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Simon's Town
Cape Peninsula
Simon's Town is rich in historical significance. The settlement was founded in 1743 as a winter anchorage by the first governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel and named after him.
After the British had taken over the Cape in 1806, the town became a base of the Royal Navy. In 1957 it became a South African navy base.
Simon's Town with its Victorian and Cape Dutch houses is a pretty little seaside town.
The restaurants and coffeeshops in the Main Road and also in the new Quayside Waterfront with a harbour view, are an inviting way to spend some time.
Jackass Penguins are the only species of penguin that colonise on the African continent.
100 years ago there were still many of them on the Cape West Coast with its cold waters.
Since penguin meat is apparently edible, they were mercilessly hunted.
Later the overfishing of the sea and the loss of breeding spots resulted in near extinction of the species.
The present stock is still threatened although the colony in Simon's Town has grown, in a few years, from 1500 to 3500 individuals.
The colony's growth is already causing trouble with the human residents in the vicinity.
Travel hints and accommodation in Simon's Town to be found on the blue INFO page.
A special attraction is the colony of Jackass Penguins at Boulders Beach. For some years now, under the administration of Cape Nature Conservation these cute birds are quite friendly with humans, but they don't want to be touched. On warm summer days people and penguins splash together in the clear and shallow waters of the bay, surrounded by big round boulders.
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