Foxy Beach
Hundreds of penguins.
Satdeep Gill — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dietmar Rabich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small beach among huge granite boulders near Simon's Town, home to a colony of African penguins that began with just two pairs in 1982 and grew into the thousands, making it one of the few places in the world where you can see penguins up close so easily. The African penguin is the only penguin that lives on the African continent, known for its donkey-like bray, and its numbers have fallen so sharply that it is now critically endangered, which is why the national parks authority protects the colony. Boardwalks run over the dunes to viewing platforms at Foxy Beach, where hundreds of penguins gather on the sand and among the rocks. At neighbouring Boulders Beach you can swim in calm water between the boulders and penguins may pass close by, but touching or feeding them is forbidden. Entry is R245 per foreign adult until 31 October 2026, per visitor guides, and fees rise every November. Early morning is quieter, before the tour buses arrive.
Hundreds of penguins.
Over the dunes.
Among the boulders.
Simon's Town, about 40 km south of Cape Town
You can swim at Boulders Beach and penguins may pass by, but touching or feeding them is forbidden.