I got up early on Sunday morning to make a trip down the Cape Peninsula along the False Bay Coast. The Cape Peninsula stretches out from Cape Town down to the Cape of Good Hope, although my destination that morning was Simon’s Town instead of all the way south. The main attraction I wanted to see was the penguin colony in Simon’s Town, and I had booked a kayak trip to see the penguins from the sea and boat through the waters where they would be swimming.
Because the kayak expedition would leave at 9:00 I needed to be in Simon’s Town pretty early. The train ride from Cape Town to Simon’s Town takes slightly over an hour, but because the train schedule did not fit perfectly I had to get up rather early to make the 6:30 train. On the first part of the trip I slumbered a little bit, but during the final part of the trip I was treated to a stunning view as the train rides directly along the coastline.
A stunning view of False Bay from the train carriage.
Unfortunately, slightly before the train arrived in Simon’s Town I received a notification from the organizers of the kayaking trip that the day’s trip was cancelled because of the too rough weather. Although it was shaping up to be a beautiful day and the sun was shining, the stiff wind meant that the waves would be too wild to go out with a kayak. Instead of making for the kayak rendez-vous spot I took a leisurely stroll along the harbor and settled down for a hearty “Sailor’s breakfast” (toast, bacon, eggs, and a baked tomato) in a quayside restaurant.
After this invigorating breakfast I set out towards Boulders Beach, which is a few kilometers outside of the Simon’s Town city center, and which hosts a colony of African penguins. Although the African penguin is an endangered species, at Boulders Beach the colony currently numbers around 3000 birds up from only two breeding pairs in 1982. The African penguin is also often called the “jackass penguin” because of its donkey-like bray, and after experiencing the colony from up close I can tell you that besides their distinctive sound they also have a very distinctive smell!
Although we might associate penguins mostly with snowy landscapes, these penguins are endemic to the south-western coast of Africa. The penguins nest in the fynbos, which provides them shade and protection from predators, and go into the sea to cool off. As an aside, the fynbos is a vital component of the Cape Floristic Region, which despite being the smallest of the six floral kingdoms worldwide has a very high biodiversity and is home to over 9000 plant species.
The penguins amble next to or beneath the walkways, so I could see them from up close. There is also a nice vantage point at Foxy Beach where tourists can see the penguins gather on the beach and go into the sea. Whereas the penguins move quite clumsily on land, once they get into the water they gracefully flit through the rolling waves. It was funny to see them storming head-first into the water, or shaking off the water with outspread wings when coming back onto the beach.
The penguins at Boulders Beach. (There were actually way more!)
After having observed the penguins for a while I moved to the adjacent beach where a few children were joyfully splashing around in the sea. Boulders Beach gets its name from the granite boulders that lie on the beach and in the surf, and with my penchant for climbing things I could not pass up this opportunity. I scrambled over and across a few of the boulders and through the sea away from the swimming beach back into the direction of the penguin beach, where I could easily get within a meter distance of them swimming around in the sea. I climbed on top of one of the bigger boulders and relaxed for a while in the pleasant morning sun. Descending the boulder afterwards proved to be a bit more tricky, and I actually had to shoo away a curious penguin that was investigating all the noise I was making before I could jump down for the final descent.
At noon I returned to the Simon’s Town city center and treated myself on a juicy steak in a quite fancy seaside restaurant. I decided to splurge and ordered a tasty chocolate brownie with ice cream as well, and enjoyed a very nice meal which set me back a mere €15. Eating out in South Africa is definitely more affordable than it is in Belgium. On the way back to the train station I made a stop at the Navy Museum, although I was not particularly impressed and only stayed briefly. I prefer a museum that tells a story and where I can learn new things, while this museum mostly just contained a bunch of small ship models.
After a brief talk with the platform attendant at the Simon’s Town train station (he jokingly told me he hoped that a nearby train would explode so that for once something interesting would happen during his job; I guess I should be happy that he graciously spared my train) I got on the train but hopped off again after barely ten minutes when we arrived in Fish Hoek. In Fish Hoek I enjoyed the sun, the beach, and the sea. While I was walking on the beach I saw a seal leisurely drifting on the waves, and as he lifted one of his paws it seemed like he was waving at the onlookers on the beach. A bit later the seal actually made for the beach, where he struck a great pose for the few photographers, looking left and right to show us his best angle. I managed to get pretty close to snap a decent picture before the seal returned to the sea.
This was one photogenic seal.
From Fish Hoek I took a short train trip to St James, where I followed a walking trail along the coastline to the neighboring Muizenberg. Muizenberg is touted as the birthplace of surfing in South Africa, and despite it not being the high season yet there were already multiple surfers enjoying the waves. After enjoying a book in the sunshine on the beach I made way for the train station to return to Cape Town. Luckily I am used to the Belgian train punctuality, as I had to wait 40 minutes before the train finally arrived.
I returned home after having enjoyed a pleasant and active day filled with getting to see animals in their natural habitat, clambering on rocks, and reading a good book on the beach. The only thing I forgot was to wear sunscreen, as my colleagues immediately noticed and remarked upon when I entered the office the following day…