Cape Town’s Boulders Beach in top 50 beaches in the world

It’s official — Cape Town’s Boulders Beach is among the world’s best beaches.

The World's 50 Best Beaches, released by sunscreen brand Banana Boat, ranked Boulders Beach 40th on its list.

The beaches are judged by beach ambassadors, hundreds of travel influencers, journalists, editors and agents. 

They were ranked according to sheer untouched nature, remoteness, how swimmable it is, annual days of sunshine and average annual temperature. 

Boulders scored eight out of 10 for its untouched nature and nine out of 10 under the swimmable category.

It recorded 313 sunny days and the average temperature was 17°C.

“Want to share a beautiful beach with a famous and incredibly cute African penguin? We thought so! That is why Boulders Beach, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town in SA, belongs on top of your beach bucket list,” the judges said.

“Located in a sheltered inlet between gorgeous granite boulders, this is not only a perfect place to meet friendly birds, but also ideal for swimming in calm waters or enjoying a picnic while admiring the colony of penguins on the beach. Just make sure you respect the wildlife and do not touch the penguins, even if they come close.”

The top three beaches on the list were:

• Lucky Bay in Australia;
• Anse Source D'Argent in the Seychelles; and
• Hidden Beach in the Philippines. 

Banana Boat spokesperson Brianna Bostick said the list was uniquely defined by the first-hand experiences and careers of the industry's top professionals, “making it the most trustworthy and accurate list of the world's best beaches ever created”. 

Tine Holst, co-founder of project, said the study came at a time when many travellers were dreaming of that perfect summer beach vacation. 

“It's a unique way of uncovering hidden gems that are often overlooked by the travelling public and provides the perfect inspiration for a beach vacation.” 

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