Stony Point Nature Reserve

from 2467 Google reviews

About the garden

Located in the quaint coastal town of Betty’s Bay in the Overberg, the Stony Point Nature Reserve is home to a unique colony of African Penguins. Stony Point offers the public the chance to see these wonderful flightless birds up close, via the boardwalk through the colony, which allows the public to observe the penguins go about their daily activities in their natural habitat, without disturbing or disrupting them.

Also present in the colony are three species of cormorant; the Crowned cormorant, Cape cormorant and Bank cormorant, all of which breed on the outer rocks. There are also Hartlaub’s Gulls and Kelp Gulls which forage in the colony, while the Rock Hyrax, more commonly known as the Dassie, can be seen on the surrounding rocks.

The colony lies on the site of the old Waaygat Whaling Station, which was used to harvest and process whale meat in the early to mid-1900s. Remnants of the machinery and infrastructure for this long-defunct industry can still be found at the site.

There is also a community restaurant adjacent to Stony Point, which sells refreshments and food during the day.

Opening times

08h00 to 16h30 (last permits issued at 16:00, gates close at 16:30 sharp)

Useful details

Cafe or restaurant

No cafe or restaurant on site

Shops

None

Overberg District Municipality, 7141

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Stony Point Nature Reserve

Overberg District Municipality

7141

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Google reviews

4.5
from 2467 Google reviews

Duncan Alfreds

in the last week

Excellent. There are endangered penguins and it's worth it to drive out here to see them in their (almost) natural habitat. The parking is ample though it does get crowded on free access days, but everyone is super friendly and polite. People are willing to help you take the pic that you were chasing. The entire walk is pretty short, but the path is well-marked and accessible for wheelchair users. There are also plenty of signage along the way to keep you informed as well as benches to sit and take it in. The smell isn't so great. Normal cost for entry is only R30 per person, and no Wild cards apply.

Andre van Wyk

9 months ago

I really think that this place should stay open later during December holidays! 16h00 is way too early to close. Other than that, it was a nice experience. We saw some local lizards, dassies and ofcourse... penguins...doing the nasty 😊😆😄.

Danielle Sword

10 months ago

Lovely. Compared to the Cape Town penguins I liked this a bit better but alas if you like animals I’d just do both. I feel like this one had more but I think the stats say otherwise. It was very cheap and calm and relaxed and super nice backdrop so maybe that gives this one an edge for me

rowan profitt

9 months ago

Plenty of penguins sunbathing for you to admire. Some are even brave enough to come really close to you when they try to get back to their nests on land giving you a proper up close and personal experience with them.

Robbie Catanho

8 months ago

Sea penguins in their natural habitat easily and for free. You must stop here on your trip through these parts.

Contact the garden

+27 (0) 28 272 9829

capenature.co.za/reserves/

Stony Point Nature Reserve

About the garden

Opening times

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