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Guide · Tickets and hours
Boulders Beach tickets, fees and gate times
Boulders Beach tickets are a SANParks conservation fee paid at the gate, by card. Here are the current rates, who pays which, when the gate opens and what tours leave out.
Check availabilityfrom $37 · free to cancel
Editorial team, capetownpenguins.comUpdated October 26, 20266-minute read23 sources
The short version
- 01Who sells tickets
- SANParks, at the gate, as a daily conservation fee.1
- 02International adult
- R282, child R138, for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027.2
- 03How to pay
- Debit or credit card only; the gate is cash-free.3
- 04Gate times
- 07:00 to 19:30 in December and January, 08:00 to 17:00 from April to September; times can change.45
- 05On a tour
- The coach day leaves both park fees for you to pay.
What you are actually paying for
There is no ticket office selling timed slots and no online queue to beat. Boulders is one of Table Mountain National Park's pay points, and what people call Boulders Beach tickets is a daily conservation fee that SANParks charges at the gate.1 You pay on arrival, receive a receipt and walk on to the boardwalks. The process is quick: a short queue at a window, a card payment, and you are through.
The fee covers the whole Boulders section, with its 3 beaches, its penguin viewing area and its 3 boardwalks.6 Once inside, you can watch the birds from Foxy Beach and still sit on Boulders Beach for a swim later the same day.7 The SANParks brochure asks you to keep your receipt while you are there.8
The money matters beyond the gate. The colony is a protected area inside a national park and a no-take zone of its marine protected area, with rangers on patrol every day.910 Paying the fee is part of the visit, not an extra.
Gate times
When the Boulders gate opens, season by season
The fee table, visitor by visitor
SANParks sets three price levels. For 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, a South African citizen or resident pays R57 as an adult and R27 for a child, a SADC national pays R118 and R59, and an international visitor pays R282 and R138.2 That is the Boulders Beach entry fee most travellers from abroad will meet.
Age decides which column applies. SANParks charges adult rates from 12 years and child rates for ages 2 to 11.11 A family from abroad pays the adult rate for each parent and the child rate for each child under 12.11
The table above belongs to a period. SANParks publishes its fees by tariff year, and the one quoted here runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027; until 31 October 2026 an international adult paid R245.2 Fees can change, so check the park's own rates page before you go.
Fees
Daily conservation fees at Boulders and Cape Point
| Visitor | Boulders adult | Boulders child | Cape Point adult | Cape Point child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South African | R57 | R27 | R115 | R57 |
| SADC national | R118 | R59 | R242 | R124 |
| International | R282 | R138 | R592 | R288 |
SANParks fees for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, so check SANParks before you go; adults 12 and over, children 2 to 11; both gates take cards only.212113
Three ways to pay
At the gate, with a Wild Card, or inside a tour price
Pay as you go
Frequent visitors
No gate fussFees in the price
Tours that sell it
- Option
- Fees included
- Example
- Half-day tour
- Check
- Before booking
Decision helper
Which fee do you pay?
Find your line before you reach the window.
Cape Point and Boulders Gates are a cash-free environment and we only accept payments via debit and credit cards.
Paying at a cash-free gate
Leave the banknotes in your bag. SANParks says the Cape Point and Boulders gates are cash-free and take payments by debit and credit card only.3 A card that works abroad, or a phone wallet linked to one, is all you need at the window. Keep the card handy rather than deep in a bag, as the queue moves fast once the coaches arrive.
The rate you are charged depends on what you show. SANParks applies the standard rate to everyone automatically; South Africans who want the local rate must say so on arrival and show proof of South African identity.14 SADC nationals need a passport from their SADC country to claim theirs.15
Holders of a Wild Card do not pay the daily fee: the SANParks brochure promises free entry for a year to members.17 At the park's gates you show a paper or electronic copy of the membership letter, because plastic cards are no longer accepted.16
Checklist
At the gate
01
Have ready
- A debit or credit card
- ID or passport if you claim a local rate
- Your Wild Card letter, if you have one
02
Keep in mind
- Check the closing time for your month
- Keep your receipt while inside
- Stay on the boardwalks
Price check
Tour price for your group, before park fees
Choose a tour and the number of guests; add the gate fees on top.
People
Total from$74
from, per person $37
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals take the cheapest adult fare a Viator or GetYourGuide listing shows and multiply it by the guests you pick, converted with the ECB reference rate; SANParks fees are paid separately at the gates, and the final sum appears at the seller's checkout.
Video
Finding the penguin beach in Simon's Town
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Gate times through the year
The gate follows the daylight. SANParks lists Boulders Beach opening hours of 07:00 to 19:30 in December and January, 08:00 to 18:30 in February, March, October and November, and 08:00 to 17:00 from April to September.4 Summer evenings are long, and winter visits end early.
