If you’ve never seen penguins before, you don’t have to travel all the way to Antarctica to find them.
You can find them right here in the Cape, which is home to the African Penguin colonies, and sadly, a critically endangered species.
There are a few prime locations where you can spot and, yes, also walk alongside these waddling friends. Let’s meet a few penguins!
Penguins at Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town, characterised by its large boulders, is one of the most famous spots where you can find penguins roaming around. The beach is a Marine Protected Area and is maintained under Table Mountain National Park, ensuring a safe and clean area for the entire family to spend the day there.
There are several boardwalks for visitors to walk on to get closer to the penguins. However, it is cautioned not to feed them or get too close to avoid being bitten or injured. There is an entry fee, and it’s recommended to visit the SANParks website for more information about how you can make the most of your visit.
Penguins at Betty’s Bay
Stony Point Nature Reserve in Betty’s Bay, Overberg, is another location where you can get a firsthand experience of African Penguins. It’s just over an hour’s drive from Cape Town and offers the most stunning scenery for a day, or weekend, away along the coast.
When you visit Stony Point, you will find available boardwalks for visitors to walk on to view the penguins in their surroundings. The penguin colony has been recorded to have significantly dropped in numbers. Breeding pairs reportedly dropped by half during the years 2023 and 2024, and the estimated colony numbers are reported to be below 680 pairs.
While it’s been estimated the African Penguins might be extinct by 2035, all efforts are made to conserve these species and ensure their longevity, such as restriction of fishing around breeding colonies and rehabilitation of injured or sickly penguins, and more.
