Penguins - Boulders Beach, Cape Town

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This is a must do! Penguins have so much character and are so fun to observe! Go into Simon's Town and follow the signs to the Boulder Colony. There is a public parking lot and then you have to walk south for about 10 minutes. A while ago, it didn't cost you money to see them and you can walk out right onto the beach. Now, you do have to pay and a raised wood decking is about as far as you can get onto the beach. However, the decking provides some pretty good viewing.

I could not find an official website with visitor information. Currently, the cost for viewing is 45 rand for adults and 20 rand for children.

Please see my travelogue for more penguin pics!

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To some people it is a surprising fact that there are penguin colonies in Africa. That’s reason enough to see these sympathic animals. In the 1980s, the african penguin (or jackass penguin, because of the sound they make) was an extremeley endangered species. Today, the population has risen again to a stable level, but preservation measures are still necessary. You can see the penguins from several places at Boulders Beach, but I would like to recommend the bird sanctuary. In early 2012, the entry fee was R45. You’ll get some basic information about the penguins and the chance to come close to the animals. The money is used for further preservation activities. The smell of the penguins is not the most pleasant, especially when they are chaning their feathers. But that should be nothing to worry about. You can easily visit this spot on a daytrip around the Cape Peninsula, where you’ll enjoy the diversity of this flora and fauna.

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Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is located in the Cape Peninsula, near Simon's Town towards Cape Point, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is also commonly known as Boulders Bay.

It is a popular tourist stop because of a colony of African Penguins which settled there in 1982. Boulders Beach forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

Although set in the midst of a residential area, it is one of the few sites where this vulnerable bird can be observed at close range, wandering freely in a protected natural environment.

From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3,000 in recent years. This is partly due to the reduction in commercial pelagic trawling in False Bay, which has increased the supply of pilchards and anchovy, which form part of the penguins' diet.

Bordered mainly by indigenous bush above the high-water mark on the one side, and the clear water of False Bay on the other, the area comprises a number of small sheltered bays, partially enclosed by granite boulders that are 540 million years old.

The most popular recreational spot is Boulders Beach, but the penguins are best viewed from Foxy Beach, where newly-constructed boardwalks take visitors to within a few meters of the birds.

It is also a popular swimming beach, although humans are restricted to beaches adjacent to the penguin colony.

Most probably the penguins r so used to have so many human visitors, as they dont run away but even go on w their own shows to each other as we shoot photos ... :)

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Boulders Beach is world famous for its colony of African penguins that have been living here since 1983, when the first couple of these interesting birds appeared in the neighbourhood. Today there are about 2500 individuals in the colony.
There are two possibilities of observing penguins at Boulders Beach. The first one is free of charge. From the car park you can take a path called Willis Walk. You will see penguins among the vegetation along the path. When you reach the end of it there's a small car park from which you have a view over Boulders Beach and recreational area which is accessible for those with the tickets. The other option is to enter the Boulders National Coastal Park ( admission fee is R 30 = 4.20 US dollars). Here you can see the birds from specially designed board walks and viewing platforms. This main penguin viewing area is called Foxy Beach and is only for penguins use. Through another entrance, near the end of Willis Walk you can get down to the Boulders Beach where you can observe penguins from a short distance or, especially in summer, share a swim with them. But be careful not to get too close, as the penguins are said to have a nasty bite.

African penguins are not big. They measure about 50 cm and weigh between 2.5 and 3.7 kg. Their characteristic feature is a black stripe curving across the top of their chest. Their young have the blue/ grey backs and white bellies without that black stripe. African penguins are "steady in love" and have the same partner for years.

No, its not some sort of mistake, if you visit Boulders Beach, you will see Penguins walking around in the sun on the beach.
Located in a gorgeous spot between Simons Town and Cape Point is this world renowned beach that houses the unique African Penguins that are seen as a vulnerable species.
Only about 10% of the original 1,5 million penguins are still around, so really worth seeing them.
The drive to Boulders will take around 40 minutes and is very very scenic.

Here you will see the colony of the African penguin on the beach and by the broadway. Nice place to check out. Bring a camera you will take lots of pictures. Boulders name comes from a cluster of large granite boulders breaking the coastline and providing numerous sheltered inlets and reefs.

Not much to say here. I was so looking forward to seeing the penguins... and see them I did. It was not quite as I imagined it to be - the penguins are on Boulders Beach - you are not. You are on a boardwalk that juts (just) onto it. You have to go through a visitors centre to pay to get in and, whilst these penguins really are wild and their environment is human-free and rather extensive,,, it has the feel of viewing them as you would in at a zoo!

This is the beach where all the penguins come ashore to nest. You can pay the entrance fee to get on the beach, or just go on the walking trail and also see penguins right next to the trail. They are really cute to watch, jumping over rocks and greeting each other.

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The African Penguins are nicknamed "jackass" because their bray resembles that of a donkey. I guess they weren't in a talkative mood when I saw them, as I didn't really hear it. Penguins are my favorite zoo animal, so it was nice to see them in the "wild" - although their colony is protected. This was the 2nd colony we saw - as we stopped at Betty's Bay on the way to Cape Town from Port Elizabeth. The Cape Town colony seemed smaller, but I liked the beach better, vs. almost all rocks at Betty's Bay.

A large colony of penguins lives in the vicinity of Boulders Beach, which is on the eastern shore of the Cape. You can see them on the beach as well as in the woods behind the beach, where they burrow their nests into the ground. There is a walkway that goes for about 1 km behind and alongside the nesting areas, which gives you a good view of where and how they live. There are parking lots at each end of the walkway. The beach area itself is only open during the daytime. However, the walkway behind the nesting sites is open in the evenings as well.

We were there at the end of the day, and saw dozens of penguins leaving the beach to go inland to their nests. It was a very interesting sight watching them all waddling along.