Tag Archives: Boulders Beach

Our 2024 in Pictures

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Join us as we reminisce about the places DeWetsWild visited while exploring Southern Africa’s wild places in 2024!

May 2025 be a year to remember for all the best reasons. Happy New Year, everyone!

Chalet 4 at Boschkop, on the shores of the Vaal Dam, January 2024

Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, January 2024

Skukuza Bungalow #210, Kruger National Park, January 2024

Skukuza Safari Tent #316, Kruger National Park, January 2024

Cliffhanger Lodge

Leopard Rock Lodge

Recce Lodge

Sunrise at Rietvlei

Camping at Elephant Sands

Elephants drinking from the waterhole in Elephant Sands Lodge

Camping at Domtshetshu Pan

Camping under the stars on Sua Pan

On the horizon lies our campsite on Sua Pan, surrounded by emptiness

Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Campsite #19 at Senyati Safari Camp

Elephants at the waterhole seen from the deck above Senyati’s restaurant

Game-viewing by boat on the Chobe River

Elephants making their way to the Chobe River

Victoria Falls

Lilydale Unit#1, Mokala National Park, June 2024

Sunset Kudu at Mokala

Buffelshoek Safari Camp, Manyeleti Nature Reserve, June 2024

Two of the Kambula Lions at Manyeleti

Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel, Boardwalk Shopping Centre and Bertha’s Restaurant

View from my room at the Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel

African Penguin

Ostriches on the beach at the Cape of Good Hope

Kirstenbosch Spring Annuals Display

Table Mountain cableway

Big old elephant bull between Satara and Olifants in the Kruger National Park

Jamie Mulhovo Guest House, Skukuza, October 2024

Sunset scenery around Skukuza

Research Camp Chalet 5, Skukuza, October 2024

Buffalo at sunset

Research Camp Guest House, Shingwedzi, October 2024

Elephant cow walking past Shingwedzi Camp’s entrance

Gariep N1 Chalets in the Great Karoo

Camping at Karoo National Park, December 2024

Karoo Scenery

Camping at Aloe Canyons

Aloe Canyons

Entrance to Bontebok National Park

Bontebok National Park scenery

De Hoop Vlei

Agulhas Lighthouse

African Penguins on the boardwalk at Betty’s Bay

Camping at Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp in the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park

Wilderness

Camping at Storms River Mouth

Rough seas at the Tsitsikamma coast

Snaps on Tour: Penguins galore, and much more, at Boulders

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Earlier in October I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park.

The very first destination I took the Steiners and Broesders to was the Boulders Penguin colony just a few blocks down the road from the Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel where we stayed. While the Penguins are of course the main attraction there’s many other animals and birds and spectacular scenery as well that makes Boulders a must-see on any visit to the Mother City.

Dassie, aka Rock Hyrax

Brimstone Canary

Cape Grey Mongoose

African Penguins

African Penguin youngster

African Penguin

African Penguins at Boulders Beach

African Penguins

Cape Wagtail

African Penguin

I am a fully accredited and legally registered tour guide (with all the necessary insurance, professional drivers license and first aid certification) – don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like me to arrange a guided tour of Cape Town’s natural attractions and the rest of South Africa for you as well.

Touring Cape Town – 1 October 2024

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I am currently touring some of South Africa’s most beautiful spots with someone who has been a great friend of DeWetsWild for many years, and what a privilege it is! We’re currently on the Cape Peninsula where we’ve based ourselves at the Quayside Hotel in Simon’s Town and today made excursions to the Boulders Penguin Colony and the Cape of Good Hope.

First light over Simon’s Town harbour this morning

African Penguins at Boulders Beach

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

December days at the Cape of Good Hope

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Cape Town is a city more richly endowed with scenic splendour than most others in the world, and almost all of the most beautiful spots in and around the city are protected in the Table Mountain National Park. And while Table Mountain itself is undoubtedly worthy of its spot among the wonders of the natural world, it is in the Cape of Good Hope section of the national park that visitors can get the most authentic taste of the Cape Peninsula’s other natural wonders, of which there are many!

Bordjiesrif

Da Gama cross

Bordjiesrif

Small waterhole on the way to Bordjiesrif

Buffels Bay

The Flying Dutchman Funicular is a convenient way to travel up to the Cape Point lighthouse

Cape Point

Cape Point – just look at that clear water!

Cape Point

Looking out over the Cape of Good Hope

Olifantsbos beach

Platboom beach

Ostrich on the Platboom beach

Smitswinkel Bay at sunrise

Herd of Bontebok at Olifantsbos Beach

Monterey Cypresses (exotic) on the Cape of Good Hope

The Cape Peninsula is world renowned for its rich variety of unique plants – about 2,300 species are found here and many of them occur nowhere else on earth.

