In Cape Town and want to visit the famous penguin colony? This guide goes over the African penguins of Boulders Beach and want to expect.
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Intro
Boulders Beach in South Africa is home of an adorable penguin colony and should be on the top of your list when in the cape peninsula. Here you’ll get to see wild penguins waddle, cuddle, and sunbathe and they’re definitely worth a visit. In this post, I will provide information on what to expect when visiting the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony based on my own experiences. Don’t forget to check my tips out too!
Recommended Boulders Beach Tours & Activities
Book unforgettable experiences and check out the below recommended Boulders Beach tours, activities and attractions that are mentioned throughout this post:
Why Visit Boulders Beach?
Boulders Beach is the only beach in South Africa where you observe and witness free-roaming wild penguins. African penguins reside in this area and are endangered, but Boulders Beach allows them to thrive and live their life in their natural habitat. If you want to see wild penguins, then Boulders Beach is undoubtedly the place you want to go to see them. Not only that, but Boulders Beach also has beautiful scenery with turquoise blue waters and large granite boulders.
How to Get to Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach is about a 45 minute drive from Cape Town, located on the eastern side of the cape peninsula. Because of this, it’s easy to combine visiting Boulders Beach and Cape of Good Hope in a full day trip.
The Boulders Beach Visitor Center marks the entrance to two wooden walkways and which this post primarily covers. Since Boulders Beach is part of the Table Mountain National Park, you do have to pay a fee to enter pass the Boulders Beach Visitor Center gate and onto the boardwalks.
HOW TO USE THE ABOVE BOULDERS BEACH, SOUTH AFRICA MAP:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Click a Colored Point of Interest | Shows additional information and details of the selected Point of Interest |
| Click the Four-cornered Square at the Top Right | Opens the map in a Larger Map view in your personal Google Maps account |
| On Larger Map view, click the STAR ☆ under “Boulders Beach, South Africa“ | Adds the Map to your personal Google Maps account to access anytime on Computer* or on Phone App** |
| * On Computer: In your Google Maps, Click “Saved” on left bar → Click “Maps” → Click “Boulders Beach, South Africa | ** On Phone App: In your Google Maps app, Click “You” on bottom bar → Scroll to bottom → Click “Maps” → Click “Boulders Beach, South Africa“ |
Boulders Visitor Center
The Boulders Beach Visitor Center marks the entrance to two boardwalks that serve as a walkway for visitors to stay on as well as keeps them from disturbing the penguins’ home.
There is a small fee to enter and it cost R44 (adults) & R22 (child) when I visited. Right when you enter, there are posters on the walls that show different penguin species and where they primarily reside. Boulders Beach is home to the South African penguin species.
Boulders Visitor Center • photos by Jeanie A
Penguin Viewing Boardwalks
As mentioned, the boardwalks are a walkway for visitors and keeps them from getting into the penguins’ home. But it is also a great viewing platform to see the penguins right on the sand, and there are some informational posts along the way. You are not allowed to leave these wooden walkways but the penguins are close enough to admire, adore, and take tons of pictures of! There are two wooden walkway, one that goes to the left and one that goes to the right. I went to the left walkway first.
Wooden Boardwalk • photos by Jeanie A
Left Walkway
The left walkway is a bit more wide is the more popular boardwalk for visitors to walk since it leads close to where most of the sunbathing penguins are. But on the way, be sure to look to the side of the walkway because you might catch some penguins relaxing and sleeping in the shade.
Heading to the left Sightings • photos by Jeanie A
As you get farther down the walkway, the beach and ocean appears, where the penguins will increase in numbers! They might be sunbathing on the large granite boulders or on the open stretch of sand. This is where they primarily sunbathe in large numbers and visitors are not allowed on the sand.
Sunbathing Penguins • photos by Jeanie A
If you scan through the many penguins, you might spot some penguins that are molting. A molting penguin is when an adolescent penguin is beginning to lose its fluffy feathers and is transitioning to its more sleek waterproof feathers. They are also adorably chonky during this time. Can’t miss them.
Molting Penguins • photos by Jeanie A
Right Walkway
The right walkway is a bit more narrow and gets more into the trees. On both sides of the walkways are manmade penguin homes that were put into place to provide penguins safe shelter from the elements. They are bins that are donated and recycled for this purpose. If you look closely near the bins, you might find sleeping penguins and even some cuddling! Penguins are mates for life so it’s extra precious seeing them cuddling with their lifetime partner. Adorable.
We also saw several Dassies, a small rabbit-size mammal. We even saw one stretch out on the wooden walkway to enjoy some sunbathing.
Penguins And Dassies • photos by Jeanie A
The dead end of this walkway leads to the other end of the stretch of sand so you get to see another perspective of the sunbathing penguins. We saw a cute little baby penguin swimming out in the water and come to shore with another penguin coming down to meet it. So cute!
Baby Penguin coming to Shore • photos by Jeanie A
Tips to Make the Most of Your Adventure
1. Respect the WIldlife
I hope this goes without saying but it should still be said, but respect the wildlife. Penguins may look cute but they are still wild animals who can act (react) unpredictably. Do not feed nor provoke them and never try to touch them. Keep a respectful and safe distance from them and let them live and relax in peace.
2. You Cannot Access the Beach from the Boardwalks
There is no way to access the beach from the wooden walkways. The walkways are there to keep visitors off the beach so that the penguin colony can relax and sunbathe on the beach in peace.
3. Beach Swimming is at Middle Beach & First Beach
If you want to access a beach where you can go into the water, and maybe have penguins within reach (but remember no touching or feeding!), then you actually have to go to Middle Beach and 1st Beach which can be accessed by following a long walkway from the Visitor Center heading south
Where to Stay in Cape Town
I stayed at Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge which is centrally located. It’s only a short 5-minute walk to the lively Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, with a plethora of shops, restaurants, and bars. Book your stay by clicking here, or check availability for your dates below and click “Search”:
South Africa Travel Guides
🗺️ 6 Attractions You’ll Love In Cape Town, South Africa
🐧 Perfect Day Trip Itinerary Around the Cape Peninsula from Cape Town
Final Words
Visiting Boulders Beach is a truly unique experience that combines the beauty of South Africa’s coastline with the unforgettable chance to see African penguins in their natural habitat.
Did you visit the adorable Penguins of Boulders Beach?
What was your favorite memory – Let me know in the comments below!
(zulu “thank you!” • n-gee-yah-bong-gah)
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