We had initially planned to go to the top of Table Mountain and then see the penguins in the afternoon, but we calculated it would be about an hour drive to go to the penguin colony, and there appeared to be heavy traffic to Table Mountain as well. Given the time constraints of the day, we would have to take the cable car to the top of the mountain, which wasn’t cheap, about $25 per person. Aided with this knowledge, we elected not to go to the top, concluding that the view of Table Mountain from below is perhaps the best view of Table Mountain anyway. And for an elevated view of the city, we can just go to the top of our hotel. We summoned an Uber and enjoyed the views on the scenic drive down to Simons Town to the south of Cape Town and ultimately Boulder Beach Penguin Colony.
I had read online that September / October are slower months for the penguins, who aren’t as active during these months because they are mostly at sea looking for food during this time. I was expecting to see maybe like five penguins wandering lazily around the beach, but I was pleasantly surprised to see them numbering in the hundreds. There is a boardwalk to separate people from the African Penguins as they are now an endangered species. While this has the advantage of keeping other tourists out of your shot, it does keep all the other tourists together which is often unpleasant for people like me. At one point I was boxed in by some Chinese tourists who would not budge, so eventually I just had to give them a bit of an aggressive shove to not be pinned in against the railing anymore. Later on, I put on my comically large long 400mm lens, just to play around a bit with an unnecessary amount of zoom. People walked by staring at me like my zipper was down, but eventually I realized it was about the lens, and decided to put it away to avoid further awkward glances.
I ended up taking way too many pictures of the penguins, but it was all very fascinating. Some waddled around aimlessly drunk, others hesitatingly went into the waters for a swim, while others simply found themselves belly down on the beach or a nearby rock. They are an interesting creature that are monogamous and have the same mate for life. The African penguins, unlike their Antarctic neighbors, have also adapted to the varied and warmer temperatures of South Africa. They also live at Boulders Beach year round. After thoroughly seeing the penguins from all angles, we summoned another Uber and took it back to the waterfront area in Cape Town.
We grabbed an early dinner and bought a few last souvenirs as we hadn’t yet acquired an ornament to add to our international christmas tree. We caught the free shuttle back to the hotel, did a load of laundry in our room, and enjoyed a couple drinks at the bar on top of the hotel before calling it a night. We would have to get up quite early tomorrow to catch our flight to Zimbabwe.
I had read online that September / October are slower months for the penguins, who aren’t as active during these months because they are mostly at sea looking for food during this time. I was expecting to see maybe like five penguins wandering lazily around the beach, but I was pleasantly surprised to see them numbering in the hundreds. There is a boardwalk to separate people from the African Penguins as they are now an endangered species. While this has the advantage of keeping other tourists out of your shot, it does keep all the other tourists together which is often unpleasant for people like me. At one point I was boxed in by some Chinese tourists who would not budge, so eventually I just had to give them a bit of an aggressive shove to not be pinned in against the railing anymore. Later on, I put on my comically large long 400mm lens, just to play around a bit with an unnecessary amount of zoom. People walked by staring at me like my zipper was down, but eventually I realized it was about the lens, and decided to put it away to avoid further awkward glances.
I ended up taking way too many pictures of the penguins, but it was all very fascinating. Some waddled around aimlessly drunk, others hesitatingly went into the waters for a swim, while others simply found themselves belly down on the beach or a nearby rock. They are an interesting creature that are monogamous and have the same mate for life. The African penguins, unlike their Antarctic neighbors, have also adapted to the varied and warmer temperatures of South Africa. They also live at Boulders Beach year round. After thoroughly seeing the penguins from all angles, we summoned another Uber and took it back to the waterfront area in Cape Town.
We grabbed an early dinner and bought a few last souvenirs as we hadn’t yet acquired an ornament to add to our international christmas tree. We caught the free shuttle back to the hotel, did a load of laundry in our room, and enjoyed a couple drinks at the bar on top of the hotel before calling it a night. We would have to get up quite early tomorrow to catch our flight to Zimbabwe.
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