at the sunsets from golden beaches to the East, the friendly people of Hermanus invite you to draw your own experiences.

The Windsor Hotel is situated on a cliff edge just meters form the sea. Providing advantageous perspectives on the Indian Ocean, it was built in 1896 making it the most well-established hotel in Hermanus. The staff at the Windsor Hotel will make your stay a seaside holiday you'll never want to leave behind.

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If you are keen for more info on whale watching in Hermanus check out the info at this Hermanus guest house.