Golden Beach Award 2024: This beach in Cape Town ranked second best in the world!

BeachAtlas, a UK-based start up that specializes in world beaches, has recently released its Golden Beach Award 2024. Based on diverse criteria such as the value to the local community, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), lifestyle offerings, and cultural significance, the ranking - at least according to BeachAtlas - shines a light on those beach gems that typically don't make it onto traditional, unidimensional 'best beach' lists.
Two beaches in Southern Africa, one in South Africa and one Namibia, made it to the Top 10 in BeachAtlas' ranking. Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, has been ranked second out of 100 beaches by BeachAtlas’ Golden Beach Awards 2024, while Namibia's Skeleton Coast was ranked at number nine. Two other beaches in South Africa made it to the Top 100 - Cape Town's Bloubergstrand was named 33rd best beach and the Clifton Beaches were ranked 68th. Overall winner of the Golden Beach Award 2024 is Bora Bora in French Polynesia.

Photo by Kym Ellis on Unsplash

South Africa: This beach in Cape Town is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!

Global travel website Big 7 Travel has released its annual list of "The 50 Best Beaches In The World". The list is currently in its fourth year, using aggregated scores from previous media results, official Blue Flag locations, social media popularity and contributions from the Big 7 Travel editorial team. According to Big 7 travel's list, Boulders Beach in Cape Town, is the world's ninth best beach.

Boulders Beach – South Africa
Boulders Beach is more famous for its inhabitants than its sandy stretches. A whole colony of as many as 3,000 African Penguins nest on the beach. The best time to see them is during the summertime. The cool, clear False Bay water and rock pools are an added bonus. [src.]

Big 7 Travel's Top 10 "Best Beaches In The World‘:

1. Playa Conchal – Costa Rica
2. Turquoise Bay – Exmouth, Australia
3. Grace Bay – Turks and Caicos
4. Siesta Beach – Florida, United States
5. Punta Mosquito – Holbox, Mexico
6. Secret Lagoon – El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
7. San Fruttuoso – Italy
8. Pedn Vounder – Cornwall, England
9. Boulders Beach – South Africa
10. Reynisfjara Beach – Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland

For the complete list of the World’s Best Beaches, please see here.

Cape Town: Boulders Beach named one of the world's most beautiful beaches!

UK-based financial website Money.co.uk has recently released a list of the world’s most beautiful beaches, according to Instagram. To rank the beaches, the website analysed over 26 million Instagram hashtags associated with the world’s most popular beaches and calculated how many pictures were shared per metre of the beach length. The beach with the most Instagram posts per metre has been crowned the most beautiful beach in the world. According to the ranking, Boulders Beach (420 metres, 323 pictures per metre) in Simon's Town, Cape Town, is the world's 9th most beautiful beach in the world.

Photo by Jack Young on Unsplash

Meanwhile Big 7 Travel, an international travel website, recently revealed a list of the 50 world’s most beautiful beaches in 2021, based on aggregated scores from previous media results, official Blue Flag locations and contributions from the Big 7 Travel editorial team. According to Big 7 Travel, Boulders Beach is the 12th best beach in the world right now.

Money.co.uk 20 best beaches in the world:

1. Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia; 4,227 photos per meter
2. Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia; 1,776 photos per meter
3. Railay Beach in Krabi, Thailand; 587 photos per meter
4. Tropea Beach in Calabria, Italy; 423 photos per meter
5. Navagio Beach in Zakynthos, Greece; 403 photos per meter
6. Hanauma Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, USA; 345 photos per meter
7. Tenby North Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales; 343 photos per meter
8. Praia do Camilo in Lagos, Portugal; 325 photos per meter
9. Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa; 323 photos per meter
10. Blue Point Beach in Ungasan, Bali, Indonesia; 287 photos per meter
11. Cala Saona in Formentera, Spain; 282 photos per meter
12. Margate Beach in Kent, England, U.K.; 265 photos per meter
13. Cala Goloritzè in Baunei, Sardinia, Italy; 248 photos per meter
14. Freedom Beach in Phuket, Thailand; 247 photos per meter
15. Cala Gat in Cala Ratjada, Spain; 246 photos per meter
16. Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, Canada; 246 photos per meter
17. Lanikai Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, USA; 246 photos per meter
18. Bal Harbour Beach in Miami, Florida, USA; 239 photos per meter
19. Durdle Door in Dorset, England, U.K.; 232 photos per meter
20. Sitges Beach in Barcelona, Spain; 175 photos per meter

