Penguins / Boulders Beach, Cape Town

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Boulders inSimonstown is a lovely place to visit and see the penquins. Remember that the smell is not too wonderful and we would definately not use it to create a new perfume. We were lucky to see a number of youngsters, some busy moulding and the rest just basking in the sun or taking a dip. My friend went to swim at the boulders beach and he and his little daughter of 9 was lucky enough to swim with a penguin. a great experience for them and she could not stop talking about it. It is quite safe to swim with them.
Entrance fee of R15 for adults and R5 for scholars. This gives access to the beach as well as the walkways and viewpoints
TIME NEEDED: 1-hour to view the penguins

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You'll find an interesting wildlife relationship in action, here it's the penguins who rule and the people who make way for their lovely neighbours.
Drive carefull at nights, penguins are crossing the streets!

Entrance fee of R15 for adults

Stopped at this beach during a Cape Point tour, and it is quite a shock to see the number of penguins roaming the beach. If the only place you've seen penguins is in a zoo exhibit, it is an eye opener to actually see them on the beach and rocks. There was quite a long walk from where the bus parked, to the beach, but a couple good cafe's in route to stop for a beer refresher. It is well worth a visit to this beach, whether part of tour or on your own.

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The scenery is beautiful the penguins are so loving and very protective of their young. Very romantic scene. Be careful when walking near those who are protecting the nest because they will attack you if you get too close.

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Because they're so cute! :)

Nestled in a sheltered cove between Simon's Town and Cape Point, Boulders has become world famous for its thriving colony of African Penguins and magnificent wind sheltered, safe beaches.

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

From just 2 breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3,000 in recent years.

Boulders is part of Table Mountain National Park.

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Watching the penguins was definately one of the highlights of our trip. We got there early (definately recommend this) and watched them from the boardwalk until too many tourists arrived that it got distracting (especially the Chinese tourists on their mobiles). We checked out both areas (Seaforth and Boulders Beach) and found the closest to Muizenburg to be better viewing. We were amazed how close we could get to the penguins. They were just as interested in checking us out as we were they. There is a penguin guard who makes sure that no human gets too close to them. It was so interesting to see how they paired up and took turns watching the nest. I loved watching them find buddies to go in for a swim and then get pushed back by a big wave. One bad thing we saw is a seagull steal one of the eggs (while 2 penguins were fighting) and eat it for breakfast.

The penguins we watched are African or Jackass penguins - so called for the donkey-like braying sounds they make when on land. There are only 16 penguin species worldwide. Jackass Penguins are endemic to mainly offshore islands and only three mainland sites on South Africa’s coast, Simon’s Town is one of the total of 28 world sites where they occur.

I have seen penguins at various aquariums around the world, but here you get to see them in the wild...the admission is R25 per person, and we spent about 45 minutes here and it was enough time to take plenty of pictures and to observe them closely. If you have kids this is a must do....even if you don't have kids we had a great time here...HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT !!!!

I am not a big beach person, but was very sorry that I had assumed we would just stop here to look at the penguins, and had come unprepared to go in the water. The water is very appealing because of rock formations create a calm, clear, shallow, swimming pool environment; with stray penguins just swimming past, ignoring the fact that a lot of people are present.

The admission covers 2 parts: an entrance to the beach, at the south end, and an entrance to a fenced off observing deck at a separate beach just to the north, where the majority of the penguins in the colony hang out.

I thought this was a unique experience, and for anybody with children, this would be a "must-see", full day highlight of a South African vacation.