Wild Cape Town: Penguins, Whales, Baboons and Fynbos

Cape Town’s wild side, from the African penguins of Boulders Beach and the Cape fur seals of Hout Bay to the southern right whales of Walker Bay, the chacma baboons of the peninsula and the fynbos of the Cape Floral Region, with a directory of the parks, gardens and viewpoints in our guide. Facts from SANParks, SANBI, the IUCN, BirdLife International, SANCCOB and the City of Cape Town.

Few cities sit so close to the wild. Table Mountain National Park runs for 70 kilometres from Signal Hill and Table Mountain, above the city centre, to Cape Point at the tip of the peninsula, and takes in a Marine Protected Area and many of the beaches along the way. African penguins nest among the granite boulders of Simon’s Town, Cape fur seals bask in Hout Bay harbour, baboons patrol the roads to Cape Point, and in the southern winter and spring whales come close inshore along the coast to the east.

Around it all grows fynbos, the fine-leaved shrubland of proteas, heaths and reeds that makes the Cape Floral Region a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The animals here are wild, and the best visits are the patient ones: on boardwalks, from cliff paths and with your car windows closed.

Penguins on a city beach, whales you can watch from a cliff path, and a national park that runs from the city centre to the tip of Africa’s south-western cape.

On the shore: penguins and seals

Boulders, near Simon’s Town on the False Bay coast, is part of Table Mountain National Park and home to a colony of African penguins, which you watch from boardwalks above the beach. The birds come and go between the sea and their nests, braying to one another: their old name was the jackass penguin. Entry is paid at the gate to SANParks; don’t touch or feed the birds, and keep to the boardwalks.

On the Atlantic side, Cape fur seals haul out in Hout Bay harbour among the fishing boats, a short drive along the coast from Camps Bay, and the start of the dramatic road over Chapman’s Peak.

The whales of Walker Bay

Each year southern right whales come into Walker Bay, east of the city, to calve and nurse their young in the southern winter and spring. The town of Hermanus lines the bay, and its cliff path, which follows the shore through the town, is one of the best places in the world to watch whales from land: in season they can be seen close to the rocks.

You know a southern right by the pale, rough patches on its head, called callosities, which differ from whale to whale. Hermanus publishes the season’s news on hermanus.co.za; bring binoculars and walk slowly.

On the mountain: fynbos and baboons

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, run by the South African National Biodiversity Institute on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, is a garden of the Cape’s own plants and part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site; the Boomslang, a curved walkway, takes you up into the tree canopy. Out on the mountain itself, fynbos covers the slopes of Lion’s Head and Signal Hill, and proteas grow wild.

Chacma baboons live wild on the peninsula, most visibly on the roads and car parks near Cape Point. They are strong and quick, and they know that cars and bags can hold food. Feeding baboons is against the law and teaches them to raid; keep food out of sight, your car doors locked and windows closed when baboons are near, and give them a wide berth.

Beyond the city: the West Coast

An easy drive north, the West Coast National Park, run by SANParks, surrounds the Langebaan lagoon, and its Postberg section opens only in the spring flower season. Check sanparks.org for the dates each year.

Feature: the African penguin

The African penguin is the only penguin that breeds on the African continent, and it is in steep decline. In October 2024 the IUCN moved it from Endangered to Critically Endangered on its Red List, after a rapid fall in the number of breeding pairs. Colonies like Boulders are now watched closely, and every visitor who keeps to the boardwalks helps.

Did you know? The African penguin was the first penguin species ever to be listed as Critically Endangered.

Our advice

Our advice: go to Boulders early in the day and combine it with Cape Point and Simon’s Town in one day. For whales, plan Hermanus for the southern winter and spring and walk the cliff path with binoculars. Keep food out of sight and car windows closed near baboons, and never feed any wild animal, from baboons to seals and penguins. Drones are prohibited in Table Mountain National Park.