Big 7 Travel's 20 (out of 50) best beaches in the world 2021:

1. Vaeroy Beach – Norway
2. Whitehaven Beach – Whitsunday Islands, Australia
3. Fig Tree Bay – Protaras, Cyprus
4. Grace Bay – Turks and Caicos
5. Secret Lagoon – El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
6. Reynisfjara Beach – Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland
7. Source d’Argent – Seychelles
8. Playa Ruinas – Quintana Roo, Mexico
9. Kanuhura Maldives – Lhaviyani Atoll Maldives
10. Pig Beach – Bahamas
11. Keem Bay – Mayo, Ireland
12. Boulders Beach – Cape Town, South Africa
13. Cala Saona – Formentera, Spain
14. Seagrass Bay – Laucala Island, Fiji
15. Tunnels Beach – Kauai, Hawaii
16. Matira Beach -Bora Bora, French Polynesia
17. Horseshoe Bay – Bermuda
18. Zlatni rat (Golden Horn Beach) – Brac, Croatia
19. Playa del Amor (Hidden Beach) – Mexico
20. Maho Beach – St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Table Mountain National Park: SANParks reopens Sivermine Gate, Boulders & Newlands and Oudekraal Picnic Sites!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that Silvermine Gate 1 situated within the Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) will reopen today (23 September 2020), while the Boulders section and the Oudekraal picnic site and the Newlands picnic site will only reopen on 24 September 2020 (National Heritage Day). Rangers will be positioned at entry points to check that visitors are compliant with Covid-19 regulations stipulated by South Africa's National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC). 

The following protocols have been put in place at Silvermine:

• Gate entry times will be 07:00 - 18:00 with exit time at 19:00 pm daily.
• No mask, no entry.
• Limitations of visitor numbers may be imposed at the Picnic site at sergeant ranger’s discretion.
• Free standing braai gas stoves are not permitted at the picnic site and we encourage guests to make use of the existing braai facilities.  
• Maintain social distancing by at least 1.5m at all times.
• No alcohol and no Gazebos permitted on site.

The following protocols have been put in place at Boulders:

• Entry times at Boulders will be 08:00 - 16:00.
• The curio shop will be open for these times as well.
• Visitors will be screened upon entry. No mask, no entry.
• Limitations for the boardwalks are 45 people at any given time with a maximum of 45 people on the beach.
• Visitors are requested to respect penguins and to remain in the boardwalk at all times.
• Maintain social distancing by at least 1.5m at all times.

The following protocols have been put in place at Newlands and Oudekraal Picnic Sites:

• Please note these two picnic sites will open for the National Heritage Day only and will reopen again on 01 October 2020.
• Entry times at Newlands and Oudekraal will be 08:00 - 16:00.
• Visitors will be screened upon entry. No mask, no entry.
• Newlands will take a maximum of 350 people while Oudekraal will take a maximum of 250 people only.
• Free standing braai gas stoves are not permitted at the picnic sites and we encourage guests to make use of the existing braai facilities.  
• Maintain social distancing by at least 1.5m at all times.
• No alcohol and no Gazebos permitted on site.

Table Mountain National Park: Power outage to affect Boulders & Cape Point!

Due to an area wide power outage in and around Simon's Town and Fish Hoek on 07 April 2018 and 08 April 2018, Table Mountain National Park's accommodation facilities at Boulders Beach and Cape Point as well as the Flying Dutchman funicular and the Two Oceans Restaurant will have no electricity. The management of the Table Mountain National Park ensures that gas and rechargeable lamps are 100% and available and that all other backup systems are fully operational.

Table Mountain National Park: Bird flu outbreak at Boulders Penguin Colony!

update (12 April 2018): As of 09 April 2018, the deaths of four penguins have been confirmed to be as a result of bird flu and 18 penguin deaths are suspected to be linked to the disease.

