Boulders Beach Visitor Tips

Hours, prices and access verified by the Boulders Beach Tours team — last checked 2026-09-11

Small things that change the hour you spend here: when the boardwalk is empty, what to carry, how close you may get, and the one claim about this beach that is repeated everywhere and is not true. Guided days that reach it at the right hour are among the Boulders Beach guided tours listings.

The boardwalk above the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach

The hour that has the boardwalk to itself

Arrive within the first hour of opening. The car park is still empty and the light comes in low off the bay. The birds move between the water and their nests before the heat settles. By eleven in summer the boardwalk carries a steady file of people, and entry is paused in batches. By four the day visitors have gone and it opens up again.

The hours themselves change four times a year, which is the detail people miss. They are set out on hours, fees and access, along with the conservation fee and the card-only gate.

What to bring, and what to leave

Take	Why	Leave behind
A card	The gate is cashless	A wallet of rand
Closed shoes	The steps to the cove and the Cape Point end are rough	Flip-flops
A windproof layer	Boulders is sheltered; the rest of the peninsula is not	Nothing — take it in every season
Hat and sunscreen	The walkway is open to the sky end to end	An umbrella, in the wind
Water	There is nothing on the boardwalk itself	Open food, which brings gulls to the nests
A camera	The last deck is metres from the nests	Flash, and anything to feed a bird with

How close you can get, and the line you do not cross

Closer than you expect. The last deck of the Foxy Beach boardwalk stands directly over the colony, and birds nest within a few metres of the rail. They also walk the paths you walk, between the scrub and the water. When one does, it has right of way.

The line is simple: stay on the walkway, do not reach over the rail, and leave two metres between you and any bird on the ground. They are not tame. A penguin that feels crowded lunges, and its bill is built for holding a fish that does not want to be held.

Swimming at Boulders Beach — the cove, not the colony

You cannot swim with the penguins, whatever the phrase suggests. Approaching, touching and feeding the birds is not permitted anywhere in the reserve, and the colony is watched from a raised boardwalk. What you can do is swim at Boulders Beach itself, the sheltered cove among the granite a few minutes along the same reserve, where penguins come and go on their own terms. Which gate leads where is set out on where Boulders Beach is.

The cove is a good swim. The boulders break the swell, the water is shallow and clear, and it is one of the calmest beaches on this coast. False Bay is cold, though warmer than the Atlantic side. Most people get in for a few minutes rather than an afternoon.

Photographing penguins without a long lens

Go early. Low side light, no shadows of other people on the sand.
Use the last deck. It is the closest point on the boardwalk to the nests.
Get low against the rail rather than shooting down; a bird photographed from eye level looks like a bird rather than a dot.
Wait for the water. The pictures worth having are of birds coming out of the surf, not standing still.
Do not use flash. It is pointless at that distance and it is disturbance.

Baboons, gulls and the car park

Chacma baboons range across the Cape Point section of the same park and occasionally along this coast. They are habituated, strong and interested in bags. The rule is the one that applies to the penguins: no food on show, no eye contact, nothing left in an open car. Kelp gulls at Boulders will take an unattended sandwich in one pass.

In the car park, put bags in the boot before you arrive rather than after. It is a busy tourist site like any other, and an empty seat is the whole of the advice.

Frequently asked on the day

Can you swim with the penguins?

No, and the phrase is misleading. Approaching, touching or feeding the birds is not permitted anywhere in the reserve, and the colony itself is watched from a raised boardwalk. You can swim at Boulders Beach, in the sheltered cove among the granite, which is a separate beach from the colony.

Do African penguins bite?

They can, and they are quick about it. Their bills are built for catching fish and a bird that feels crowded will lunge. Stay on the boardwalk, keep a couple of metres between you and any bird walking on a path, and nothing will happen.

Can I take food onto the boardwalk?

Take a water bottle and keep anything else packed away. Gulls at Boulders are practised thieves and open food draws them straight to the birds' nests. There are cafes and a shop in Simon's Town, five minutes up the road.

Can I bring a dog to Boulders Beach?

No. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in this section of the reserve, for the obvious reason. There is no kennel at the gate, so leave them at your accommodation.

Are there toilets and a shop at Boulders?

Yes, at the visitor centre by the Foxy Beach entrance, along with a small shop. There is nothing on the boardwalk itself, which is a fifteen-minute walk end to end, so use them before you go through.

What happens if Boulders is full when I arrive?

The boardwalk takes a set number of people and entry is paused when it is busy rather than turned away, so the wait is measured in minutes. It happens on summer afternoons between about 11:00 and 15:00. Arriving in the first hour after opening avoids it entirely.

Next: read the fee and the gate hours on hours, fees and access, see what the birds are doing on the African penguins, or compare every fare on Boulders Beach Tours.