Penguin Beach in Cape Town: A Must-Visit Guide to Boulders Beach
Welcome to Penguin Beach in Cape Town! Nestled along the scenic coastline, Boulders Beach offers a rare chance to see African penguins up close in their natural habitat.
This guide will help you plan your visit, from the best times to go to tips for an unforgettable encounter with these beautiful birds.
Whether you’re a wildlife lover or simply looking for a unique experience in Cape Town, Penguin Beach is a must-see destination!
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Penguin Beach in Cape Town: A Quick Intro
Before getting into all of the details for how to visit Penguin beach in Cape Town, let's go over some quick info about Boulders Beach.
🤔 Why is Boulders Beach Famous?
Boulders Beach is famous due to the unique African penguin population that lives there. It is one of the few places in the world where visitors can observe these endangered birds up close in their natural habitat, making it one of the top attractions in Cape Town.
🐧 Are There Always Penguins at Boulders Beach?
This African penguin colony has been calling Boulders Beach their home for over 40 years! It's pretty much guaranteed that you will be able to see the penguins in this area.
The beach itself has certain times where the penguins will spend more time there, but you'll always be able to spot some around the boardwalks due to the conservation efforts of the national park supporting them.
Don't worry, we'll get into the best times to maximize your penguin viewing later in the article!
📍 Where is the Penguin Beach in Cape Town?
Boulders Beach is located in Simon's Town, which is located on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. From the center of Cape Town, it is about 40 km south, and takes a little under an hour in car to get to.
How Do I Get to the Penguin Beach in Cape Town?
In order to get to Boulders Beach, you have five different options:
- Rent a car and drive there
- Take a local bus and then a taxi
- Take the train and walk 3 km
- Take private transportation
- Take a tour from Cape Town
🚗 Renting a Car in Cape Town
We rented a car from Johannesburg and drove to Cape Town, therefore had a car to get around.
Cape Town is so big, and having a car makes it so much easier to explore all of the cool things to do in the area, and is certainly the most ideal option for getting to Boulders Beach in Simon's Town. Parking is free, and there is a lot right next to the entrance of the beach.
You can easily rent a car from the Cape Town Airport, or from a few places in the downtown area for as little as $20/day.
🚕 Private Transportation: Can you Take an Uber to Boulders Beach?
If you don't feel comfortable or want to rent a car, you can opt for the easiest and most comfortable option, which is to take a taxi or an Uber to Boulder's Beach from wherever you are in Cape Town.
The ride is long though, so while Uber does work, it doesn't necessarily mean someone will happily pick up the ride.
🚌 How to Get to Simon's Town with Public Transportation
If you don't have a car, there are two options for reaching Simon's Town with public transportation, which are to take a bus or a train. They won't take you all the way there, but they will certainly be cheaper than getting an Uber or Taxi to take you the entire way.
🚆 How Do I Get to Boulders Beach by Train?
Hop on the MetroRail suburban train from Cape Town Rail Station to Simon's Town. The ride is about an hour, and it drops you about 3 km from the beach, which you can either walk to, take an Uber, or attempt to hitch hike.
🚎 How Do I get to Boulders Beach by Bus?
We have read mixed reviews about taking public buses to Simon's Town. There might be a local bus that also goes to Simon's Town where the train station is (although we'd probably recommend the train just to be safe).
The other option is to take the Red Bus, which is the traditional tourist hop-on-hop-off bus, which does do a stop right at Boulders Beach.
🚐 Tours to the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
If you don't want to go on your own, the easiest option for visiting the Penguin Beach in Cape Town is to simply book a tour. There are a number of them to choose from, and this will eliminate the stress of having to take public transportation or rent a car.
The con about this is that you will have limited time. However, the pro is that you'll have a local taking you, and many of the tours also include Cape Point and other cool attractions nearby that are difficult to get to.
Here are some tours you can check out:
🏖 How Do I Get onto Boulders Beach?
