Daily fee
The Boulders gate
The park, penguins only
- International adultR245 to 31 Oct 2026
- Child, 2 to 11R120 on the table
- Pay byDebit or credit card
Group price calculator
Boulders Beach entry fee: what each visitor pays at the gate
Cape of Good Hope and penguins day tour from Cape Town
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Answer in brief
The Boulders Beach entry fee on the park's 2025-26 table is R245 for an international adult and R55 for a South African adult, and the gate takes cards only.
Fee essentials
Compare all 4 options
Compare four penguin days for your party
Pick the party size and see the from price of each day that stops at Boulders.
- Our pickup day10 hours · per visitor from $51
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View - Penguins and Cape Point8 hours · per visitor from $37
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View - Half day, Cape Point5 hours · per visitor from $40
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View - Penguin half day5 hours · per visitor from $37
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View
All amounts are from-prices on GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. Exact prices are shown at booking.
One gate fee covers the penguin colony, and it depends on who you are and how old. Here are the figures the park lists, how the gate checks them and what a day tour changes.
Editorial team, bouldersbeachpenguins.click · Updated November 7, 2026 · Allow 7 min
The essentials
- International adultThe park table lists R245 for an international adult, for 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026.1
- ChildrenChildren aged 2 to 11 pay a child rate, R120 for international visitors on that table.1,2
- South African residentsResidents pay R55 for an adult and R26 for a child on the same table.1
- How to payThe Boulders gate takes debit and credit cards and no cash.3
- Check the seasonThat table ended on 31 October 2026, so the figures are last season's; look up the current one before you travel.1
What the gate charges each type of visitor
The conservation fee at Boulders is a daily fee, charged per person, and the park publishes it as a small table. For the season running from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026, South African citizens and residents pay R55 for an adult and R26 for a child, SADC nationals pay R110 and R55, and international visitors pay R245 and R120.1 Those are the figures the park lists, and they are the ones this page works from.
Age decides which column applies. The park charges adult rates from age 12 and child rates for ages 2 to 11.2 A family with teenagers therefore pays the adult rate for each of them, while a family with younger children pays the child rate for those. Under-2s do not appear in the table, so ask at the gate if you travel with a baby.
It also helps to know what the fee is. The park says Boulders is one of its pay points, where a daily conservation fee is payable.4 It is not a ticket sold by a tour company and it is not a private attraction price. For a party, add the figures column by column before you leave and keep some margin, because the table you read today is tied to a season.
The park table in full
Boulders daily fee and what each row must show
| Visitor | Adult, 12 and over | Child, 2 to 11 | At the window |
|---|---|---|---|
| South African citizen or resident | R551 | R261 | Say so and show South African ID9 |
| SADC national | R1101 | R551 | Passport of a SADC country12 |
| International visitor | R2451 | R1201 | Standard rate applies by itself8 |
Figures are the park's table for 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026 and the park revises its fees by season, so check the current table.1
Who counts as a local, and what to show
The gate applies the standard rate to every visitor automatically, and South Africans who want the local rate must say so on arrival.8 The park asks them to show proof of South African identification before entry.9 If you are a resident but arrive without that proof, the rule is blunt: no refund is given after entry if the South African rate was not claimed at the gate.11
SADC rates work the other way round. They apply to nationals of a SADC country who show that country's passport.12 If your party mixes categories, each person pays their own rate, so keep every document to hand rather than in a bag in the boot. Have each person's document out before you reach the window, because a queue builds quickly when one party searches the glove box.
None of this is complicated once you know it, but it catches people out because the local rate is opt-in. Say the word at the window, hand over the proof and check the amount on the card reader before you tap. Check the amount before you tap, because nothing is refunded once you are through.11 Say the word at the window, hand over the proof and read the figure on the card reader before the payment goes through, since this is the only moment the rate can still be corrected.
