You’ve hiked Table Mountain, you have explored The Waterfront and Bo-Kaap, and you even swam with Great Whites – it’s time to round out your trip to Cape Town with an experience unique to southern Africa. It’s time to see some penguins on the beach!
African Penguins live mostly in the waters of South Africa and are a rare and special sight as they are currently classified as an endangered species. Due to a number of factors like habitat loss, overfishing, oil spills, and climate change, the number of African Penguin colonies in the world is dwindling. Luckily, we can help! Plan your visit to Boulders Beach where you can see these adorable tuxedoed birds and support their conservation at the same time. Our day trip to Boulders Beach from Cape Town was an absolute highlight of our time in South Africa!
When to Visit Boulders Beach: Best Time to See African Penguins
When it comes to seeing African penguins at their most active, we are on their schedule. Of course, you are here to see them waddling around or feeding new babies. Here is a general breakdown of what’s happening with the colonies from season to season.
January: Summer in South Africa is the moulting season for juvenile African Penguins. This is when you will see the awkward teenage penguins losing their fluffy baby feathers for smooth, adult plumage. Often you’ll see them in a weird in-between phase with half their body still floofy and the other smooth and ready to swim, it’s adorable.
February – August: February begins the mating season for the African Penguin. This season peaks from the months of March to May. This is one of the most active times for seeing the penguins on the beach. We visited in early May and had plenty of action to see including some nesting. We had to resist the urge to touch them because they were often right next to the boardwalk!
September – October: This is perhaps the worst time for seeing the penguins on the beach. During these months the penguins are out in the waters most of the day hunting and eating. You may still see some hanging around on the beach, but it won’t be near the numbers you would expect at other times in the year.
November – December: This is the moulting season again, this time for the whole family. During these months the penguins can’t stay warm enough to be in the cold water so you can find them either on the beach or sheltering in the bush.
How To Get To Boulders Beach: Parking and Directions
There are two main spots to see these flightless birds in all their waddling glory. Boulders Beach and Foxy Beach are both located in Simons Town about a 45-minute drive from Cape Town. The main spot to see the penguins is at Boulder’s Beach Visitor’s Center. There are several wheelchair-friendly boardwalks here that lead down to the beach and let you get the best views of the penguins in action. Ironically, this boardwalk actually leads you to Foxy Beach, not Boulders Beach. Boulders Beach is a separate section where you can swim and enjoy the penguins a bit more freely. There is a path from the Visitor’s Centre to Boulders Beach so you can easily access both. No matter which you choose, be sure to maintain your distance from the penguins at all times. Their beaks are very sharp and they will nip at you if they feel threatened.
GETTING TO SIMONS TOWN: There is a train from Cape Town to Simons Town (Southern Line, 1 hour) that runs almost every half hour. The problem with the train is getting from the Simons Town Station to Boulders Beach. It’s about 3 km away and you will have to walk or catch a cab, however, in my research, lots of travelers found the walk through town to be very enjoyable.
Renting a car for the day was our choice, we rented with Sixt and had a great experience. This was also Jordan’s first experience driving on the left and we survived with almost no issues! If you drive around Cape Town or the route down to Simons Town you will likely notice signage warning you against smash-and-grab theft. While there is no reason to feel in danger you certainly want to keep your valuables out of sight, even when you are in the car driving. This type of theft is common at stoplights and will happen faster than you would realize, so always watch your surroundings when stopped in traffic. Still though, driving is certainly the easiest way to get to Boulders Beach.
PARKING: There are generally two options for parking near Boulders Beach. There is the Seaforth Beach Parking Lot off of Seaforth Road, this is the closest lot to the Visitor’s Centre but does get busy so come early or later in the day. The other option is near Boulders Beach on Bellevue Rd. / Secluse Ave.
As with all parking lots in Cape Town (in our experience), there will be an ‘attendant’ there (even if it’s a public/free lot) that will expect you to tip them to watch your car. Sometimes these attendants are official (hired by the city or business) and sometimes they are not. Either way, it’s best to just expect to give a small tip and be on your way to the penguins!
Tired of reading? Watch the Baby Penguins in our Cape Town travel vlog on YouTube! Be sure to like and subscribe if you enjoyed our video 😊
How Much Does it Cost: Admission and Hours for Boulders Beach
Now that you’ve arrived and stowed the car successfully, you will be heading to one of the two main spots mentioned before, Boulders Beach Visitor’s Centre (Foxy Beach) or Boulders Beach. Both beaches have the following opening hours and admission:
- December – January: 7:00 – 19:30
- February – March: 8:00 – 18:30
- April – September: 8:00 – 17:00
- October – November: 8:00 – 18:30
Admission for tourists (Non-Residents) is R160 ($8.60 USD) for adults and R80 ($4.30 USD) for children.
We promise a trip to see these special animals will be well worth the journey. Here is a HOT TIP, the penguins tend to be more active in the afternoon so plan to make a day of it by first stopping for lunch in Kalk Bay. We recommend the charming waterfront spot, Live Bait. We had a gorgeous seafood lunch with wonderful South African wines looking at the water before heading on to the penguins thereafter. Be sure to tell the penguins we said ‘hi’!
If you enjoyed this post and want more penguin action you can check out our YouTube channel to see our day in Simons Bay.
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