Stanford

Stanford is a small Overberg village on the Klein River, set on the flat land between the Klein River Mountains and the sea. It is 16 km east of Hermanus and 22 km from Gansbaai, close enough to both for a day of whale watching. The whole village is a heritage area, with streets of Cape Victorian and Edwardian cottages, and the surrounding valleys hold wine farms, a cheese maker and a microbrewery. People come for slow weekends of eating, paddling and birding.

Getting there

A car is the practical option. Wesgro puts Stanford about 90 minutes from Cape Town International Airport. Most people take the N2 out of Cape Town and turn off for Hermanus near Caledon. The other option is the R44 coast road from Gordon’s Bay past Betty’s Bay. From Hermanus, carry on 16 km east to Stanford.

When to go

Southern right whales are in Walker Bay from about June to December, which is the main reason to time a visit. The Hermanus Whale Festival, in late September or early October, pulls in over 100,000 people, so book a bed early if your dates overlap. River cruises run from September to the end of May.

What to do

Get on the river. Cruise boats, canoes and kayaks all go out from the village, and birders have logged more than 200 species around Stanford. If you would rather stay on land, the Stanford Walking Trail runs along the riverbank through town, and it is a good place to look for the endangered blue crane.

The village itself is for strolling: antique shops, art galleries and cafés around the market square, which was given heritage status in 1995. Birkenhead Brewery pours tastings and serves lunch, and the Klein River dairy has a cheese shop where one of the few South African Gruyères is on sale. Several wine farms in the valleys do tastings. There is also quad biking and horse riding.

For a proper walk, drive the 15 km to Salmonsdam Nature Reserve, where a 50 km network of trails crosses the fynbos. Walker Bay Nature Reserve runs along the edge of the whale sanctuary, and De Kelders and Gansbaai add more whales and great white sharks.

Good to know

The village was founded in 1857 on the farm of Sir Robert Stanford, a British army captain. During the convict crisis of 1849 he was ordered to provision the convict ship Neptune, and the backlash all but banished him from the Cape. The Stanford Conservation Trust has protected the old buildings since 1992.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wesgro (Western Cape tourism), SA-Venues, SA-Venues (Klein River cruise), Wikivoyage (Hermanus).