Simon's Town Penguins: Planning a Visit Without the Crowds

How to see Cape Town's Boulders Beach colony on your own timing, with the tides, trains and back roads that keep the day calm.

Why Boulders Beach Needs a Plan, Not a Spur-of-the-Moment Drive

Boulders Beach sits at the southern end of Simon's Town, roughly 45 km and 50 to 75 minutes by car from the City Bowl, depending on whether you take the M3 through Muizenberg or the M5 past Constantia. The colony of African penguins is fenced, ticketed and managed by SANParks, with the main boardwalk at Boulders and a second viewing platform at Foxy Beach. Arrive between 08:00 and 09:30 and you will often share the walkway with a handful of people; arrive after 11:00 in December or January and you are in a queue.

Weekends and South African school holidays are the pinch points, particularly December, the first week of January and the Easter long weekend. Outside those windows, a weekday morning in March or September is close to ideal: fewer buses, softer light, and the penguins are moulting or nesting depending on the month, which the rangers will explain on the boardwalk. Buy your entry online before you leave your hotel; the gate queue is separate from the ticket queue and moves faster if you already hold a pass.

Getting There Without a Coach Party

The MetroRail Southern Line runs from Cape Town station through Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and on to Simon's Town, and the stretch between Muizenberg and Fish Hoek is one of the prettiest coastal train rides in the country. Trains are infrequent outside peak commuting hours, so check the timetable the day before and treat the journey as part of the outing rather than a transfer. From Simon's Town station it is a 25 to 35 minute walk along St George's Street and Bellevue Road to the Boulders gate; taxis wait at the station but are few.

Driving gives you more control. Take the M3 south, join the M4 at Muizenberg and follow the coast through St James and Kalk Bay, where you can stop for coffee. Parking near Boulders fills by mid-morning; the overflow along Bellevue Road is a five to ten minute walk. If you are staying in the City Bowl, an early departure around 07:30 puts you at the gate before the first tour buses; if you are based in Constantia or Tokai, you can leave at 08:15 and still be ahead of them.

Where to Base Yourself for a Penguin Morning

Staying in Simon's Town itself, or in neighbouring Fish Hoek or Glencairn, turns the visit into a relaxed half-day rather than a long return drive. Simon's Town has small guesthouses along St George's Street and near Jubilee Square, with views over the naval harbour. Fish Hoek is cheaper and has a wide beach and a main road lined with cafes; Glencairn is quieter still, tucked under the mountains with a small beach of its own. All three are within 10 to 15 minutes of the Boulders gate.

If your trip is centred on the City Bowl, the V&A Waterfront or Camps Bay, I would still keep your hotel there and treat Simon's Town as a morning excursion, because the drive back in the afternoon is against traffic and the peninsula rewards an early start. The exception is a two- or three-night stay on the False Bay side: it lets you combine Boulders with Cape Point, the Kirstenbosch gardens and a walk at Kalk Bay harbour without spending hours in the car. Book the False Bay nights first if your dates fall in December.

What to Pair With the Penguins, and What to Skip

Boulders is a 30 to 40 minute visit if you keep to the boardwalk, longer if you linger at Foxy Beach. Pair it with Cape Point, which is a further 20 to 25 minutes' drive south and worth a full morning on its own, or with the naval museum at Jubilee Square in Simon's Town if the weather turns. Kalk Bay, 15 minutes north, has a working harbour, a handful of good fish restaurants and a strip of antique and book shops that rewards an hour. The scratch patch and mineral shops near the harbour are a reliable stop for children.

Skip the seal-kayak and shark-cage operators that cluster around the Simon's Town waterfront unless you have checked them independently; they add hours and are not part of the penguin visit. Skip the midday slot in high summer, and skip the temptation to walk onto the beach at Foxy Beach, which is closed to protect nesting birds. The Boulders beach itself, reached by a separate gate, is sheltered and swimmable, but the penguins there are used to people and will nip if approached too closely. Best months for a calm visit are March, April, September and October.

Before you book

The questions people ask about Cape Town, answered with this month’s numbers.