# how I met the penguins @ South Africa

This week I am taking you to Boulders Beach, one of my favorite beaches in South Africa, situated at least one hour by car from Cape town, just next to Simon’s town.

This little sheltered beach, hosts a colony of penguins, that we can observe up close as they walk around and swim at liberty…

Just so you know, the difference between auks & penguins is that auks have the ability to fly and live in the north hemisphere, while penguins live in the southern hemisphere and are incapable of flying… Now that being said, lets get back to our penguins and my famous beach :-)…

Boulders beach, Fox Beach as well as the other beaches and neighboring creeks establish an ideal territory on which they are totally protected. Penguins are considered an endangered species but the good news is, this colony is home to more than 2200 individuals .

We are indeed far away from 2 penguin couples who have squatted in the beach at the beginning of the 80s 😉

An unusual afternoon with the penguins…

It is kind of exceptional to find ourselves in the middle of these almost awkward but so cute animals.

By being quiet and respectful, we can approach them closely because they are rather peaceful, except during the mating season (February / August), where they become a little more territorial. In any case we do not touch them, and we keep a small distance so as not to frighten them, and respect their intimacy.

For the less daring of us, there is a long wooden footbridge which goes along Fox BeachFrom this place, surrounded with wooden barriers, we can observe the colony of penguins in their natural environment, whilst at the same time keeping a certain distance.

Walking on this pontoon is rather pleasant because we can really see all the colony, but Boulders beach remains my favorite: we can swim with them, and observe them very close up, without barriers and with much fewer tourists..

Ideally it is best to start the visit on the pontoon and to finish the excursion on the beach with the penguins or vice versa depending on the tide.

Boulders Beach

Once on Boulders beach, you need to climb some rocks at first and sneak under some enormous granite rocks, before reaching the beautiful creek and the transparent water where the penguins rest.. And yes, getting this close to these adorable and funny little cuties, it is absolutely worth it!

And there I could spend hours watching them walking, evolving, cuddling.. Also, did you know that penguins are monogamous ? When they fall in love, it is forever !

They are almost everywhere.. in the water, on the beach, the rocks, in bushes.. And if they look rather awkward and slow on dry land, it is not at all the case in water where they are very fast !!

But the most surprising without a doubt, are their cries which remind me more of a donkey braying… weird..

In any case it is a beautiful meeting, and an absolute honor to be able to observe them in their natural habitat and freedom!!

Infos :

– We can reach this haven of peace for penguins by train from Cape Town or by car by taking the N3.

– You have to pay for parking and to enter this protected area, but the ticket includes entrance to the pontoon of Fox beach and to Boulders beach.

– The visit is nicer at low tide, so think of checking the tide before departure..

– The place can be very windy so remember to take some warm clothes in your bag as well as the necessary beach accessories; sunscreen, sunglasses etc 😉

– The penguins are nice but they have very sharp beaks and can pinch hard if we do not respect their personal space or if we try touching them.. And of course they are living things so selfie sticks above their heads you can forget right away !!!

xoxo

@tia