Our morning started out finishing up our time in Cape Town. My father ran to get our rental car while my mother and I opted to do a little more birding. I’d really enjoyed getting to see some new species in the park we’d walked through, so I asked to go through one more time before we left. 

After managing to add a couple more birds to my lifer list, we met my dad at the hotel to get in the car and begin our journey out of Cape Town. 

We drove out of town a ways and made a stop at Hout Bay Beach. It was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed dipping our toes in the water and enjoying the good weather.

With our beach break done, we headed up Chapman Peak Drive, enjoying the gorgeous scenery along the water. We stopped at a lookout for some photos and then continued on. 

We’d driven for a while and decided it was time to make a stop. We took a break at Imhoff Farms, a cute little original Cape farm dating back from 1743 with little shops and animals. We had fun walking around for a bit before grabbing some food from the shop and having a picnic. We enjoyed some fresh goat cheese made from the local goats and a nice loaf of bread. The place was a very serene and fun picnic location.

Finally we hopped back in the car to make our way to our final destination. We were staying in Boulders Beach at the Boulders Beach Hotel. As we pulled into the parking lot we had to giggle as there were signs asking you to check for penguins under your car. 

Of course, going down to the point we knew there was a chance we’d get to see some penguins. Some people I’ve talked to about my trip are a bit surprised I got to see penguins, in Africa of all places, but honestly it is far enough south they do have a species called African Penguins that only live along the Southern Africa coast. A bit different than what people traditionally think about when it comes to these adorable birds.

After checking in, we immediately took off down a nearby boardwalk, hoping to spot some penguins. Sure enough we soon came across a couple, even some nesting not too far away from the walk! It was so fun to get to see this new species. As a birder I was especially excited for this new and unique lifer to add to my list.

We enjoyed getting some photos and also admiring the Dassies (Rock Hyrax) chewing on leaves and climbing in bushes nearby. After a bit of a walk we arrived at the Boulders Visitor Center where we could pay to go down to the beach to get an even better view of penguins. Though we’d seen plenty on our walk, including lots of chicks, we thought it would be fun to get to see them hopping in the water.

Down at the beach we indeed had plenty of great views of the penguins going out to feed and just hanging out on the sand. They are remarkably smelly, and quite loud (sometimes known as Jackass Penguins due to their noises). It was still just an unbelievable experience and definitely one of my favorites of the trip.

After plenty of time admiring the penguins we headed back to the hotel before dinner. For dinner we opted to drive into the nearby Simon’s Town to find someplace to eat. 

As we came out to our car, however, we found out the signs in the parking lot might not be as silly as we initially found them. I jokingly went to look under the car for penguins, only to see a group of them coming right towards our car. I tried to block them from coming any closer, which only spooked them and caused one to dart right under our car. I ended up managing to get him out and then directing my father, the driver, as to when the path was clear. Penguin wrangling wasn’t something I had on my 2024 bingo card, but nonetheless it happened. 

In Simon’s Town we ended up wanting to try The Lighthouse Cafe, but they were very busy and would require us to wait. As no one was starving it seemed like a good idea to just walk around town a bit and come back when our table was ready.

As it turned out, walking around town proved more of an adventure than we really realized. 

There was shouting and we turned to see people in bright vests with flags running across the street. To our surprise there had been a robbery. But not by a human.

A large baboon had run into a nearby store, grabbed something and taken off outside to see if it was edible. We watched in amazement as the creature tore off the wrapper of whatever snack he’d grabbed and proceeded to eat it. 

The people in vests were apparently simply there to keep an eye on the baboons, preventing people from getting too close or otherwise causing problems. A local woman was locking up her shop and remarked to us that they are a big nuisance in town and unfortunately with their protection it makes things difficult on locals. 

I think it definitely shows our society still has a long way to go to figure out the best balance in living with other creatures. For so long we’ve dominated their territory, so it does feel right that they get to have a turn, but at the same time I did sympathize for locals who find their behavior difficult to cope with at times.

We enjoyed exploring a bit of Simon’s Town, reading some signs about the history, stopping down at the wharf to see a statue of Just Nuisance, the only dog to ever be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. 

Finally we headed back to the restaurant to check on our table and found out it was ready to go. We went inside and enjoyed the fun restaurant atmosphere. My stomach had been a bit off that day (got to love traveling), so I settled for the pecorino chicken breast. For dessert we tried the traditional Malva Pudding and an apple berry crumble. It all tasted very good. As our hotel didn’t serve breakfast we went ahead and looked at the breakfast menu as well, figuring we might stop by in the morning. 

Back at our hotel, my dad and I opted to do a night walk along the boardwalk to see what other animals might be awake. We had some grumpy penguins get a little upset to see us so late at night, but otherwise weren’t seeing much. We did spot two otters down in the surf, which was very fun. 

With our busy day completed, we turned in for the night.