Guide · Two colonies

Where to see penguins in Cape Town

If you are wondering where to see penguins in Cape Town, there are two mainland colonies within reach: Boulders in Simon's Town and Stony Point in Betty's Bay. Here is how they compare.

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Editorial team, capetownpenguins.comUpdated October 26, 20266-minute read39 sources

The tour behind this guide Cape Point and penguins day tour 4.9 (4,548 reviews) 8 hoursAbout 1 hr at Boulders2 hrs at Cape Point from$37per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01Closest: Boulders, in Simon's Town, 35 km south of the city.¹
02The quieter option: Stony Point in Betty's Bay, 70 to 90 minutes' drive.²
03Entry: R282 at Boulders for an international adult, R45 at Stony Point.³ ⁴
04Run by: SANParks at Boulders, CapeNature at Stony Point.⁵ ⁶
05Easiest by tour: Boulders, with day tours from $37.

Yes, Cape Town has penguins, in two mainland colonies

It sounds unlikely, and people do ask are there penguins in Cape Town at all. There are: African penguins breed on the coast here, and SANCCOB says South Africa has two mainland breeding colonies, Stony Point in Betty's Bay and Boulders in Simon's Town in the Cape Town metro.⁷ SANCCOB adds that the birds otherwise breed mostly on islands along the coast, out of reach for a casual visit.⁷

Both colonies are protected and both have boardwalks. At Boulders, SANParks built boardwalks so you can watch the birds while they stay safe, and at Stony Point CapeNature runs a boardwalk through the colony that lets you see the penguins close up without disturbing them.⁸ ⁹ In both places you look down on wild birds going about their day.

The species is in serious trouble, which makes either visit meaningful. SANCCOB reported in 2024 that the IUCN uplisted the African penguin to Critically Endangered, and that it has lost 97% of its population.¹⁰ ¹¹ Paying the entry fee and staying on the boards is part of how visitors help.

A Stony Point day

Timing a visit to Betty's Bay

Leave early

Drive around False Bay

Allow 70 to 90 minutes from Cape Town.²
08:00

Reserve opens

CapeNature's operating hours start.¹²
Midday

Boardwalk and cormorants

Four cormorant species nest near the colony.¹³
15:45

Last permits

Arrive before this or you will not get in.¹²
16:00 to 16:30

Boardwalk, then gates close

The gates shut at 16:30 sharp.¹²

Boulders, the colony on the city's doorstep

Boulders is the obvious first choice. It lies in Simon's Town, which SANCCOB places 35 km south of Cape Town, inside Table Mountain National Park, and SANParks calls it a unique, endangered, land-based colony.¹ ⁵ A railway runs from Cape Town to Simon's Town, so you can even get there without a car.¹⁴

The setting is the draw. The SANParks brochure describes a sheltered cove of small bays among granite boulders, with the penguins best viewed from the boardwalks at Foxy Beach and a swimming beach next door.¹⁵ ¹⁶ Here you can combine the birds with a swim, as SANParks lists swimming among the activities.¹⁷ Standing on the boards above Foxy Beach, you can watch countless small dramas at once: squabbles over nest space, pairs preening each other, birds launching themselves into the surf.

Parking is limited, and SANParks advises arriving early in the summer peak.¹⁸ For 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, an international adult pays R282 and a child R138 at the cash-free gate.³ ¹⁹ Gate times run from 07:00 to 19:30 in December and January and from 08:00 to 17:00 in winter, and SANParks says they can change without notice.²⁰ ²¹

Side by side

Boulders and Stony Point compared

At a glance	Boulders	Stony Point
Run by	SANParks	CapeNature
From Cape Town	35 km	70 to 90 min
Adult fee	R282	R45
Child fee	R138	R30
Hours	By season	08:00 to 16:30
Swimming	Yes	No beach use listed

SANParks fees for international visitors, 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027; CapeNature day access; distance from SANCCOB, drive time from CapeNature.³ ⁴ ¹ ² ¹² ¹⁷

Your options

A coach day to Boulders, a half day, or Stony Point by private car

Cape Point and Boulder's Penguins Full Day Tour

Easiest

Coach day

Boulders and Cape Point

Hours: 8
At Boulders: About 1 hr
Price: from $37

See the dates

Cape Town: Penguin Watching at Boulders Beach Half Day Tour

More time

Penguin half day

2 hours at Boulders

Hours: 5
Reviews: 445
Price: from $37

See the dates

Cape Agulhas, Hermanus & Stoney point Penguins full Day Tour

Off the track

Stony Point day

Private, with Hermanus

Hours: 10
Reviews: 16
Price: from $254

See the dates

Decision helper

Boulders or Stony Point?

