De Hoop Nature Reserve in Hermanus

We had a fabulous three nights at the De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Manor House. The food was an absolute delight as was the service. What an absolute treat. The scenery breathtaking and the whales just out of this world. A real life time memory.

Exceptional beauty in a true South African experience!!

Beautiful place. Unspoilt nature. The flowers were incredible and so many whales. Also saw a sea lion. And dolphins

Paradise...white sand dunes. Great food. Phenomenal service. Charmaine our waitron was friendly and professional.

Incredible park, one of the best in South Africa. Many animals, rest assured you will spot some whales from the beach, especially during winter.

Fantastic 5 days on the Whale Trail! Such an incredible experience and so many whales seen. Scenery is spectacular and stunning flowers and fauna

Amazing place, was fortunate enough to be at both LekkerWater and KoppieAlleen on tag and release fishing trips inside these MPAs

Beautiful amazing awesome colorful interesting clean-trail excellent-serviced-overnight-hiking-huts

Fantastic 5day Whale trail hike. Overnight cabins spacious & well equipped. Book a year in advance as popular & rather end of August /early September. Not advised in hot summer months as no shade on the trails

Stunning nature reserve, we enjoyed viewing game and walking on the beach. The gate for the hikes does close earlier than the main gate, 16h00 verses 18h00 as I recall. Worth getting an early start if you plan to spend time walking. We were there as day visitors, but would love to return for an overnight stay.

To.many long the way for come here we wiee with the Dolphin very Amazing

The Whale Trail is a must. Saw many whales. Weather was cold so no swimming. Huts were great. Sad to see waste dumped by Cape Nature such as rain water tanks and rusted 200 litre drums. Etc.

Stunnig views, spotted whales, dolphins, Eland, Bontebok and so much more! The clear rock pools is a wonderful playground for kids.

Hiked the 5 day Whale trail and it was absolutely amazing. Views were beautiful and the trail and huts were in good condition.

Did the fantastic 56km 5 day Whale Trail hike. Great experience

Had a stunning lunch in the most beaitifull settings. Saw a lot of bucks and also the most beautifull rainbows! Had a nice walk down to the beach, but returning was another story! Felt it the next day!🤣

The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. There are lots of animals close to the accomodation which provided a lot of entertainment. The restaurant area is very cosy and the food was very tasty. The restaurant also has a beautiful view over the water, especially during sunsets. There could be more signs for the red walking route, and just note that its not that easy walk for elderly people.

The landscape is wonderful but the way to get there is such a pain. There is a very long ride on dirt road.

Awesome Whale Trail hike

Fantastic Coastal reserve. Unique Coastal Fynbos. Wonder ful vlei with very good birdlife. Fantastic white beaches in little coves. One of the best whale watching sites on the Cape Coast. Well worth the visit. Accommodation is expensive.

What a great hike and we have already booked for the third time next year. The service and info provided is exceptional - they even got my hiking stick back from Potsdam car park and sent it to me via Postnet.

This is a very special place. There is so much water in the estuary. Ive never seen it this full. The eland have multiplied and the beach is as beautiful as ever. Even though completely untouched you can see how our oceans are being polluted by plastic waste. Fantastic spot for a mountain bike ride and trail run too.

De Hoop includes remarkable landscapes, up-close animal experiences, diverse ecologies including rich, strange marine worlds, and historical buildings and presence. To top this all is knowledgeable helpful staff and guides, good mountainbike and hiking routes, and a lovely restaurant. It was my 4th visit, and only gets better.

The reserve is very special. The entrance fee compared to other tourist attractions is very low and you get many different great impressions for it. We stayed only one day and spent the night in Swellendam.

Prestine environment. Great food and servicce at restaurant. Park best enjoyed with high ground clearance vehicle. Excursions a bit expensive for what is offered.

De Hoop Nature Reserve, with its unique combination of pristine fynbos vegetation, abundant vlei, coastal and aquatic wildlife, with activities including hiking trails and guided marine walks, bird walks, eco boat cruises, nature drives and mountain biking. Ask for the exceptionally knowledgeable Dylan as guide to your guided marine and bird walks.

The Whale Trail is an experience that belongs on every bucket list. The views at De Hoop are breath taking. Photos cannot do them justice.The accommodation on the trail is spectacular for a hiking trail, but obviously in the context of a hiking trail. Each unit is fully equipped with 6 bunk beds, comfortable for 12 adults. Make sure you get to Noetsie early to enjoy the day there.For the seaside part of the route we saw whales, dolphins and seals daily. Such a special experience.Always make sure you have enough water and sunscreen en route as there is minimal shade on the hike.The reserve itself is an extremely special place, well looked after and respected by all hikers.

A truly special place! We thoroughly enjoyed watching the baby ostriches right in front of our cottage and seeing the whales while we enjoyed a picnic on the white dunes. This is based on our last visit, each time offers a unique experience and wonderful memories.

Absolutely magical destination. Highly recommend visiting this reserve. Pristine wildlife, and an abundance of fauna an flora. The Restaurant also serves delicious food.

