Where to See Penguins in Cape Town (Without the Crowds)

How to see the Boulders Beach penguins in Simon's Town without the crowds: the best times to visit, where to view them and how to visit respectfully.

Everyone wants penguins. Not everyone wants the Boulders Beach boardwalk at midday in January, shoulder to shoulder with three coachloads of visitors all angling for the same photo. The good news is that the African penguins of the Cape Peninsula are there all day and all year, and with a little timing you can see them in something close to peace.

Where the penguins are

The famous colony is at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula, about 45 minutes to an hour's drive from central Cape Town. It is part of Table Mountain National Park, and it is one of the few places in the world where you can see African penguins at such close range.

The colony began in the early 1980s with just a couple of breeding pairs and grew into the thousands. Today the African penguin is critically endangered — numbers across its range have fallen sharply over recent decades — which makes seeing them here a genuine privilege, and a reason to visit respectfully.

There are several ways into the colony:

• Foxy Beach and the main boardwalks — the most visited viewing area, with raised walkways over the dunes and the main nesting areas. This is where the crowds concentrate.
• Boulders Beach itself — a sheltered swimming beach between granite boulders, where penguins often wander among the sunbathers.
• Quieter viewing points along the colony — the same birds, fewer elbows, if you know where to go and the conditions allow.

Entry to the park areas is paid, with the fee set by SANParks.

When to go to avoid the crowds

Time of day: early morning and late afternoon are the quietest. Mid-morning to mid-afternoon is peak coach time, especially in summer.

Time of year: December and January are the busiest months by far, and cruise-ship days add to the numbers. The shoulder seasons — autumn and spring — are calmer, and winter is quiet.

Penguin behaviour: the birds tend to head out to sea to feed in the morning and return later in the day, so late afternoon is often both quieter for people and busier for penguins. Breeding happens through much of the year, and you may see chicks in their fluffy grey down, especially in the colder months.

How to visit well

• Stay on the boardwalks in the protected areas. The nesting areas are fragile.
• Keep your distance on the beach. Penguins look comical and tame; they are neither. They have sharp beaks and will use them.
• Don't feed them, and keep food packed away.
• No flash photography, and no drones in the national park without a permit.

Seeing the penguins as part of a day

Boulders is almost always combined with other Peninsula highlights — Cape Point, Chapman's Peak and the fishing villages of False Bay — and the order you do them in makes a big difference to how many people you share each stop with.

On The Salt & Soul Peninsula Loop we use the quieter penguin boardwalk when conditions allow, after a morning in Kalk Bay and St James and before fish and chips on the rocks. Your guide reads the tide and the parking situation before committing.

On The Penguin & Panorama Half-Day, there's ample time on the boardwalks with the colony, paired with Chapman's Peak and the Maiden's Cove lookout — and in the afternoon slot, a sunset pause over False Bay.

On the full-day Cape Town Icon Series, Boulders sits between Chapman's Peak and Cape Point.

If Boulders is on your must-do list, we'll still get you there — just not when the cruise ships do. Tell us your dates and we'll time it for you. Heading on to Cape Point afterwards? Here's what to wear on a Cape Point tour.

Related experience: The Salt & Soul Peninsula Loop