Choose by what you have: time, a car, a budget.

I have half a day and no car I want to swim as well I am driving to Hermanus I want the lowest fee I love seabirds

Boulders

A railway runs to Simon's Town.¹⁴

Boulders

Swimming is listed among its activities.¹⁷

Stony Point

It lies in Betty's Bay along the way.²²

Stony Point

R45 per adult.⁴

Stony Point

Four cormorant species breed by the colony.¹³

The Stony Point land-based penguin colony, operated by CapeNature, is the third-largest breeding colony of African Penguins in the world and has been showing a measurable increase in breeding pairs.

CapeNatureSource 6

Stony Point, the growing colony in Betty's Bay

Stony Point Nature Reserve lies on the far side of False Bay in Betty's Bay. CapeNature, which runs it, calls it the third-largest breeding colony of African penguins in the world, with a measurable increase in breeding pairs.⁶ SANCCOB counted about 1,600 breeding pairs there in 2021.²²

Its story is a hopeful one. SANCCOB says Stony Point is the only colony that has been growing in the last decade, and that it now holds 10% of the global population.²³ The court order of 18 March 2025 protects its feeding waters with a no-take zone from the Hangklip lighthouse to Kerries Bay near Hawston.²⁴ ²⁵

The reserve has more than penguins. CapeNature says four species of cormorant, Bank, Cape, Crowned and White-breasted, breed on the rocks near the colony, and the site was once the Waaygat Whaling Station, used in the early to mid 1900s.¹³ ²⁶ A community restaurant next door sells food and drinks during the day.²⁷

Map

Boulders, the peninsula and the point

First the beaches and boardwalks of the Boulders colony, then the coast from the V&A Waterfront to Cape Point and across False Bay to Stony Point, then the two capes at the tip.

Map of the Boulders section in Simon's Town with Seaforth Beach, the Boulders Visitor Centre, Foxy Beach and Boulders Beach — The Boulders colony

Map of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay with the V&A Waterfront, Muizenberg, Simon's Town, Cape Point and Stony Point in Betty's Bay — Cape Town to Stony Point

Map of the tip of the Cape Peninsula with the Cape of Good Hope and the Cape Point lighthouse — The tip of the peninsula

1
Seaforth Beach
The beach on the town side of the colony, joined to Boulders by Willis Walk, where dogs may go only on a leash.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
2
Boulders Visitor Centre
The visitor centre on the boardwalk route; SANParks lists Boulders as a pay point for the daily conservation fee.²⁹
In Google Maps ↗
3
Foxy Beach
SANParks says the penguins are best viewed here, from the boardwalks.¹⁶ ⁸
In Google Maps ↗
4
Boulders Beach
The most popular spot for a swim, sheltered by huge granite boulders.¹⁶ ³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
5
V&A Waterfront
The day tour leaves at 09:30 from outside the Two Oceans Aquarium.
In Google Maps ↗
6
Muizenberg
The coach drives past Muizenberg beach on the way down the coast.
In Google Maps ↗
7
Simon's Town
One of the oldest towns in South Africa, 35km from Cape Town; the Boulders colony is on its edge.³¹ ⁵
In Google Maps ↗
8
Cape Point
About 2 hours here on the day tour; two lighthouses and the Flying Dutchman funicular.³²
In Google Maps ↗
9
Stony Point
The CapeNature colony in Betty's Bay, 70 to 90 minutes' drive from Cape Town.⁶ ²
In Google Maps ↗
10
Cape of Good Hope
Named the Cape of Storms by Dias in 1488; the day tour spends 30 minutes here.³³
In Google Maps ↗
11
Cape Point lighthouse
Reached on foot or by funicular; one of the two lighthouses still works.³²
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For either colony

Before you go

Check the closing time
A card for the Boulders gate
Plan the drive or the train

At the colony

Stay on the boardwalk
Never touch or feed a penguin
Sun cream and a warm layer

Price check

A penguin trip for your group

Choose a tour and the number of guests; entry fees come on top.