Due to an outbreak of bird flu (H5N8 strain) in the penguin colony at Boulders Beach in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park, South African National Parks (SANParks) has implemented the following precautions:

• With the exception of visitors on Boulders Beach boardwalk, nobody may access the main breeding colony.
• In instances where staff need to go off boardwalks to collect injured birds or hats, camera lens, caps etc dropped by visitors they will limit their access to essential work and then sterilise their boots afterwards - gum boots have been issued and are easier to clean than the normal boot.
• Monitoring routes used for moult/nest counts have been reviewed to ensure that staff and Penguin monitors do not walk through the main breeding colony.
  

Western Cape Veterinary Services, CapeNature, SANParks, South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs, City of Cape Town, SANCCOB and other seabird rehabilitation centres and private veterinarians are working in close cooperation to monitor the situation and perform further testing. While the virus is highly pathogenic to chickens and other poultry, the impact on wild seabirds is not that well understood (so far 1 tern and 2 penguins from Boulders have come back positive for H5N8). Closing the colony to visitors is not justified at this stage.
Even though the virus is unlikely to infect humans, precautions should nevertheless be taken.

Tips for visitors:

• Visitors must stay on designated board walks
• Visitors should change shoes and clothes if visiting other seabird colonies or poultry farms to prevent contamination from one site to another

Cape Town: Conservation fees for Cape Point & Boulders penguin colony set to drop next year!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that from 01 November 2018 differential Conservation fees for Table Mountain National Park gates (TMNP) will take effect. As a result, conservation fees for Cape Point and for the Boulders penguin colony in the Table Mountain National Park will get cheaper for South African citizens, SADC citizens and foreigners with a SA residency permit.

Cape Point:

• South African Citizens and Residents (with ID): R76/person
• SADC Nationals (with passport): R152/person
• International visitors: R303/person
  

Boulders penguin colony:

• South African Citizens and Residents (with ID): R39/person
• SADC Nationals (with passport): R76/person
• International visitors: R152/person

Cape Town: Boulders Penguin Colony undergoes an upgrade!

South African National Parks (SANParks) announced on 30 January 2017 that the Boulders Penguin Colony in Simon's Town, which forms part of the Table Mountain National Park, will undergo an upgrade. The refurbishment will start on 13 February 2017 and is expected to take about 8 month. The upgrade will see various visitor facilities refurbished and re-constructed. To accommodate visitors wishing to enter the Boulders Penguin Colony, the project will be completed in three phases.

Ok now my trip is complete 💙🐧💙🐧 #penguinstyle #penguins #boulderbeach #simonstown #penguinbeach #southafrica #roadtrip

Ein von Heather Renee (@_just_heather_renee) gepostetes Foto am 30. Jan 2017 um 12:26 Uhr

Access to visitors will be uninterrupted during the refurbishment and the operational hours of Table Mountain National Park will remain unchanged. It is however important to note the Boulders Info Centre will be closed during the construction period. Boulders telephone numbers will remain the same and should remain operational over the period.

Ever thought about adopting a penguin?

You have probably heard about and seen the penguins at Boulders Beach or in Betty's Bay, right? Well, as you probably also know these little creatures are suffering way to often from oil spills and other men-made impacts.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) was founded long time ago to deal with exactly those problems:

• rehabilitate ill, injured, oiled and orphaned sea birds on a daily basis
• prepare for and manage the rehabilitation of sea birds during a major oil spill
• raise awareness about conservation through environmental education collaborate on research projects

SANCCOB aims to protect and conserve southern Africa’s coastal birds, especially threatened species, for the benefit of present and future generations. Recent research by the Avian Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town has shown that the African Penguin population is 19% higher today than it would have been in the absence of SANCCOB’s efforts in rehabilitation.

So what about adopting a penguin?

Penguin adoptions are quite simple. Each year during our busy winter season (June-November) we photograph each rehabilitated penguin before it is released back into the wild. Each bird receives a metal flipper-band before it is released. The medical history of the bird corresponds to the number on the band and this information is captured onto our database. To adopt a penguin, we look up its number and provide you with:

• a letter of adoption - including a brief medical history (where the bird came from, what was wrong with it, how much it weighed on admission and release etc.) (View Example)
• a photograph of your penguin (View Example)
• a certificate of adoption (View Example)
• back-copies of our newsletter

The documents are then posted to you and your bird can never be adopted by anyone else.
Each adoption costs R500 and the application process takes a minimum of 10-15 working days, excluding posting time. Adoptions are processed the order they are received.
For more information, please see the Adopt a Penguin Application Form.

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