South African Penguin at Boulder Beach, Simon Town South Africa

It was an interesting experience to have a chance to visit the penguin colony in South Africa in October 2008. There was a penguin colony in the southward area from Cape Town in South Africa. The place is called Boulder Beach. I went there by a small coach that I rented from Cape Town. I stayed at Cape Town and made some tours to several destination around Cape Town. One place that I visited was the Boulder Beach at Simon Town where I could see the penguin colony. The colony was nearby like in the backyard of many people house in the beach.

Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is located in the Cape Peninsula, near Simon's Town towards Cape Point, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

The flock of penguin in the granit boulder.


The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as the Black-footed Penguin or Jackass Penguin is found on the south-western coast of Africa, living in colonies on 24 islands between Namibia and Algoa Bay, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with the largest colony on Dyer Island, near Kleinbaai. Two colonies were established by penguins in the 1980s on the mainland near Cape Town at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town and Stony Point in Betty's Bay. Mainland colonies probably only became possible in recent times due to the reduction of predator numbers, although the Betty's Bay colony has been attacked by leopards. The only other mainland colony is in Namibia, but it is not known when this was established.

I tried to be closed to the flock of the penguin but the people there suggested me not to do that since the penguin may get upset.

A Mother and daughter taking picture in the Boulder beach with penguin and house backyard in the background.

A simple map of South Africa to provide the reader with an orientation.