The Cape Overberg – also known as the Whale Coast – occupies the southernmost region of South Africa, with the Cape Winelands to the north and the Cape Garden Route and Klein Karoo to the east. "Overberg" literally means "over the mountain", from where the road descends into the main apple-growing regions of Elgin and Grabouw. Many visitors (wrongly) assume that the southernmost point on the African continent lies at the tip of Cape Point near Cape Town. This privilege has been rightfully claimed by Cape Agulhas, which also marks the meeting place of two mighty oceans, the cold Atlantic and warm Indian.

The Cape Overberg earned its Whale Coast moniker for its unsurpassed whale watching, which attracts thousands of visitors between July and November each year. This is the time of year when the gentle giants of the ocean, southern right whales, migrate along the coast from the cold South Atlantic Ocean to the warmer waters off the Western Cape. View these majestic creatures in close proximity as they frolic in the bay of the quaint seaside town of Hermanus, where there's also a small museum dedicated to the oceanic giants.

With its endemic fynbos vegetation, the Overberg, along with other parts of the Cape, forms part of the tiny Cape Floral Kingdom, a World Heritage Site. The unique fynbos environment is a delight for hikers and a paradise for bird watchers. You might also like to pack a picnic basket and go hiking in the dune fields of De Hoop Nature Reserve. South Africa´s oldest mission station, Genadendal, located in the timeless Overberg town of the same name, was established in 1738 by the Moravian Church to preach Christianity to the Khoi people.

The rich history of the Cape Overberg is echoed in the region's many (somewhat unusual) museums. Museums in these parts are not solely dedicated to manuscripts and relics. There's a fishing museum, a shipwreck museum, an apple museum (in Elgin) and mission museums (Elim and Genadendal).

Gansbaai offers tourists the opportunity to interact with two denizens of the deep, the gentle whale and the fearsome great white shark. Whale viewing is a popular pastime for more mellow folk, while shark cage diving caters to thrill seekers.... READ MORE

Pearly Beach is a small town in the Overberg District located within the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The area is well known for its unspoiled wild beauty and serene landscapes. Pearly Beach is regarded as a remote seaside hamlet, a sleepy and mellow coastal town with only a few houses which are mostly only occupied during the holiday seasons.

The coastline is renowned for its wide continuous pearly white beaches, ideal for long safe beach-walks. Pearly Beach is situated along the migratory whale route where the highest concentrations of whales can be spotted off the beach. The proximity to Gansbaai and De Kelders mean that you are not far from the Danger Point Peninsula where both Southern Right Whales and Great White Sharks are a major draw card. On the inland side of Pearly Beach is one of the world's hottest botanical hotspots. Several plants species are endemic (i.e. they occur only here and nowhere else in the world) to a small area of lime soils.