Dassen Island Voyage Tips and guide

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Dassen Island is an island and nature reserve in the Western Cape in South Africa, 55 km north of Cape Town. It is home to 68,800 African Penguins and 0 people. The majority of the world's African Penguins live on the island.

From Cape Town follow the N7 northwards and exit towards Yzerfontein. The reserve is only 10 km from the town.

To protect the populations of penguins and other birds, the island is not open to the public, but tours around the island can be arranged.

The island is about 4.5 km long & 2 km wide. The island is flat and low-lying.

Except for the eastern side, Dassen Island is fringed with reefs & many ships have run aground here. It is composed of a fine-grained tourmaline-granite (with a few areas of biotite granite) outcrop covered with sand. Some of the granites along the shore, to just above the high-water mark, consists of large, rounded boulders which stick out above the sand.

Though in the winter temporary pans forms in the interior, there is generally little fresh water on the island.

Bring binoculars and zoom lens.