Visit African penguins at Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town

By Roxanne Reid
A favourite thing to do on any visit to Cape Town is to visit African penguins at Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town. The best place is from the boardwalk between Seaforth and Boulders, where you can get fairly close as they waddle around in their dinner jackets, without disturbing them or their beach digs.

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This flightless bird is the only penguin that breeds in Africa. From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the colony here has grown to over 2000 birds.

The main entrance, where there are toilets and a small shop

Along the boardwalk, stop to take in the views across False Bay and read the information boards that tell you about the beach vegetation rehabilitation projects, and about the life, survival and breeding cycle of the penguins.

The boardwalk

​For instance, they moult each year to replace old, worn feathers. During the moult they lose their waterproofing, so they have to avoid swimming and stay on land. That means they’re on starvation rations for three to four weeks, so they have a ‘fatten up’ binge beforehand to prepare for the fast. Peak moulting time is in December but after that they plunge back into the sea to fill up on fish again.

Fibreglass nesting boxes

​They come back to land in January to mate and then start nesting from about February to August. The nest might be a shallow scrape in the open or a burrow in the sand. The penguins at Boulders are also quite keen to make use of the barrel-shaped fibreglass nesting boxes helpful humans have planted on the sand; these help keep their eggs and chicks safe from killer mongooses, kelp gulls, and domestic cats and dogs. Penguins form lifelong bonds with a partner, and mom and dad take turns to incubate their eggs and feed the downy chicks.

The view from the end of the boardwalk at Foxy Beach

​Awkward on land, with a toddler’s drunken-looking gait, they’re well designed for life at sea, where they can cruise at 4-7km/h and sprint at up to 20km/h for short spurts when chasing down a tasty lunch of squid, pilchards or anchovies.

Going for a swim

​Right next to its skull each penguin has its own natty little desalination plant. Special salt glands help it prevent excess salt from building up when it eats fish and drinks sea water. It pushes excess salt out through its nostrils and flicks this concentrated salt off its beak.

Stop to read the info boards at the entrance and along the boardwalk

Make a day of it and take in the beautiful old buildings of the Simon’s Town main road, the statue of Just Nuisance the dog sailor on Jubilee Square, and have lunch at one of a tribe of coffee shops and restaurants in this pretty naval town.

Crafters have set up stalls near the entrance to the Boulders penguin colony

How to get there
From Simon’s Town on the False Bay (east) side of the Cape Peninsula, continue south towards Seaforth and turn left into Seaforth Road. Leave your vehicle in the parking area at the bottom of the road, just above Seaforth beach. From here, walk about two blocks to the visitor information centre at the start of the boardwalk, which takes you to the best viewing point on Foxy Beach. Entrance is R65 per adult, R35 per child, but free if you present your Wild Card.

Afterwards, you can stroll along Willis Walk towards Boulders Beach if you want to join the penguins on the sand. Remember not to approach too close – their beaks are sharp and they can give a nasty bite if they feel threatened. Photo opportunities at the two beaches are different but equally rewarding. 

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