Seeing the well-known Boulders Seaside penguins in Cape City is an interplay with wild animals in South Africa to not be missed. The gorgeous seaside is house to a uncommon colony of about 2200 African penguins and is world-famous. That is the one place the place you’ll be able to swim with the African Penguins of their pure surroundings! One of many greatest issues to do in Cape City. You possibly can go onto the seaside and there’s a good walkway to view them from.

These penguins are additionally referred to as jackass penguins, the identify originates from the sound they make, a braying sound like a donkey. The penguin seaside is positioned between Simons City and the Cape of Good Hope, comparatively near the centre of Cape City. There’s an entrance regulated by South African Nationwide Parks and an entrance charge (it’s a nationwide park). The world contains a number of small sheltered bays with a boardwalk stretching from Seaforth Seaside to Boulders Seaside. Many penguins could be seen from the boardwalk at Cunning Seaside alongside the best way. You possibly can share seaside time with the penguins at Boulders Seaside or go to the extra hidden Center Seaside for higher interplay and among the greatest photograph alternatives on the Cape Peninsula.
Wonderful excursions to the Boulders Seaside Penguins

Boulders Seaside Space – Cunning Seaside, First Seaside, and Center Seaside
When folks talk about Boulders Seaside they normally discuss with the realm of small related seashores; Cunning Seaside, Center Seaside, First Seaside, and Boulders Seaside. A path and boardwalk join these seashores, stretching from Seaforth (Cunning Seaside) to Boulders. There are two customer facilities one on the Seaforth parking and a Boulders customer centre at Boulders Seaside. If you happen to pay on the customer middle at Seaforth and observe the boardwalks previous Cunning Seaside, you’ll exit the boardwalks and need to undergo one other pay level to enter Boulders Seaside itself. Simply present your ticket out of your first entrance, and you’ll bypass the road with out paying. You can too park on the Boulders Seaside parking space and pay and enter right here. There’s considerably much less parking obtainable right here.
Cunning Seaside
The penguin colony is known as the Boulders Seaside colony, however most penguins nest at Cunning Seaside. That is the primary seaside you get to following the walkway from the guests middle on the Seaforth parking space. Cunning Seaside is the simplest place to see penguins on this conservation of coastal birds. You possibly can solely view the Penguins from the walkway right here, you aren’t allowed to stroll on Cunning Seaside.

Boulders Seaside
Boulders Seaside is a good looking white sandy seaside with good blue water and a few massive granite boulders that give the seaside its identify. You’re allowed to stroll on the seaside and get into the water. Now we have been right here a few occasions and there should not at all times penguins on the seaside, you may need to go to Center Seaside to work together with the Jackass penguins on the seaside. The water in Cape City is chilly for swimming, hovering round 15°C more often than not.

First Seaside and Center Seaside
First Seaside is a secret seaside due to the hidden entry. Attending to the seaside includes some scrambling over the traditional granite boulders and strolling via the water, however there are normally quite a lot of penguins round. You possibly can work together fairly carefully with the penguins and that is the spot to swim with them if you wish to. First and Center Seaside gives one of the best photograph alternatives on the penguin seaside. Bear in mind they’re wild animals with sharp beaks. Don’t attempt to contact them, disturb them, or get too shut.

Methods to Get to the Penguins at Boulders Seaside
Boulders Seaside is positioned inside False Bay, simply exterior Simon’s City, on the best way to Cape of Goodhope in Cape Level Nationwide Park. Renting a automobile is the simplest technique to discover the attractive Simon’s city space and False Bay. This a part of Desk Mountain Nationwide Park is a implausible day journey from Cape City and is simple to self-drive.
Rental Automobiles is a superb useful resource, evaluating all rental automobile firms on one web page and exhibiting you your rental choices. Driving from Cape City, the simplest means is to drive on the M5 after which the M4 onto a winding coastal street to Simons City. From there, a collection of boardwalks takes you proper right down to the seaside.
Parking at Boulders Seaside
You possibly can park on the Seaforth Seaside parking space or the Boulders Seaside parking space. If you happen to park on the Seaforth parking space you might be nearer to Cunning Seaside viewing platforms and need to stroll on the walkway for a few minutes to Boulders Seaside. If you happen to park at Boulders Seaside you’ll be able to stroll again to Cunning Seaside. You’ll attain Seaforth first when driving from Muizenberg. The parking space at Seaforth is bigger there are automobile guards that work right here. These are self-employed folks that take care of your automobile and it’s customary to offer them a tip while you depart.
Google Maps Pin for Cunning Seaside Parking (Seaforth Seaside Parking Space).
Google Maps Pin for Boulders Seaside

