Little Miss Turtle | Boulders Beach Penguin Colony in a wheelchair

Boulders Beach Penguin Colony in a Wheelchair

The Boulders Beach Penguin Colony surely is one of the greatest wheelchair-accessible must-sees when in Cape Town! In this post, you find all the details about the cute African Penguins and the accessibility of the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony in Simon’s Town.

 

Wheelchair-accessible path at Boulders Beach

Wheelchair-accessible path at Boulders Beach

 

Some basic facts

Boulders Beach is located near Simon’s Town, about 45 km south of Cape Town. The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is an endangered species. Therefore it is very well protected in South Africa. Boulders Beach is part of the Table Mountain National Park.

 

Penguins on Boulders Beach

Penguins hanging out on the beach

 

Penguins on a rock

Penguins on a rock

 

Accessibility of the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony

As you might have already read in my accessibility overview, the Boulders Beach Penguin experience is very wheelchair-friendly. Wheelchair users can explore the Penguin Colony viewing area with ease. Fully accessible wooden paths get you close to the penguins. The swimming area, however, isn’t wheelchair accessible. Most importantly, there is also a huge wheelchair restroom with handlebars and an adult changing table. In general, you have to pay an entrance fee of R152 per adult (as of 2018/19). We still have no clue why, but we didn’t have to pay anything. Normally, there is no discount for disabled visitors.

 

Wheelchair accessible penguin viewing area

Wheelchair accessible penguin viewing area

 

How to get there

You can reach Simon’s Town by car in a fifty-minute drive, starting from Cape Town. There is a parking area with wheelchair parking lots on Seaforth Road. Just ask the guard, and he’ll show you where to park. From there, it is only a short walk to the entrance of the Penguin Colony viewing area.

Travel Tip

My Travel Tip: Come in the morning and don’t forget your sun protection. The South African sun is very strong – way stronger than the European sun! You’ll probably be hungry after visiting the cute penguins, so maybe you’d like to try the wheelchair-accessible Seaforth restaurant with its beautiful terrace and great food right next to the parking!

 

Have you already visited the penguins?
Tell me about your experiences in the comment section below or reach out by mail.

Boulders Beach Penguins

9.3

General Accessibility

9.0/10

Accessibility of sights

10.0/10

Wheelchair-friendly restrooms

10.0/10

Wheelchair-accessible paths

8.0/10

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5 comments

  • Daniel April 6, 2017   Reply →

    Wie die Fotos des anderen Posts, zeugen auch diese wieder einmal von der idyllischen Landschaft Südafrikas. Was ich nicht verstehe, Nienchen, ist warum die letzten Fotos von 2013 sind und die anderen, wie erwartet, von 2017. hmmmm… warst du 2013 schon mal dort, ist es ein Problem der Kamera (falsche Metadaten im Foto) oder habe ich etwas verpasst? Liebe Grüsse

    • Melanie April 6, 2017   Reply →

      Daniel, vielen Dank für deinen Kommentar! Ja, ich war im Dezember 2013 schon einmal in Kapstadt und auch am Boulders Beach bei den Pinguinen. Ich habe diesmal keine Bilder von der rollstuhlgerechten Aussichtsplattform gemacht, daher habe ich zur Verdeutlichung auf die Fotos von 2013 zurückgegriffen :-)! Liebe Grüße

  • LENOIR Françoise April 7, 2017   Reply →

    Putain !
    Bien peinards tous ces pingouins…
    Tous les humains , pour eux, au petit soin,
    protection assurée sans flics dans le décor…
    Le paradis pour eux,
    pour nous humains quand tout va bien, profitons !
    Car jamais pour bien longtemps,
    Sont toujours présents les empêcheurs de tourner en rond…
    Pas comme les chiens qui n’ont pas la possibilité d’ouvrir le frigo: dépendant de leur maître.
    Pas besoin de se rendre loin,
    La mer est là pour se ravitailler et le soleil pour avoir bien chaud !
    Et puis , ils sont beaux les pingouins, pas dans la diversité de leur apparence: un peu dommage!
    L’humain est plus fantaisiste en matière d’apparence: un plus ou un moins ?

    Très belles photos de cette région qui donnent envie d’y aller…

    Merci Mélie

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