Travel

Whale Watching at Koppie Alleen at De Hoop Nature Reserve

Posted on 11th Sep 2017

On the first full day of our trip to De Hoop Nature Reserve, we headed out to Koppie Alleen to see if we could spot some Whales.

One of my favourite things about travelling, especially when I take my kids along, is unplugging from Social Media, work and getting right down to connecting with nature. And sleep. And peace and quiet. Okay, so there is a lot that I love about travelling to nature destinations, what are some of yours?

De Hoop Nature Reserve is the perfect place to do all these things. They offer so many different ways to connect with nature, like their new Vulture Experience, Interpretive Marine Walks, Hiking, Biking and so much more. You can find their list of activities here.

Now, I didn’t do any of these guided activities, my kids would never sit still or be quiet enough for them, so we decided to take a drive to Koppie Alleen to see if we could spot some whales.

Koppie Alleen is a quiet and secluded beach (my favourite kind) around 13km drive from the cottages. The gravel road that leads to Koppie Alleen is flanked with fynbos and flowers, and we spotted quite a few bokkies and ostriches on our way there.

The Southern Right whale has made the De Hoop Reserve one of the world’s best land based whale-watching areas and I can see why. This marine protected area is a World Heritage Site and one of the world’s most important nurseries for this endangered mammal. During the winter months (June to November), Southern Right whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can relax on the unspoiled sand dunes and watch in awe as these beautiful creatures calve, blow breach and belly-flop.

However, we didn’t see any belly-flops, there were about 12 in the ocean when we visited Koppie Alleen, and they were just chilling. I tried to take photos of them, but I really need to invest in a zoom lens.

The beach was pristine, while my eldest walked into the water, shoes and all, my youngest and I collected sea shells. I really regretted not bringing swimsuits and towels, but I had no idea that the weather was going to be so warm.

We spent a couple of hours just watching the boys play on the beach, watching the whales bob in and out of the water, while the soothing sound of the waves meeting the shore became totally hypnotizing. This day spent at Koppie Alleen has quickly become one of my favourite travel memories.