What’s the Finest Time to Go to Boulders Seaside?
You possibly can see the African penguins at Boulders Seaside all 12 months spherical. Summer time is one of the best time to go to Boulders, the climate is good, it’s heat sufficient to get into the water and that is when you might have one of the best likelihood to see penguin motion. Summertime, December to April, is good heat climate, from February it’s normally much less windy.
January – penguins return to the seaside for nesting and begin to mate.
February to August – breeding season, peaks from March to Could. Good time to identify penguins on the seaside.
September and October – the birds spend quite a lot of day trip at sea, much less birds on the seaside.
November to December – moulting season, penguins lose their previous worn feathers and get new waterproof feathers, they’re landbound for this era and it’s a good time to see penguins.
It’s attention-grabbing that the penguins are monogamous, mating with the identical companion for a few years, and that they return to the identical nest on the seaside yearly.
Boulders Seaside Opening Hours
- Dec – Jan 07:00 to 19:30
- Feb – March 08:00 to 18:30
- April – Sept 08:00 to 17:00
- Oct – Nov 08:00 to 17:00
Methods to Swim the Penguins at Boulders Seaside – ´Secret Seaside`
To take images with the penguins of their pure habitat it’s a must to go to Boulders Seaside itself or the adjoining First Seaside and Center Seaside. Bear in mind you aren’t allowed to the touch the penguins. We had been informed you shouldn’t come nearer than 3 meters from the animals. Typically there are only a few or no penguins on Boulders Seaside itself. Stroll to the big boulders on the far aspect of Boulders Seaside when coming via the doorway. It appears to be like like a useless finish. There’s a little tunnel underneath the rocks, should you stand on the seaside for a whilst you ought to see folks crouching down and going via. There are extra rocks to scramble over till you attain First Seaside and Center Seaside. Normally, there are extra of the little guys on this sheltered cove. We managed to get to this ´secret seaside´ with our 18-month-old child however we wanted assist to get her over the big boulders.
Entrance Charge for Boulders Seaside
Boulders Seaside is in a South African Nationwide Park and there’s a conservation charge to have this expertise with the Boulders colony of African penguins.
The next charges apply to enter Boulders Seaside:
- South African Residents and Residents (with ID) R44 per grownup, per day – Kids R22
- SADC Nationals (with passport) R88 per grownup, per day – Kids R44
- Overseas Guests: R176 per grownup, per day Kids R88
- Wild Card Holders enter free, we went to Boulders a few occasions with our Wild Playing cards after we lived in South Africa.
African Penguin Inhabitants within the Western Cape of South Africa
Oil spills, business fishing, marine air pollution, and habitat destruction nearly utterly worn out a big penguin inhabitants in False Bay. In 1982 there was just one breeding pair remaining. Due to large conservation efforts the Boulders colony grew, peaking at over 3,000 birds lately. There are two African penguin colonies in South Africa: the Boulders penguin colony and the African penguin colony at Stony Level Nature Reserve at Betty’s Bay. Now we have been to each penguin colonies a number of occasions.
Stony Level Penguin Colony – Betty’s Bay
The Stony Level Penguin Colony is positioned on the little seaside city Bettys Bay close to Hermanus, it’s higher often called the Bettys Bay penguins There are extra penguins, and fewer folks, and Stoney Level is cheaper to go to than Betty’s Bay. It’s, nonetheless, a unique expertise, you stroll on a picket boardwalk and may thus not get onto the seaside with the penguins. Going to the Betty’s Bay penguins and Hermanus on the whale route is a implausible day journey. Driving right here on the gorgeous Clarence Drive previous Gordon’s Bay and Rooi-Els is without doubt one of the greatest scenic drives from Cape City. Between June and November go whale watching in Hermanus, one of many prime whale watching cities on this planet.
The Stony Level Nature Reserve is open to see the penguins from 8 am to 4.30 pm.
The Hermanus Whale Cruise is a implausible tour to not miss in whale season!
Extra implausible issues to do round Boulders Seaside!
Simon’s City is certainly one of our favourite locations to go to in Cape City with loads of superior actions you’ll be able to mix with visiting the penguins.
Muizenberg – You’ll drive via Muizenberg in your technique to Boulders Seaside, it is a tremendous well-liked surf spot and an incredible place to be taught! additionally a implausible espresso cease. The colourful seaside cabins are very well-known. Yellow, pink, blue, and inexperienced shade picket cabins on the white sand seaside make an ideal photograph spot. Muizenberg Surf Classes
Cape Level Nationwide Park may be very near Boulders Seaside and a very good possibility to mix with a penguin go to. Full Day Boulders Seaside and Cape Level Tour
The Constantia wine farms are implausible to discover on the best way to Boulders Seaside. Extremely Rated – African Story Wine Tour within the Cape Winelands.
The Skeleton Gorge Hike up Desk Mountain is a brief drive from Constantia and could be mixed with visiting the Boulders Penguin Colony. Skeleton Gorge to Desk Mountain summit tour.
I’ve executed a whole bunch of Scuba dives in Simons City, it’s among the greatest Scuba diving in Cape City.
Please observe and like us:

The robust half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that will be joyful to spend all his life within the water diving, browsing and spearfishing however typically has to compromise with Alya and go mountain climbing as a substitute. Campbell is liable for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves touring, braai (BBQ in South Africa), pink wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.