When our host in Capetown offered to take us to see penguins, my immediate reaction was to decline politely. After all, I’ve already seen penguins several times in various zoos and thought I’d be better off spending my very limited time in Capetown doing something else. Our host, however, insisted, saying that it’s just a quick stop on the way to Cape Point. So I had no choice but to play along.
Boy! Was I glad I agreed to go! Because I had no idea that I’d be getting up very close and personal with the penguins in their natural habitat.
The penguins were all over the beach in this place called Boulders Beach…
Which is in a postcard-perfect little place called Simon’s Town.
And when I say the penguins are ‘all over the beach’, I mean ALL OVER the beach, so much so that you can find signs warning you to check under your vehicle for penguins before driving off!
See how close the nest is to the bench? Yup, that’s a papa penguin right by the bushes, guarding the entrance of the tiny hole in the ground that it calls its home.
I almost got my fingers nipped by this protective papa penguin, who feared for the safety of his fluffy baby.
From what I’ve seen on National Geographic, it’s the papa penguins who take care of the babies. The mama penguins are the ones who go hunting. A refreshing reversal of roles for once…
This one’s almost a grownup — see how his soft brown fuzz is slowly getting replaced by dark, shiny feathers?
The added bonus was the fantastic view of the huge expanse of the sapphire-blue sea crashing against the huge boulders.
That small figure you see on the bottom right corner is DH, looking around for mussels. He managed to collect a small bag of them, which we steamed for dinner that night ;) Our hosts didn’t have the heart to tell us at that point that scavenging for mussels is not allowed on that beach. They only informed us that evening AFTER they had a taste of the fresh mussels! Oh well…
It was freezing though (it’s winter in South Africa right now) so I was bundled up like a baby — jacket, scarf, gloves and all. And the wind was so strong, I felt like I could get blown off the boulders very easily. It was definitely a challenge trying to remain upright AND keeping the camera still enough so that I could take my photos.
From what little I’ve seen of South Africa at that point, I’ve already started falling in love…
I love penguins. How cool to see them up close and personal. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful pictures.
oh my! the place looks so nice! do you know that Africa is one place on my list that I want to go to [even more than I want to go to the US!]?
the penguins are so cute! wonder what it’s like to see one? ;)
Awesome scenery! Am drooling! Beautiful shots. Capetown is a must go before the year will end!!!
it is only now that i realize i wanna see penguins in person. i haven’t seen one (shame on me). they’re cute. :)
Lucky you! It’s good you went with them. Paulit ulit kong tiningnan yung pictures. Ang ganda!
Very nice pics of penguins. I like penguins. I am surely going to visit soon as it is one of the beautiful place on earth. It is very beautiful place. Many famous places like museum,gauteng,gold reef city,johannesburg,pretoria,rare species of lions,rare species of pandas,robben island. For more details refer Robben Island
I sàw films on tv àbout penguins , in àfricà, some invàding properties for food, some were too noisy, cànt sleep in the nigh.
But I like the sceneries, ow, its fàntàstic.
Plus the mussels, whàt càn you àsk for more?
Puntà àko dyn bukàs, hehe
I’ve only seen penguins in zoos. Must be exciting to see them in their natural habitat! This reminded me of those penguin colonies in the arctic that i usually see in the Animal Planet. Great photos, looking forward to more!
how so lucky of you to see penguins in their own natural environment where they roam freely and unafraid! and those baby penguins are so adorable i think i want to cry. :P
ahh…these pics are just the tip of the iceberg. watch out for the rest of the pics of my capetown trip! (sorry — lots of backlog in the office to clear up)
i love penguins!
and i love the movie happy feet. ^-^
great pictures, the view is marvelous!
The scenery and penguins are lovely, reminds me of my trip to NZ last year – not penguins though, but seals. South Africa is another place on my to-visit list, but no chance yet so far.
Cape Town is really one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It is quite surprising to find this little gem after all the stories about how dangerous South Africa is. Though I was there for work, it has left deep impression on me and I would love to visit again. Great photos and I am a fan of Nikon too!!
You are so lucky to see these Penguins at boulders beach which is their own natural environment where they roam freely without any fear.pp