BIRDWATCHING · PENGUIN TOURS IN ARGENTINA
Good penguin tours in Argentina fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Cruise the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to sea lions, seabirds, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and Magellanic and Papua penguins.
“The activity was wonderful! Staff was great and helpful, you’re also in English. The foto experience was a great add so consider taking that on.”
Sail Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to penguin-filled Martillo Island, with sea lions, cormorants, a lighthouse, Chilean views, and a café onboard.
“It was a very comfortable and informative trip, we were given plenty of time to view and photograph the sea lions at the lighthouse, and again when we saw the penguins. On the way out we saw a humpback whale and on the return there were dolphins, on both occasions the captain stopped and then manoeuvred the boat to ensure that everyone had time to get a good view, there was no rush. I would highly recommend this trip.”
Sail the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to Martillo Island for penguins, sea lions, birds, mountain views, and practical tips before you book.
“Great activity & location with brilliant boat and tour guide provided!”
Cruise the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to sea lions, seabirds, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and penguins at Isla Martillo.
“We saw what we came for but finding the place was not straight forward at all as you have to grt your ticket from a little office we could not find. The boat also leaves later than we were told and got back earlier. The penguins and sealions were adorable, but the way they try to get people to circulate the boat (so everybody gets a good shot and gets to enjoy them) is very pushy and confusing.”
Review of Ushuaia’s Martillo Island penguin boat trip, with Beagle Channel scenery, wildlife, practical tips, costs, and honest drawbacks.
“Excellent views of seals, cormorants, and penguins. The boat ride is long, 5hr, but comfortable. The bilingual explanations are informative.”
Cruise the Beagle Channel, walk among Magellanic and Gentoo penguins, and explore Tierra del Fuego on this full-day Ushuaia tour.
“The tour guides are so professional and the penguins are so cute ! The tour worths the money!”
Review of Ushuaia’s Beagle Channel cruise to sea lions, cormorants, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and Martillo Island penguins.
“Who goes to Ushuaia and passes up the opportunity of seeing penguins? If you are going to Antarctica you can pass on this but for those of us who didn't its worth just seeing the penguins. The optional part is the second part with the estancia. You get to tour an estancia from that was founded by a local. You also tour the facilities of fossils from local sea mammals and have time for lunch. Feel free to bring your own lunch. Or they should consider changing tour to include lunch.”
Walk among Magellanic and Gentoo penguins near Ushuaia, with Beagle Channel sailing, Harberton Ranch, and practical tips on timing and cost.
“To be able to get close to pengiuns without harming them is a real treat. We got to see Gentoo and Megellanic pengiuns and 1 King. The tour guides were excellent. The only problem with this tour was the lack of communication on where to meet which we found out from the tourism office. Also the description of this excursion didn't mention it was a 90 minus ride each way. But it was still worth it The”
Review of Ushuaia’s 5-hour catamaran tour to Martillo Island, with penguins, sea lions, cormorants, Beagle Channel views, and practical tips.
“Catamarano stra colmo di gente . As ogni attrattiva da vedere ci si ammassava fuori e se eri dietro non vedevi assolutamente nulla e la gente non si spostava. Siamo arrivati dai pinguini prima di tutte le altre barche e nonostante questo la nostra si é fermata dove c’erano solo una decina di pinguini mentre il “gruppo super grande “ non siamo riusciti a vederlo nemmeno ha fatto un giro per poter mostrare anche a chi non ha visto nulla. In prezzo assurdo si quasi 169€ a persona ! I peggio spesi. Sxonsiglko !!!meglio barca piccola”
Walk among Magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo on a full-day tour from Puerto Madryn, with transport, guide, and optional regional stops.
“Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience. Our guide Max was excellent, very knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic. The driver was also great, very professional. Seeing penguins and elephant seals in their natural habitat was a lot of fun and definitely the highlight of the tour. The only downside is that prices for this type of activity are generally high, which is not specific to this tour.”
Review of the Punta Tombo penguin tour from Puerto Madryn, including costs, timing, wildlife, transport, guide quality, and practical booking advice.
“You can't miss it! You learn and enjoy a lot. Penguins are beautiful and elephant seals are awesome!Auto-translated”
Walk among Magellanic and Gentoo penguins on Martillo Island, cruise the Beagle Channel, and see sea lions, seabirds, and the End of the World lighthouse.
“Very well organized. The guides were very friendly and informed. Walking among penguins was definitely the highlight.”
Review of Ushuaia’s Puerto Almanza and penguin tour, with Beagle Channel sailing, local seafood, route details, price, and practical tips.
“It was great that we ended up with a private tour with Luciano. Nice young man sharing his insight of the area. He answered all questions. Penguins are always fun to watch. Lunch was fabulous. Her secret mussel recipe was delicious. We enjoyed our short walk to the falls as well. We would have liked a little more time at the 3005 Moto-Cafe however we had to meet up with the zodiac to go see the penguins.”
Review of Puerto Madryn’s 10-hour penguin and wildlife tour, with San Lorenzo Ranch, Punta Norte, costs, timing, food, and practical tips.
“It is amazing having some many Pinguins next to you and with muh less people, making the experience quite unique. Highly recommend it!”
Review of Punta Tombo from Puerto Madryn, with penguins, Patagonian wildlife, optional tonina cruise, costs, timing, and practical tips.
“Although guide & Punta Tombo was great (no issues there) the tour was not as advertised and poorly planned. First of all there was no tonina dolphin watching option (we didn’t buy online cuz reviews said it was a ripoff). Instead we went to to Welsh tea which we had no interest in (town is quite boring), which in turn only gave us 90 minutes(!) with the penguins. 90 minutes for a full day tour for the main attraction is just terrible value considering the price. We literally travelled thousands of miles and spent $1000’s to get there and only got 90 minutes in a rushed atmosphere. Again no fault…”
Pick a species, a habitat or a coastline.