Beauty not discovered by the masses yet. Incredible combination of Fynbos, rocks AND coast! Amazing hiking trails.

We have been going to De Hoop for 20 years and it never fails to deliver. The birds, the wildlife, the dunes - all just wow. Took my daughter and cycled with a herd of Eland - priceless. Just go!

Second time visiting here. I’ll say it’s beautiful but the second time coming didn’t have that wow effect I had initially. I’ll suggest maybe they should install ventilator in the rooms cuz when it’s really hot, the rooms are way too hot. For us it’s a bit overpriced for such accommodation but the staffs are very very nice and friendly. Greetings to the restaurant team. Great job guysInstagram@styledbyjeo

One of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Stunning fynbos throughout the park. Eland, bontebok and zebra were aplenty. The restaurant staff were excellent and the food was lovely.

A piece of heaven, where you can just appreciate nature and be. The staff are highly competent, professional and friendly, putting guests needs first. The restaurant offers exquisite food that never disappoints.

Just loved this place. One of those unspoilt places that has has diverse landscapes, flora and fauna. A few days needed to relax and take in the beauty of nature.

One of the best nature reserves I have been to in a long time! Great views, wonderful beaches, calm animals (eland, bontebok, zebra, ostrich, baboon, small mammals, birds galore, pristine fynboswonderful swimming & whale watching. Restaurant or picnic area. Well signposted. Accommodation too, if you want to stay over.

Beautiful Cape Nature Reserve abundant with flora and fauna as well as marine life. We stayed at the De Hoop Collection and was sy fortunate to thoroughly enjoy the reserve. We saw Zebra, Bontebok, Eland, Ostrich, Baboons, Grey Rhebok. The vlei was dotted pink with flamingos due to the low water levels. We were there early October 2020. There road from Bredasdorp was in terrible condition with several huge potholes and worse because it was raining heavily. If you can rather take the route via Swellendam - it is also gravel road but in much better condition and it is a, pretty countryside drive.

Beautiful retreat in nature. The bird life is just incredible plus buck, zebra and baboons. We camped, which is super simple but clean bathrooms and shady with beautiful views and a nice firepit. Restaurant is nice with a great wine list but food mediocre. We loved the boat cruise.

Quiet, secluded and the best servicw I ever experienced. Staff went out of there way to help when our car hat a flat tire. All staff is very friendly. If possible I will surely visit De Hoop Nature Reserve again

Beautifulkept accomodation, the staff are very friendly and helpful at the gate. Your room gets cleaned while you are out during the day, which was a nice surprise. Lots of animals and bird life to see

The beaches and dunes are right out of a dream, well worth the lengthy gravel road to arrive at the park gates. A nice sample of wildlife along the well maintained park roads try to steal your attention from the stunning dunes as you approach the beach parking. Water front walks are extremely nice and safe for all levels, give yourself some time to stop and smell the ocean air. If you are hungry at any time during your visit the Fig Tree Restaurant at the De Hoop Collection is really first rate, the mussel soup was as good as I’ve ever had.

Wow! What an amazing place. It took over an hour on a gravel road to get here, but dont be put off by that, its well worth the effort. We stayed for two nights; one night would not be enough. Birds, wildlife and scenery amazing. We took an evening birdwatching boat trip, an early morning guided bird walk and a lunchtime guided coastal walk. All well worth it unless you are already an expert biologist/marine scientist!

Very scenic with beautiful dunes and white beaches. Sea is an awesome turquoise colour. Unfortunately the wind was blowing at about 40kph.

Went camping and loved every moment. Rumour has it that De Hoop might close camping sites. Hope it is not true. Saw 20+ whales playing at Koppie Alleen, Otters swimming in river.....awesome place

3.5 hour drive from Cape Town, BEAUTIFUL accommodation. Restaurant staff could be trained better but the food is wonderful. And the general staff are awesome. Start of the whale trail.

Most amazing natural reserve in South Africa’s Cape Province. Stunning accommodation, divine food, lovely people, lots to do and experience. Take a boat cruise on the beautiful natural lake and view the abundance of sea and land birds. Get up close and personal with the black and white striped mountain zebra, the ever so proud but curious bontebok, the majestic eland and the long legged ostriches. Gain access to the natural marine conservation area with its rolling white sand-dunes on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and spectacular views of whales at certain times of the year.

Has to be one of our favourite places on the planet. Spectacular coastline, giant dunes and we watched whales jumping out of the Indian Ocean. Stayed a night in a lovely rondelle Excellent food and super staff. Oh yes, and there was loads of other birds and animals to look at as well.

Absolutely beautiful sanctuary in the mountains and on the coast. The Whale Trail is one of the most fabulous hikes in the Western Cape.

Its probably the most beautiful place on earth. It takes long to get to the beach through wicked roads but once you manage its really worth it! The most beautiful white sand dunes falling onto the blue sea.

One of the best wildlife places i ve ever been to.Balance between people and nature makes it a very nice place to stay for a couple of days.Can either stay on low cost or luxury style.Dont miss Koppie Alleen, the beach. Youll probably spot some whales.