Adult gate fee
What one adult pays, by visitor type
- South African55
- SADC national110
- International245
Adult daily conservation fee at Boulders on the park table for 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026, in rand.1
Cards only, hours and parking
Paying is quick when you are ready for it. The Cape Point and Boulders gates are cash-free and accept only debit and credit cards.3 Anyone looking for boulders beach tickets to pay for in notes at a booth should know the gate is cash-free, so put a card in your pocket before you leave the hotel. A card that works abroad matters more than a full wallet, and a second card is a sensible backup if yours is declined at a busy window.
The gate keeps seasonal hours. Boulders opens for entry at 07:00 and closes at 19:30 in December and January, runs 08:00 to 18:30 in February, March, October and November, and runs 08:00 to 17:00 from April to September.5 The park adds that times may change without notice and asks visitors to confirm before arriving.6 In winter the gate is open for fewer hours, which matters if your plan includes a long lunch in Simon's Town first.
Parking is the other limit. The park says parking at Boulders is limited, so arrive early in the peak summer months.7 Driving yourself in peak months means gambling on a space, while a pickup tour, a train or a taxi takes that gamble away, a point the page on getting there takes further. The same applies to the hours: with a pickup you follow the driver's clock, and with a car you follow the gate's.
A short chooser
Which way should you pay for the penguins
Say how you travel and what to avoid, and see the route the facts support.
If I drive myself and want only the penguins
The Boulders gate
The gate takes cards and parking is limited, so arrive early.3,7
If I live in South Africa
The local rate, with ID
The local rate must be claimed on arrival with proof, and there is no refund afterwards.9,11
If I want the lighthouse too
Add the Cape Point gate
The operator lists the funicular return at R125 for an adult, on top of gate entry.13
If I do not want to drive
A pickup day tour
Our day runs 10 hours from $52 and lists Boulders for 1 hour.
If I hold a Wild Card
Show the letter
The gate accepts a paper or electronic membership letter.14
Three things you may pay for
Boulders gate, Cape Point gate or a day tour
Daily fee
The Cape Point gate
The reserve, next stop
- Standard adultR595 from 1 Nov 2026
- Standard childR288 on the table
- Funicular returnR125 adult
A tour price
Our pickup day
Penguins and Cape Point
- Fromfrom $52
- Whole day10 hours
- CancelFree to 24 hours
The Boulders gate next to the Cape Point gate
A day that links the penguins to Cape Point pays at both gates, so it is worth seeing them side by side. The Cape Point operator lists gate entry for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027 at R115 for a South African adult and R57 for a child, R242 and R124 for SADC nationals, and R595 and R288 for standard entry.16 These come from a different season to the Boulders table above, because the Boulders table above ended on 31 October 2026 and no newer Boulders table was available to us, so treat the Boulders figures here as last season's and check the park's current table.1 The operator also says price increases take place each year on 1 November.17
Child bands differ too. The Cape Point operator says its child rate covers ages 2-12 for the Cape of Good Hope gate, and its funicular child rate covers ages 6-16, with children under 6 free on the funicular.18 The Boulders table uses 2 to 11, so a 12-year-old pays an adult rate at Boulders and a child rate at Cape Point.2 Keep that in mind when you budget for a family on a combined day.
The funicular is a separate purchase again. The operator lists the return ticket at R125 for an adult and R65 for a child, and says the ride saves an uphill walk from the car park to the old lighthouse.13,19 None of these figures sit inside the Boulders fee, and a tour listing that says nothing about gate fees should be asked about them before you pay.
