Simon’s Town Stories & Penguins

Discover a side of Simon’s Town that many visitors miss as they travel directly to the penguins.

Beginning beside the harbour at Jubilee Square, this private walking tour explores the stories that shaped one of South Africa’s most distinctive coastal towns. Follow part of the Historic Mile, admire its preserved architecture and learn how Simon’s Town developed from a small maritime settlement into the home of the South African Navy.

Meet the town’s most famous sailor, Just Nuisance, and uncover the stories of the diverse communities who once lived and worked here — including the painful forced removals that changed Simon’s Town during apartheid.

From the historic centre, continue along the False Bay coastline past naval landmarks, sheltered beaches and beautiful ocean views. A coastal boardwalk leads us towards Boulders, where the experience ends among a remarkable colony of critically endangered African penguins.

Along the way you pass Admiralty House and the historic dockyard, where generations of sailors, naval officers and dockyard workers made their lives, and hear how the town’s Muslim heritage and its many communities were reshaped by the Group Areas Act. Beyond Seaforth the route softens into granite coves and sheltered beaches before the quiet Willis Walk boardwalk carries you through coastal vegetation, where penguins often cross between their nests and the sea.

It is the perfect combination of local history, seaside scenery and unforgettable wildlife.

The walk is about 2.5 km one way and takes roughly three hours at an easy pace, on pavements, a level coastal path and the raised boardwalks at Boulders. It ends at the penguin colony rather than returning to Jubilee Square.