I can distinctly remember the absolute bubbling excitement of little Primary School me the day we took a trip to visit the penguins on Boulders Beach. We spent what felt like an age building up to this epic event – learning all about the lifecycle of penguins and of course drawing and colouring in multiple pictures of these little black and white beauties. I suppose growing up I had no idea that being able to see real live penguins roaming free on a lovely white sandy beach was an experience few people enjoy. In fact, when I moved to the UK I realised that plenty of people have no idea that penguins on a beach ‘are even a thing’!
Roll forward to April 2024 and I was just as excited to make a return trip to Cape Town and visit Boulder’s for old time’s sake! I think I appreciated it so much more as an adult and could see the huge amount of effort and investment that has been put in to protect and conserve the habitat of these charming creatures.
Planning your trip to visit the penguins at Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach is just past the Naval base town of Simon’s Town, and I strongly recommend that you stop off here either before or after your penguin visit. Note that you will need a car to get here, as it’s a good 45 minutes to an hour’s drive from the Cape Town city centre. Simon’s Town boasts a pretty little harbour with plenty of shops to browse and cafes to enjoy. In the square, there’s always an array of market stalls with vendors selling African curios and beaded souvenirs – I bought some beautiful beaded proteas to bring home with me and paid less than I would have at a souvenir shop in one of the main shopping centres (remember to take cash).
When you arrive at Boulders you will need to pay an entry fee to get in, as access is controlled to protect the dunes and penguins. Note that if you are a South African citizen you get a significantly discounted rate but they are STRICT on you having ID on you to prove this. (My husband didn’t have his with him and even though he spoke to the ticket lady in Afrikaans she was having absolutely none of it I tell you!)
As you enter the dune area there are two boardwalks – one takes you straight down to the main beach where you can view the penguins sunbathing, swimming and guarding their chicks. The other boardwalk, to the right, takes you through the dunes and scrubby bush that penguins like to hide in. Here you will see lots of them up close and personal if you are calm and quiet. They are free to come and go as they wish so you may need to be patient to spot one. All in all you will probably spend about 30-60 minutes here, unless you get distracted by all the cute penguin paraphernalia in the souvenir shop on the way out…
After visiting Boulders, we opted to take the (now Insta-famous) Chapman’s Peak drive route back to central Cape Town. This is an absolutely stunning drive with beautiful views all along the coastline. Make sure you drive slowly as there are plenty of viewing points along the way where you can park up and take some panoramic shots. Note that there is a small toll (roughly £2.50 converted) to use this road, but it is 100% worth it for the scenery. You could just leave me there, in the beautiful sunshine, soaking up Cape Town’s beauty forever!