Bontebok lying in a sea of Cape Snow

Cape Snow

Kelp

Pincushion

Sour Fig with Honey Bee

Vygies

Mimetes species

Unidentified species from the genus Psoralea

Unidentified Fynbos blooms

Cape (Pink) Everlasting (Phaenocoma prolifera)

More than 300 bird species have been recorded in the Table Mountain National Park and the Cape of Good Hope section of the Park is an excellent place in which to search for most of them.

African Oystercatcher

Pied Avocet

Cape Bunting

Cape Canary

Cape Spurfowl

Cape Sugarbird

Familiar Chat

Common Greenshank

Grey-winged Francolin

Hartlaub’s Gull

Karoo Prinia

Kelp Gull

Red-winged Starling (photo by Joubert)

African Sacred Ibis

Swift and Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Tern

Speckled Mousebird

Swift Tern

Swift Tern (photo by Joubert)

White-fronted Plover

There may not be any of the famed “Big 5” African animals roaming freely over the Cape Peninsula these days, but there’s still a very rich and diverse population of insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals that inhabit the area along with all those birds.

Baboon

Black Girdled Lizard

Bontebok

Bontebok on the beach at Buffelsbaai in the Table Mountain National Park

Seal colony at the Cape of Good Hope

Common Dotted Border

Eland

Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko

Red Hartebeest

While exploring the Table Mountain National Park and Cape Town during December 2022, we based ourselves at the Eland Cottage inside the Cape of Good Hope section of the Park. Eland Cottage has two lounges, a fully equipped kitchen, dining room, bathroom, three bedrooms, outside shower and lapa! In addition to Eland visitors to this part of the Park can also book the Duiker Cottage, similar to Eland, and Olifantsbos House – a luxury unit with an exclusive setting right on the beach. DeWetsWild will gladly assist you with bookings in these units, other accommodation options in the Table Mountain National Park, at one of five hotels in metropolitan Cape Town or at the Goudini Spa in the Cape Winelands if you are planning a visit to Cape Town and surrounds.

Welcome to Eland Cottage

Eland Cottage, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park, December 2022

Eland Cottage’s “backyard”

Pincushion bush and a setting sun

Sunset at Eland Cottage

At Simonstown, just a stone’s throw north of the Cape of Good Hope, is the Boulders Beach where African Penguins breed right at the urban edge. Have a read here if you’d like to know more about this special place. While we again spent a few moments with the penguins at Boulders during our December 2022 trip to Cape Town we will soon tell you more about another colony of these charismatic birds that you should seriously consider also including in your visit to the Western Cape.

African Penguins at Boulders beach

African Penguin at Boulders beach

Boulders Beach and Penguin Colony (Table Mountain National Park)

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Boulders, a sheltered cove in the naval town of Simon’s Town, comprises a few small bays and beaches protected by enormous granite rocks, 540-million years old, from the pounding surf of the Atlantic Ocean in False Bay. It is one of the most popular attractions in the Table Mountain National Park.

Boulders scenery, Table Mountain National Park

In 1982, two pairs of African Penguins took the unusual step of settling and breeding on the mainland here at Boulders. Today, the colony has grown to number over 2,000 birds and offers probably the most accessible views of penguins to be had anywhere in the world. Visitors are urged not to get too close to the penguins and not to try and touch them, as they’ll not hesitate to nip a finger or nose with their razor sharp beaks if they feel threatened.

African Penguins swimming at Boulders Beach

African Penguin

African Penguin calling

African Penguin pair greeting

African Penguin gathering nesting material

African Penguin emerging from the surf

Penguin down on the beach

Artificial nest boxes for the penguins at Boulders

African Penguin tracks

While pride of place obviously goes the the penguins, there’s a multitude of other wildlife – birds and mammals especially – that find a safe refuge at Boulders.

Cape Bulbul

Cape Cormorant

Cape Grey Mongoose

Grey-headed Gull

Hartlaub’s Gull

Kelp Gull

Red-winged Starling

Rock hyrax, or dassie, baby

Female Southern Double-collared Sunbird

Wheelchair-friendly boardwalks erected at Foxy Beach allows visitors to get up close to the penguins, while swimming and sunbathing is popular at Boulders Beach. The two beaches are connected by a lovely walkway through indigenous bush known as Willis’ Walk. There is a curio shop at the visitor centre, and several restaurants, cafes and coffee shops nearby in Simon’s Town.

Welcome to Boulders

View over False Bay

Boardwalk leading to the penguins

Penguin Information

Willis’ Walk

Welcome to Boulders

Boulders Beach and Penguin Colony is located in Simon’s Town, base of the South African navy south of Cape Town. Parking is available in Seaforth Road and Bellevue Road, both of which turn off the main Milner’s Point Road (M4) leading through town.

Dashing in Black-and-White

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This morning we visited the colony of African Penguins breeding at Boulders Beach in Simonstown, the historic naval town located south of Cape Town on the coast of False Bay.

African Penguin at Boulders Beach

Colony of African Penguins at Boulders Beach

Of course we’ll share more about Boulders, and the African Penguin, when we return from our holiday!

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