There are actually 3 different areas of Boulders Beach that you can enjoy! The boardwalk is free of charge and guarantees pengin viewing, but if you want to access the main viewing area overlooking the beach, or access the beach itself, you'll have to get a paid ticket.
Experiencing the Penguin Beach in Cape Town: What to Expect at Boulders Beach
So are you ready to experience the iconic penguin beach in Cape Town? Well, we;re ready to share all of the details for how it works, so that you know exactly what to expect.
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There are 3 different areas that you can enjoy at Boulders Beach which include:
- The viewing platforms
- The boardwalk
- Boulders Beach
👀 The Viewing Platforms
Right as you enter the park after getting your tickets is a set of two viewing platforms that look over Foxy Beach, a beach that is just two beaches over from Boulders Beach (the boardwalk goes along the beach in the middle of the two, which is known as Middle Beach.
Foxy beach is not allowed to be accessed, but just viewed from the two platforms, which are both just a few minutes walk from one another, and from the visitor's center.
🚶🏻♀️ The Boardwalk
The boardwalk is actually free of charge to enter, and is the long wooden platform that connects the viewing platforms and Boulders Beach.
Here you'll be able to actually see the majority of the penguins! There are actually small homes made for the penguins, and you'll notice that many of these beautiful birds hang out over here.
There are fences surrounding the boardwalk so that the penguins are protected, so make sure not to cross over or try to touch the penguins.
Also, a tiny heads up! This area definitely doesn't smell the best, but is an incredible up close encounter with the penguins, and also has beautiful views over Boulders Beach.
We'd recommend enjoying this area early in the morning before the park opens, or right after it closes during golden hour.
🌊 Boulders Beach
While all of the beaches that are connected along the shore have penguins on them, this is the main beach where you can actually experience getting up close to the penguins!
Boulders Beach is full of boulders, and is accessed with the same ticket that you purchase to visit the viewing platforms.
Here you'll be able sunbathe, swim, and also get to spot penguins in the wild!
One thing to keep in mind is that this isn't the busiest area for the penguins to hang out, but it's special because it's the closest you can get to the penguins. Just please make sure to keep your distance, and only allow yourself to be close if they happen to walk up to you.
It's also important to note that when the tide is high the waves can be pretty intense, and the sand gets covered, making it difficult to actually access most of the beach.
For this reason we went back later on (just before closing), and we were able to have the beach opened back up, and also completely to ourselves! (We did have to share it with a few of these adorable birds though 🙃).
🐧 Bonus: Seaforth Beach
Tucked away on the left side of the visitor's center is another beach that not many people end up visiting! We stumbled across it because we were looking for something to eat, and decided to have lunch at Seaforth Restaurant, right next to it.
Fede went to go to the car for our charger, and came running back in to let me know there was a big colony of penguins playing on the beach!
There were hardly any people around, and it really is a little bit of a hidden gem of the area worth stopping by just a few minutes walking from the main tourist area.
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Amenities at the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
Now that you know what your experience at Boulders Beach will look like, here is quick overview of the amenities at the penguin beach in Cape Town.
🅿️ Parking
There are two large parking lots with plenty of space, which are free of charge to park at.
One is located right next to the ticket office, and the other is on the other side right next to Boulders Beach.
We also didn't have to worry about people "guarding the lot" looking for tips like in most places.
🚽 Bathrooms
There are bathrooms as well as changing rooms on site. They are included in the ticket, and are well maintained.
🍴 Food & Drink
Inside the the park itself there are no food and drinks available. However, there was an amazing restaurant nearby that we highly recommend!
Seaforth restaurant is large and spacious with a ton of lighting and beautiful decor. It has incredibly delicious food, and is located right on Seaforth beach! We went for lunch and highly recommend it while visiting the area.
Aside from this restaurant, there were also a few other restaurants next to the parking lot next to Boulders Beach, as well as some cute cafes near the visitor's center if you are looking for just a quick bite or drink.
