Visit the Penguins at Boulders Beach for a Truly Memorable Experience
There is something incredibly endearing about penguins. Maybe it is the way the clumsily waddle around when on dry land. It could be the fact they seem to be wearing tuxedos. It could be their incredibly expressive facial expressions. Whatever the reason for their appeal, we love them. Now as penguin lovers we need to tell you about a place where you get to see them up close and personal and even swim with them, Boulders Beach near Cape Town.
The sheltered waters and large boulders of Boulders Bay provide the almost 3000 strong African penguin colony with the perfect home. The history of the penguin colony can be traced back to 1982 when a pair of love struck penguins decided to raise their little penguin family amongst the enormous rocks. At first the new family had a few problems with the local inhabitants who weren’t accepting of their new neighbours. This had a lot to do with the penguin’s raucous behavior, treating the beach and gardens as their own and the destruction of the undergrowth. The Cape Peninsula National Park concerned by the breakdown in relations between man and penguin stepped in to mediate and since then all parties get along swimmingly (pardon the pun).
Today the Boulders Beach penguin colony is a major tourist attraction. People come from all over to watch them waddle, squawk and frolic in the water. The best place to see the penguins at Boulders Bay is at Foxy beach. Boardwalks wind through the dunes and vegetation and the ever obliging penguins are only too happy to pose for pictures. Just like most models they can be temperamental so don’t try to touch them otherwise you could find yourself with a nasty penguin inflicted injury.
Once you’ve seen the penguins of Boulders Beach from the boardwalk head down to the sand to enjoy the rest of the day and of course, swim with the penguins. After a relaxing day head into the historic village of Simon’s Town where you will find plenty of nice restaurants serving delicious fresh seafood. A trip to Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach makes a perfect day trip from Cape Town and one the whole family will love. Squawk!
Useful Information
Admission and Opening Times
- Where: Simon’s Town
- When: Dec-Jan 7am-7.30pm, Feb-Mar. 8am-6.30, Apr.-Sept 8am-5pm, Oct-Nov 8am-6.30pm
- Admission: R45 adult per day, R20 child per day.
Getting There and Away
- Car: Simon’s Town is only 40km from Cape Town which makes it an easy day trip. The quickest way to get there is head south along the M3 until you reach Simon’s Town.
- Train: Take the MetroRail from Cape Town to Simon’s Town. Taking roughly an hour the train winds its way along the coast and is one of the most scenic train rides in Africa.
James – Marketing Team
