Simon's Town, South Africa: Boulders Beach

Who doesn't love penguins? No one. That's why big crowds pop up at Boulders Beach, not far from Cape Town, to see these cute animals frolicking on the sand in large numbers.

There's a good story to this attraction. The population of African penguins has been in decline for some time, and the experts decided to start a colony with two breeding couples in 1982. Here we are, 44 years later, and the penguin population has reached 3,000. That's pretty impressive. The birds hang out in this protected area. Meanwhile, tourists walk on a raised sidewalk on the shore for good looks at them. During our stay there were bunches of them (penguins, that is) scattered in the area. 

Boulders Beach really is located between some boulders. It has been ranked as high as No. 2 on the list of the world's great beaches. The penguins, of course, are a reason why. They are still endangered due to a variety of reasons, such environmental develops and commercial fishing. 

Simon's Town is associated with the Navy. The British set up a base there first, and South Africa eventually took the spot over. Now the penguins are doing the same.