Whale Watching Reviews - 5Yrs Hall of Fame - Gansbaai

Surprised

★★★★★

“ Used these guys after much recommendation from TA users. Surprised that there weren't too many reviews. Got in touch with them through their website and they were extremely helpful and very quick in answering my queries. Booked it by email and paid them when we got there. They do 2 to 3 trips a day but it is weather dependent. The boat is a reasonable size with toilet on board. We saw numerous whales on our trip. The boat goes near the whales but not close enough to touch and the whales approach the boat rather than the boat chasing which i guess must be good for whales. Overall can thoroughly recommend these guys if you want to do whale watching in Gansbaai.”

- Dselvan

Fully recommend the trip

★★★★★

“ Fully recommend the trip, once in a life time experience! Amazing gentle giants..... Top marks to the crew for looking after us so well.”

- Mark Combrinkt

This is what we had come to see

★★★★★

“ I can’t promise you that we’ll actually see them,” Jason said. We nodded our understanding and climbed aboard the motorboat, cameras tucked safely in a rug-sack. Just in case. We had been out with Jason and his boat Ivanhoe several times before in Gansbaai, South Africa. As we launched from the pier, we reminisced about a previous trip to Dyer Island where we witnessed a shark leap out of the shallows and snatch an unsuspecting seal sunning on the rocks. It was a sight to behold, but this time we weren’t here for the sharks. The wind was calm but picked up once we motored out of the harbor and headed northwest along the coast towards Hermanus. Jason had his camera handy as the pilot slowed Ivanhoe down and turned the motor off. Then we all looked out across the sea and waited. Nothing. But Jason and his team do this almost everyday and knew what to do next. The pilot started up the motor and we cruised a bit further along the coast. And that's when we saw them — a small pod of whales that had come to calve and mate. This is what we had come to see.”

- Armand Dijcks

Brilliant whales

★★★★☆

“ fantastic crue would recommend”

- James Norris

tremendous close up encounters

★★★★★

“ We have been visiting the Cape to celebrate my wife's 60th birthday, at a time of illness. Her great desire was to see and be close to the whales. Michelle, Jason and team were fantastic in ensuring that this happened. We went out two days running, and each experience was very different, as was the weather. Everything was professional, and really friendly, and the crew went to great lengths to help my wife on and off the boat, and to ensure that with limited mobility the boat was positioned for her to see the whales. The enthusiasm of the team and personal interest added immensely to such a memorable experience. We had tremendous close up encounters with inquisitive southern rights, which swam around and under us, from every direction. Our first trip gave us the experience of a group of five, while an individual came closer and was the more inquisitive on our second day. The photos we obtained are stunning, and those on the Ivanhoe Facebook page are a bonus. One of the best, if not the best, wildlife encounters in 30 years in Africa. Did you know that whales have bad breath, and that the oily spray from the blowhole can really mess up your lens! Thank you guys, and I would not hesitate to recommend your operation to anybody - excellent value all around. Peter & Jutta”

- Peter Jackson

super crew

★★★★★

“ We were the only two guests on our tour (11-13.30 clock). Get super crew, information about the whales and maintained respect for the animals. We saw a lot of whales from up close. A highlight of our holiday in South Africa”

- Sandra V

Ivanhoe are great

★★★★★

“ This is an experienced team who know exactly what they are doing, are obviously concerned about the well being of the great sea creatures we are going to see, and make the whole whale watching experience really worthwhile... This reviewer has been on the Ivanhoe boat for the 4th time now and will definitely be coming back for more. The trip starts at 11:00 am from Gaansbai and lasts about 3 hours in Walkers Bay. If you're lucky you will also see Great White Sharks. You can whale watch from the shoreline... but it's not until your are in the water next to them that you really appreciate the experience.”

- derekandsabine

the staff friendly

★★★★★

“ a nice excursion from the port of gansbaai to see the whales. austral winter of the sea in this area is frequented by thousands of southern right whales. it is the southern right whale a whale from 15 to 18 meters long and weighing up to 50/60 tons. are peaceful animals and onlookers who often approach boats. and so it was in our caso.ne have seen many, and some almost "touch". a wonderful experience. Ivanohe the boat is sufficiently spacious and comfortable, the staff friendly. definitely recommend this team”

- Stefano

enjoyable experiences

★★★★★

“ My wife and I went out on Ivanhoe with our 4 children between 7 and 3. We had close interactions with several groups of whales and a school of dolphins. It was wonderful to hear and see these creatures in their own waters. The ship is comfortable and was operated by the owner and an equally able partner. Ivanhoe is a family-run business so friendly, personal service is no problem. They are very conscientious of the weather and will reschedule based on sea conditions. Even though rescheduling can be disappointing, it shows their commitment to safety and good experience for customers. They also went out their way to find and reserve a shark diving trip at last minute. Ivanhoe and shark diving at Gansbaai were at the top of our long list of enjoyable experiences in the Western Cape.”

