Penguins at Boulder's Beach in South Africa.
Wolfgang Kaehler—LightRocket/Getty Images

Boulders Beach

Simon’s Town, South Africa

Boulders Beach, just outside of Cape Town, is no ordinary stretch of sand. In the early 1980s, a colony of African penguins settled there. Since then, the penguin population has grown to between 2,000 and 3,000. Each year, they’re joined by some 60,000 humans who visit the beach to hang out with the well-dressed birds. Three wheelchair-friendly boardwalks at nearby Foxy Beach provide spots where visitors can view the penguins from afar. For an especially great photo op, try going in the morning or late afternoon. That’s when the colony is most active. —Rebecca Mordechai

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