Boulders Beach Penguins and Simon's Town

A single pair of wild African penguins waddled ashore at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town in 1982, drawn by the shelter of giant granite boulders and the fishing ban in False Bay. Today the colony numbers around two thousand birds, nesting in the coastal scrub right between suburban gardens and the sea. Because African penguins are critically endangered, the site is managed by SANParks as a protected section of Table Mountain National Park.

The two entrances: Foxy Beach vs Boulders Beach

A lot of visitors don't realise your single conservation ticket covers two separate areas connected by a coastal boardwalk, Willis Walk:

• Foxy Beach (next to the main visitor centre): wooden boardwalks lead down to viewing decks directly above the main nesting beach. You cannot step onto the sand here, which keeps the breeding birds calm, and you are guaranteed to see hundreds of penguins close up in any tide.
• Boulders Beach proper (five minutes' walk south along the boardwalk): a sheltered sandy cove tucked between massive round granite rocks where you can spread a towel, paddle in the clear water and share the boulders with penguins wandering past.

Timing, tides and rules

Arrive early in the morning or after mid-afternoon if you can. Between mid-morning and early afternoon, peninsula tour buses arrive in waves and the boardwalks get congested. Check the tide table before you go if you want to swim at the second cove: at high tide, the water rises right up to the granite boulders and leaves very little dry sand to sit on.

Like Cape Point, the turnstiles at Boulders are strictly cashless (cards or pre-booked SANParks online tickets only). Keep at least a few metres back from the penguins on the beach and never try to touch them; their beaks are razor-sharp and built for slicing slippery fish. Look under your car before reversing out of the car parks, as penguins sometimes shelter in the shade beneath wheels.

Simon's Town

Before or after the penguins, spend an hour in Simon's Town just to the north. For over two centuries it has been South Africa's main naval base, and its main street is lined with Victorian buildings with cast-iron balconies overlooking the yacht basin. Stop at Jubilee Square to see the bronze statue of Just Nuisance, a Great Dane officially enlisted in the Royal Navy during the Second World War who used to ride the Southern Line train with sailors and escort them back to base.