Penguins! If one of your items on your bucket list is to see penguins in their natural habitat, a trip to Boulders Beach is for you. In Simon’s Town, less than an hour from Cape Town, South Africa, there is a large colony of penguins on a beach that you can view from wooden decks to protect sand, dunes, people and the penguins from one another. Often called penguin beach, this super fun place is worth the trip.
Within Table Mountain National Park, part of the South Africa National Park system, Boulders Beach has three boardwalks down to a penguin viewing area.
Seeing these penguins was part of our private journey through Table Mountain National Park and our tour of the Cape of Good Hope. These African penguins are endangered and there are multiple reminders to not touch the penguins. If you want a touchable penguin, pick a stuffed one up from the gift shop on your way out of the facility. The Disney model of always exiting through a gift shop is alive and well in Boulders beach.
During the summer, you can see Penguins frolicking at the beach, swimming in the ocean, and nesting on their eggs.
There is a daily conservation fee to enter. Coming with a reputable tour group or even better a private tour guide, can help you make the most of your time, especially if this is a day trip from Cape Town. With our private guide we got the bonus of jumping the line. Instead of having to wait in a long line in the hot sun to pay our fee and enter, the guide had everything prepaid and we just waltzed right in. Less time waiting. More time with penguins. Win win!
Tips. Wear sunscreen and wear a hat. Bring your camera and water. The viewing area is close to the colony so you can get great pictures from your phone. The crowd rotates pretty quickly so you will get excellent views of penguins.
A couple items we found that worked well for this jaunt that we got from Amazon and some tours that you may be interested in. Luxury Nomad Club is supported by our audience. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. All products and services featured are from those we recommend. Review our About Us page to see why you can trust us.
Sun hat https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSXPFMJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 – this one has an opening for a ponytail (critical element for folks with long hair) and a strap so it doesn’t fly off on windy days.
When out and about for day trips, we like to carry an extra battery in case we need a little extra juice for our phones, especially when we are using our phones for navigation. We are always looking for a good battery. We love this magnetic 10,000mAh battery from Anker from Amazon. https://amzn.to/4c38xvx
Looking for a trip to Boulders Beach? Here are some options from Viator: https://www.viator.com/Cape-Town-attractions/Boulders-Beach/d318-a11617?pid=P00158413&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
Here’s a great private tour (like we did) from Get Your Guide: https://gyg.me/CF9ouAdf
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