Coach day8 hoursfrom $37 Penguin half day5 hoursfrom $37 Stony Point day10 hoursfrom $254

People 2

Total from$74

from, per person $37

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals 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

How to see the penguins near Cape Town

YouTube is contacted only once you press play on the video.

Getting to Stony Point from Cape Town

The drive to Stony Point from Cape Town is the main price you pay for a quieter colony. CapeNature says the trip takes 70 to 90 minutes, depending on traffic, along the coast road around False Bay.² The coast road is a scenic drive in itself, with mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Stopping at the viewpoints along the cliffs adds time, so build some slack into the day.

Plan your timing carefully, because Stony Point closes early. CapeNature gives operating hours of 08:00 to 16:30, with the last permits issued at 15:45 and the boardwalk closing at 16:00.¹² A late start from Cape Town can leave you very little time at the colony.

The fee is modest: CapeNature charges R45 per adult and R30 per child for day access, and Wild Card holders are accepted.⁴ Few tours go there: one GetYourGuide listing offers a private 10-hour day that combines it with Cape Agulhas and Hermanus, from $254, with 16 reviews.

How many birds you can expect

Numbers at both colonies change from year to year, so treat any figure as a guide rather than a promise. At Boulders, the SANParks brochure says the colony grew from two breeding pairs in 1982 to about 2,200 birds in recent years, while SANParks counted around 2,100 in 2011.³⁴ ³⁵ On a good day the beach below the boardwalks is crowded with birds.

At Stony Point, SANCCOB counted about 1,600 breeding pairs in 2021, and CapeNature calls it the third-largest breeding colony of the species.²² ⁶ The birds there nest among rocks and low bush on the point, and the boardwalk runs right through the colony rather than above a beach.⁹

Both colonies have bad seasons too. In July 2021, SANCCOB's ranger at Stony Point removed 69 chicks and 36 eggs from the colony after severe flooding of the nests.³⁶ Moulting birds in December and nesting birds from about February to August change what you see, whichever colony you choose.³⁷

Which colony should you choose?

For a first visit, or if you have little time, Boulders is the practical penguin colony near Cape Town. It is closer, reachable by train, sold by many day tours and easy to combine with Cape Point, and its sheltered beach adds the chance of a swim.¹⁴ ¹⁷

Stony Point suits travellers with a car and a free day, or anyone driving east along the coast towards Hermanus anyway. Its fee is lower, its colony is growing and its boardwalk runs right through the birds.⁴ ²³ ⁹ The cormorants and the old whaling station add interest for birders and history lovers.

Seeing both is not overdoing it. The two colonies feel different, one in a busy seaside town and one on a rocky point beside a quiet village, and together they show the range of places these birds still manage to hold on to along this coast. If you can only manage one, choose by the rest of your plans rather than by the penguins: the birds at either colony will not disappoint.

How to see the birds well at either colony

Arrive early. At Boulders the summer car park fills fast, and at Stony Point the last permits go out at 15:45.¹⁸ ¹² Morning visits can also be calmer, before the day's coaches arrive.

Keep to the boardwalks and give the birds space. SANParks asks visitors at Boulders not to touch or feed the penguins, whose beaks are as sharp as razors, and not to push selfie sticks through fences or near them.³⁸ ³⁹ The same courtesy applies at Stony Point, where the boardwalk exists so visitors do not disturb the colony.⁹

Bring a card for Boulders, where the gate is cash-free, and something warm for the wind on the exposed point at Betty's Bay.¹⁹ Binoculars are a pleasure at Stony Point, where cormorants nest on the outer rocks.¹³ Pack a windproof top for both; the coast rarely stays still for long.

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