From the car park to the boardwalk
What happens between arriving and the penguins
Before you leave
Pick the season and hours
The gate has seasonal hours, and the park says times may change without notice.5,6
In the car park
Find a space early
Parking is limited, so the park asks visitors to arrive early in peak summer.7
At the window
Say which rate you claim
South Africans must claim the local rate on arrival and show proof of identity.8,9
Paying
Tap a card
The gate is cash-free and accepts only debit and credit cards.3
On the boardwalk
Keep to the viewing area
The park built boardwalks so visitors can see the birds, and asks them to stay on them.10
What a day tour changes about the fee
A day tour shifts the effort, not the fee schedule. The tour this site sells is a Cape Town pickup day from $52, rated 4.6 from 4,137 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Its record lists the Boulders Penguin Colony stop at 1 hour and says nothing about whether park entry is included, so the record gives no reason to assume it is. Ask the operator when you book, and carry a card in case the gate wants one.
Other days list a similar stop at different lengths. A full-day listing runs 8 hours from $37 with the penguin reserve stop at 60 minutes, while a Cape Point and Boulders half day runs 5 hours from $40 with Boulders at 25 minutes. A penguin half day from $37 gives the colony 2 hours. The calculator below lays them out for your party, and for boulders beach penguin colony tickets the question that remains is who pays the gate.
A tour does not change the fee schedule, so any difference between a tour and a self-drive day lies elsewhere: in the parking, in who does the driving and in having a live guide on the bus, which the record for our day lists. If you want to see how the stops are timed on that day, the page on the combined tour walks through the itinerary line by line.
Video
Meet the penguins at Boulders Beach
Travels with Charlie and friends on YouTube · Playback files load only once you tap play.
Cape Point and Boulders Gates are a cash-free environment and we only accept payments via debit and credit cards.
At the gate
A checklist for the Boulders fee
Documents3
Paying3
Ways to lower the bill without skipping the penguins
There is one official way to enter without paying the daily fee on the day: a Wild Card. The park accepts a paper or electronic copy of a Wild Card membership letter at the gate and no longer accepts plastic Wild Cards.14 A membership only pays for itself if you plan several park visits in a year, so for a single trip to Cape Town the daily fee is the normal route.
The other lever is timing. The beach space at Boulders depends on the tide, and the park advises coming at low tide.15 Arriving early in summer is also the park's own advice for parking, and neither tip changes the fee, though both change what a visit feels like.7 The park also says beach space depends on the tides, so a visit planned around low water is a visit planned around the thing that actually varies from day to day.
Last, budget the whole day, not the gate. Add the funicular if you want the lighthouse, add lunch because the record for our day says it is not included, and add a margin for the rand moving against your own currency before you travel. Official figures change each 1 November, so re-check the current table the week before you go and treat this page as the shape of the answer rather than the final number.
FAQ
Quick questions get quick answers.
How much does the gate cost an international adult?
R245 on the 2025-26 table.
The park lists R245 for international adults and R120 for children for 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026.1
Is there a different price for children?
Yes, for ages 2 to 11.
The park charges child rates for ages 2 to 11 and adult rates from age 12.2
Can I pay with cash at the Boulders gate?
No, cards only.
The Cape Point and Boulders gates accept only debit and credit cards.3
How does a South African claim the local rate?
What hours does the Boulders gate keep in winter?
Does a Wild Card cover entry?
Yes, as a letter.
The gate accepts a paper or electronic copy of the membership letter, not the plastic card.14
Do the Cape Point and Boulders fees match?
Is the fee included in the day tour?
The record does not say.
The record for our day lists the penguin stop but not park entry, so ask when you book.
Sources
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Boulders Penguin Colony ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Entrance Gates, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Entrance Gates, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Boulders Penguin Colony ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Boulders Penguin Colony ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- Cape Point (capepoint.co.za, the reserve operator) · Cape Point visitor information ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park ↩
- South African National Parks (sanparks.org) · Boulders Penguin Colony ↩
- Cape Point (capepoint.co.za, the reserve operator) · Cape Point visitor information ↩
- Cape Point (capepoint.co.za, the reserve operator) · Cape Point visitor information ↩
- Cape Point (capepoint.co.za, the reserve operator) · Cape Point visitor information ↩
- Cape Point (capepoint.co.za, the reserve operator) · Cape Point visitor information ↩
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