Use the boardwalks
Three boardwalks run from the Boulders visitor centre out over the colony. They keep you above the burrows and give the best, closest views without disturbing the birds.
Boulders Beach
Simon's Town, Western Cape, South Africa
On a sheltered cove south of Cape Town, a colony of African penguins nests among house-sized granite boulders — one of the few places on earth where you can stand a few metres from wild penguins on a warm, swimmable beach.
A city colony
Penguins among the boulders
The colony took hold here in 1982, when a pair of African penguins settled on Boulders Beach in Simon's Town. Sheltered by the great rounded granite outcrops from wind and swell, the site proved ideal for breeding, and the colony has grown to a few thousand birds within a protected section of Table Mountain National Park.
African penguins are the only penguin that breeds on the African continent, and they are now endangered — making this accessible colony both a rare encounter and a working conservation site. Timber boardwalks lead through the dune scrub and over the rocks, keeping visitors above the burrows while the penguins carry on below.
Endangeredthe African penguin's conservation status
1982the year the first pair settled here
Year roundbirds are present in every season
Cape Townabout an hour's drive away
Plan your visit
Watching well at Boulders Beach
Boulders is one of the easier colonies to reach — a short drive from Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula.
Foxy Beach for numbers
The main viewing boardwalk at Foxy Beach overlooks the densest part of the colony — come here to see hundreds of penguins at once, nesting and preening among the scrub.
Morning or late afternoon
Midday sun sends many birds into the shade of the bushes. Early morning and the cooler late afternoon bring more activity on the open sand.
Combine with the Cape
Boulders sits on the route to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope — easy to fold into a day exploring the southern tip of the peninsula.
Keep exploring
More places to see penguins
Boulders Beach is one of many wild shores where penguins come ashore. Follow them around the globe.
Where to see penguins