- SeanB

I would recommend the trip

★★★★★

“ We went with our 2 children (2 and 5), on a sunny calm day, the team is so friendly , its a family business and our daughter was with their daughter piloting the boat with the Captain daddy. We saw a lot of whales and dolphins, it was like going on holiday! we also had snacks and water and lollipops for the kiddies. I would recommend the trip and thanks Michelle et her team for such a great experience”

- Indiasophia

professional yet sensitive approach

★★★★★

“ We were a little sceptical as to what we might encounter but were at once highly impressed with the professional yet sensitive approach of the boat crew to the many whales we did encounter The boat is well equipped and made possible some "to die for" sightings All the team including the land based crew who took our booking added immeasurably to the pleasure of this, albeit not inexpensive, trip. Very highly recommend this family run business operating out of Gansbaai harbour Really worth every rand!!!”

- GreenSEssex

beautifull experience

★★★★★

“ We had a beautifull experience with this safari. Luckily the sea was calm with light swell. A very capable crew tells the guests all about the whales and approaches them with respect. We saw almost 10 whales on our two hour plus trip and got a group of dolphins as nice extra. Woww effect when you hear a whale breathing out so close. Tip for a nice place to stay is 'on the rocks' b&b just around the corner with a breath taking sea view and friendly hosts.”

- Dick H

close encounters

★★★★★

“ We chose Ivanhoe because of their smaller group sizes. We have been on many whale watches and our priority was a small group tour that didn’t crowd the boat. Michele was great with answering our questions when we first contacted Ivanhoe. She kept us updated with weather conditions and was helpful with rescheduling our tour due to bad weather. Our tour had a small group of people and the boat was very comfortable for everyone. The sea was fairly calm so it was easy to hear the whales spouting. Their exhalation is really amazing when they are close to the boat. We saw several mother/calf pairs including a calf that breached several times. Ivanhoe offered us exactly what we were hoping for - an intimate small group experience with close encounters of the Southern Right Whales.”

- BuffeloSunshine

second whale watching experience

★★★★★

“ This was our second whale watching experience this month and there was truly NO comparison. We had a miserable time on the overcrowded boat with Southern Right Charters but Ivanhoe provided us with an experience that we will remember positively our whole lives. From the moment I contacted Michelle, I knew we were going to have a good experience. Michelle was friendly and professional and gave us ample notice when our Saturday trip was going to be cancelled due to weather and worked with us to reschedule on Sunday. Their boat holds 40 people including the crew but our skipper, Jason, said they never take more than 25 adults out at a time. This makes for such a pleasurable experience. People aren't climbing over each other trying to get a look at the whales. You can EASILY move from side to side or front to back of the boat to get a perfect view of the magnificent creatures. Another thing that really impressed me about Ivanhoe was that when the whales had satisfied their curiosity and moved on, Jason said "okay, folks. we don't chase our whales...we like to leave them in a good mood so let's go find some others." I loved that they respected the whales whilst still giving us a wonderful experience. The other gentleman on the crew (I feel bad that I didn't get his name) made us feel welcome and offered us water throughout the trip. To me, it really seemed as if each person associated with Ivanhoe actually loved what they were doing as opposed to just looking at is as a "job." Make the trip to Gansbaai instead of Hermanus and have access to places only Ivanhoe is able to go. It is SO worth it!”

- Azhootie

Mr

★★★☆☆

“ Amazing”

- Ali

What a tale

★★★★★

“ THE Ivanhoe boat experience was so amazing!!Sadly I got a bit seasick even after tablets but I strongly advise to sit at the back and remember it is soo worth it! The cap and crew was friendly,professional and remember those energade drinks and enjoy a great experience!!Our trip was Monday 9 November 2020”

- Melani

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Early (Peak)	7am - 9am
Morning	10am - 12pm
Afternoon	1pm - 3pm
Sunset (Peak)	5pm - 7pm
* Peak Season	Aug - Sep - Oct

Whale Watching
Children Under 5	Free
Children Under 12	R 800.00
Adults	R 1600.00
Big 5 Sea Safaris
Children Under 5	Free
Children Under 12	R 575.00
Adults	R 1150.00
Big 5 Sea Safaris SA Special
Children Under 5	Free
Children Under 12	R400.00
Adults	R 800.00

Visitors Book & Reviews

Surprised

Fully recommend the trip

This is what we had come to see

Brilliant whales

tremendous close up encounters

super crew

Ivanhoe are great

the staff friendly

enjoyable experiences

I would recommend the trip

professional yet sensitive approach

beautifull experience

close encounters

second whale watching experience

Mr

What a tale