Tours Around Gansbaai Compared by Price
Four kinds of organised outing cover most of what visitors book around Gansbaai: two whale boats, the shark cage dive and the Grootbos garden tours. Prices below are in South African rand (R), and most come in an international tier and a South African citizen tier.
Adult Prices Side by Side
| Outing | Operator and base | Adult price |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Big 5 | Marine Dynamics Shark and Whale Tours, Kleinbaai | R2,340 international, R1,728 South African |
| Whale watching | Ivanhoe Sea Safaris, Gansbaai Harbour | from about R1,950 |
| Shark cage dive | Marine Dynamics, 5 Geelbek Street, Kleinbaai | R3,655 international, R2,268 South African |
| Florilegium Half Day Tour | Grootbos Private Nature Reserve | R1,950 international, R1,250 South African resident |
| Botanical Art Gallery Tour | Grootbos Private Nature Reserve | R300 |
Marine Dynamics adds a compulsory R150 conservation fee per person on its boat and cage trips. Children under 12 pay less, and under 5s travel free on the boats.
Picking Between the Two Whale Boats
The Marine Big 5 trip is a general wildlife outing. It runs year round for about 2 to 2.5 hours and looks for seals, penguins, dolphins and whales. Child fares are R1,725 for under 12s internationally and R864 for South African children. The company was formerly Dyer Island Cruises, and bookings go through whalewatchsa.com.
Ivanhoe Sea Safaris concentrates on whales. It holds the permit for Area 6 of Walker Bay and sails for about 2 hours at 07:00, 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30, from June to December. A child under 12 pays about R975. The prices on the operator’s site date from 2025, so treat them as a guide and check before you pay. The operator also lists a whale and shark package at R4,200 per adult.
Seeing the Islands
Dyer Island and Geyser Rock are provincial nature reserves about 8 km offshore. Nobody can land, hike, kayak or snorkel there. The boats get you close enough to watch the seals on Geyser Rock, which number in the tens of thousands, and to look along Shark Alley, the channel between the two islands.
Shark Cage Dive Notes
The cage floats at the surface and divers hold their breath, so no certification is needed. Great white sharks have been scarce since about 2017 and no operator can promise one. Bronze whalers and sevengills make up most sightings. White Shark Projects at 16 Geelbek Street is a different business from Marine Dynamics, with its own rates.
Grootbos Tours
Grootbos lies along the R43 between Stanford and Gansbaai. Advance booking is essential, groups hold up to 10 people, and guests must be 12 or older.
The Florilegium Half Day Tour lasts about 4.5 hours, from 09:30 to 14:00, Wednesday to Sunday. It includes a 4x4 botanical safari, a guided visit to the Hannarie Wenhold Botanical Art Gallery and a light high tea. You arrange your own transport to the reserve.
The Botanical Art Gallery Tour takes two hours, from 10:00 to 12:00 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It is the only way into the gallery, and it stays indoors. Horse riding at Grootbos is for lodge guests and is not part of either tour.
Read more: activities in Gansbaai for the free sights, or the three day Cape Town itinerary if you are combining the two.
Browse alternatives on Viator , and check each operator directly on the Grootbos tours page and the Ivanhoe Sea Safaris site .