Those times can move. SANParks warns that gate times may change without notice and asks visitors to confirm before they set out.5 A short look at the park's gate page on the morning you go saves you an awkward wait. Strong wind on the coast can make the boardwalks a chilly place to stand for long, so pack a layer whatever the season.
Pick your hour with care in summer. Parking near the colony is limited, and SANParks advises arriving early in the peak summer months.18 An early start also gives you the boardwalks before the coaches arrive and a cooler walk down to the sand.
Is the beach ever free to visit?
People often ask is Boulders Beach free, and the honest answer is no for nearly everyone. Boulders is a SANParks pay point, and the daily conservation fee applies to every visitor who goes through the gate.1 The exception is a Wild Card member, who enters free for a year.17
You will see penguins elsewhere along the shore, but the colony and its boardwalks sit inside the fee area. The boardwalks exist to protect nesting birds, and SANParks asks visitors to stay on them inside the viewing area.19 Trying to reach the birds another way only disturbs them. There is plenty to see from the boardwalks, and the birds are wild and close enough to make the fee feel fair.
If budget is tight, compare the other colony too. CapeNature charges R45 per adult and R30 per child for day access to Stony Point in Betty's Bay, though the drive there takes 70 to 90 minutes from Cape Town.1320
How long to stay once you are through the gate
The fee is per day, so there is no clock running once you have paid. Most of the action is on the boardwalks above Foxy Beach, where you can watch the birds at close range, and a slow circuit there takes far less time than the drive from the city.7 Plan your stay around the light and the tide rather than the ticket.
Tide changes the beach more than you might expect. SANParks says beach space depends on the tide and advises coming at low tide, and its brochure adds that some beaches may be cut off at high tide.2122 If you also want to swim or sit on the sand, look up the tide times for your date before you set off.
On a tour, the clock is set for you. The coach day gives you about an hour at the colony, while one half-day tour gives the colony 2 hours. On your own, a slow morning with a swim and a coffee in Simon's Town afterwards is easy to fit inside the gate times.
What the tours include, and what they leave to you
Read the small print before you book a penguin tour. The 8-hour coach day on this site, from $37, lists the Boulders admission and the Cape Point nature reserve entry as not included; you pay both on the day. It is an easy detail to overlook.
A few listings sell an option with the fees built in. One 9-hour small-group day offers an option including national park fees, and a half-day small-group tour sells an option including all park fees. The swimming half day, by contrast, names the Boulders fee as extra. Before you choose, compare the price of the option with fees against the plain tour price plus what you would pay at the gate yourself.
Add the Cape Point fee if your tour goes there. SANParks lists R592 for an international adult and R288 for a child at Cape Point for the same period, and entry there is paid once per vehicle.1223 Ask your tour how that payment is collected before the day, so you have a card ready.
Book your day
The Cape first, the penguins after.
Boulders, Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope in 8 hours, with a full refund up to a day before.
You ask,we answer.
Do I need to book Boulders tickets in advance?
No. The fee is a daily conservation fee paid at the Boulders gate.1
How much is the Boulders Beach entry fee?
R282 for an international adult. For 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027; a child aged 2 to 11 pays R138.211
Can I pay with cash?
No, card only. The Cape Point and Boulders gates take debit and credit cards only.3
What time does the gate close in winter?
At 17:00. From April to September the gate opens at 08:00 and closes at 17:00.4
Do South Africans pay less?
Yes, with proof. They must ask for the local rate on arrival and show proof of South African identity.14
Does a Wild Card cover Boulders?
Yes. The brochure promises free entry for a year; show the membership letter, not a plastic card.1716
Is the fee included in tours?
Usually not. The coach day on this site lists the Boulders admission as not included.
Sources
What this guide is based on
- 1↩
- 2SANParksDaily conservation fees 2026/27↩
- 3↩
- 4↩
- 5↩
- 6↩
- 7SANParksBoulders Penguin Colony brochure↩
- 8SANParksBoulders Penguin Colony brochure↩
- 9↩
- 10↩
- 11↩
- 12SANParksDaily conservation fees 2026/27↩
- 13CapeNatureStony Point Nature Reserve↩
- 14↩
- 15↩
- 16↩
- 17SANParksBoulders Penguin Colony brochure↩
- 18↩
- 19↩
- 20CapeNatureStony Point Nature Reserve↩
- 21↩
- 22SANParksBoulders Penguin Colony brochure↩
- 23↩
Keep reading
More guides to the penguins of Cape Town
Boulders Beach, Cape Town: the penguin colony, the beaches and how to visit
Cape Town penguin tours compared: full day, half day, small group or Table Mountain combo
Cape Point and Boulders Beach in one day: what the tour does, hour by hour
Swimming with penguins at Boulders Beach: what SANParks allows
