The first penguins came to Foxy Beach only two decades ago and with the time their number increased to more than 3000, mainly because penguins from the surrounding islands immigrated to the beach. Although they attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, they can be a menace to the local inhabitants. The penguins do not stick to their beach, but like to go on safari, and can occasionally be found in neighbouring gardens and houses. A fence has been erected, but they still seem to find holes...
One can see the penguins without having to pay any fees, but the penguin's private beach is managed by Table Mountain National Parks and an entry fee R30 (as of Dec 2008) per person is charged. Alternatively, entry for those with Wild Cards is free. See for more information about the Wild Cards for local and international tourists.
Once you have parked your car at the parking lot, pay the entry fee, and go either to Boulders Beach to enjoy a relaxed time, swimming together with penguins or walk further on and you will get to a spotting place, where you will be able to see most of the penguins from a small distance.
Going to the beach is an adventure especially in summer, when it is warm and when you will share most of your time with penguins in the water. You can also climb around to get to a less crowded part of the beach. Please do NOT try to catch or touch the penguins. They are already distracted from their natural way of life by tourists and they can easily bite off a finger! Going to the beach means getting up early, because only a limited number of people are allowed onto the beach and it can be full by 10 or 11am.
Though you will see penguins here all year round you will see less during September to October as they will be spending most of their time out at sea feeding up for moulting season. Moulting season is from November to December. In January adults will spend a lot of time out at sea again, feeding up for breeding season between February and August.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Boulders
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Boulders - updated May 2024
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Boulders Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