🛍 Souvenirs
Right next to the parking lot near the visitor's center you'll see locals selling their arts and crafts on the side, as well as a few shops and small cafes along the street in front of the visitor's center.
While the shops and some vendors do accept credit card, we'd recommend bringing some cash just in case.
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Price & Timetable for the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
Boulders Beach is protected by Table Mountain National Park. Therefore there is an entry fee and certain opening hours that you can enter.
🕘 Opening Hours of the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
- December - January: 7 AM - 7:30 PM
- February - March: 8 AM - 6:30 PM
- April - September: 9 AM - 6:00 PM
- October - November: 8 AM - 6:30 PM
💵 Entry Prices for Boulders Beach
- Adults: 190 R
- Children (2-11): 95 R
- Adults (SADC Nationals): 95 R
- Children (SADC Nationals): 50 R
- Adults (SA residents): 45 R
- Children (SA residents): 25 R
*Tickets for Boulders Beach can be purchased at either ticket office, and are valid for both entry locations.
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Safety & Rules at Boulders Beach
The penguin beach in Cape Town has good infrastructure and is safe to experience for all ages. Here are a few things you may want to know though so that you can abide by the rules and respect the area.
🚭 Rules for the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
- No touching the penguins
- No feeding any of the wildlife
- Smoking is prohibited
- No fires on the beach.
- No loud music.
- Alcohol is prohibited.
- Hold on to your ticket.
❕A Few Other Things to Keep in Mind
- The viewpoints and boardwalks are handicap friendly.
- By entering the park you accept responsibility of anything that happens.
- While there is acknowledgment of being responsible for yourself, there really are no major safety concerns!
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Other Things to Keep in Mind While Visiting Penguin Beach in Cape Town
Now you know almost everything you need for visiting the famous Boulders Beach. But don't go just yet! Here are a few other things to keep in mind for experiencing the penguin beach in Cape Town.
📆 What Month is Best to See the Penguins in Cape Town?
The penguins can actually be seen year round at the Penguin beach in Cape Town! However, it's said that the best months to visit are from March to May when it is breeding season.
🌅 What Time of Day is Best to See the Penguins?
The best time to see the penguins at Boulders Beach is early in the morning or late in the afternoon closer to sunset. This is because this is when a lot of them come out and you'll have a better chance of seeing them walking around the beach.
This is also when the tides are lower and you can walk along the sand.
We originally visited midday and the tide was too high to be able to access the majority of the beach. Then we went back later right before sunset and we were able to walk around the sand rather than having to walk through the water while the waves were crashing.
The best time to visit the penguin beach in Cape Town is late in the afternoon or early in the morning.
🎒 How to Prepare for the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
Here are some of the things we'd recommend bringing with you during your visit to Boulders Beach:
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Reusable water bottle
- Flip Flops (we personally always get Havaiana flip flops, as they are comfy and long lasting)
- Small Bag or Backpack - take a look at these backpacks for travelers!
- Power Bank (we use Anker power banks, as they are the best in the market and last super long)
- Beach Towel
- Bathing Suit if you'd like to swim
- Camera - (we use the Sony A7Riii)
- Action Camera (we use the GoPro for shots in the water, and the Insta 360 with the extra long selfie stick for drone-like shots)
- Standard Lens that has a good variety in focal lengths (we use the Sony GM 24-70)
- Telephoto Lens for capturing up close shots of the penguins (we use the Sony GM 70-200)
Bring a telephoto lens so that you can capture the penguins up close.
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🤔 Is Boulders Beach Worth Visiting?
The penguin beach in Cape Town was one of our favorite experiences in South Africa! It's an excellent place to be able to get up close to this fascinating animal, without participating in any activities that may exploit them.
We love doing ethical enimal encounter, and found that Boulders Beach really is one of the most unique activities you can experience while in Cape Town.
Boulders Beach is definitely worth visiting!
Tips for Visiting the Penguin Beach in Cape Town
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