Picnic with The Penguins at Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach belongs to the penguins that stroll across the beach and nearby streets like an old couple out for a leisurely walk around the block. The residents of this area have to make way for their pint-sized neighbors. Boulders Beach makes for a perfect day trip from Cape Town and is located just down the road from Simons Town and is situated on the False Bay coast. The picturesque scenery and warm waters mixed with the black and white penguins darting to and fro is like a dreamy luxury. Plan your visit and book your cheap flights to Cape Town now and relax and watch this interesting wildlife relationship live in action.

Come early on summer days and you enjoy a lovely picnic on the beach, build sandcastles and dodge the black and white African Jackass penguins or make friends with them and catch a wave together. Be warned though it can cause problems if you park your car too close to the beach and these wee sized residents may decide to nest in the shade of your car. These penguins first started settling here in 1982 and now the colony contains more than 3000 penguins.

For the best views of the penguin colony we recommend that you take the board walk that takes you over the dunes and all the vegetation, right up to the bustling and noisy colony of these endemic birds. You can stand and watch them as they come in from the sea and are usually raucously greeted by the rest of the penguins. Their loud braying sound has given them the name of Jack-ass Penguins. They swim for thousands of miles and when they reach the beach they will firstly sit on the beach and preen and sun themselves for a long time before they start walking about. But do not try and touch them and try your best to keep small children away as they can get pretty grouchy after their long and tiring swim.

The quaint and historic Simons Town is also a pretty amazing sightseeing experience in itself and if you decide to stay on, the top spots to stay that offer the best access to the beach are: The Boulders Beach Guesthouse, The St. James, Rodwell House, and Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel. Each of these hotels have spectacular views of the beach and provide the bed and breakfast experience that you have been looking for.

The beach itself is surrounded by large granite boulders, hence the name Boulders Beach, and it is supplied with fresh water from a series of inlets. This helps to keep the waters warm and calm enough for safe swimming. So don’t miss out on your chance to swim and picnic with the cute little penguins that make for a unique experience.