Ushuaia: Martillo Island and Walk Among Penguins Full-Day Tour
Description
In the morning, we will start with the navigation along the Beagle Canal, visiting Isla de Lobos and Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse. Departures at 08 : 00 hs or 10 : 00 hs (depending on availability), duration approximately 2 h 30 min. Upon return to the port, there will be free time for lunch at your own expense in the port area. In the afternoon, we meet again at 14:00 hs at the port for the bus departure to Estancia Harberton. From there, we will make 15 minutes of sailing in gomons to cross to Isla Martillo, where Magellanic penguins await us in their natural environment. A unique experience of responsible approach to local fauna Hammer Island One hour walk among penguins accompanied by a specialized guide. A unique experience of respectful immersion within the colony, sharing their habitat while continuing their natural life. Pinguinera Winter Option Departure : 14 : 00 hs Duration: 7 hours approx. Season: July and August Departures : Tuesday and Friday only
Tour Options
Itinerary
All the activity takes place in the city of Ushuaia, starting from the tourist pier of Ushuaia and returning to the same place. We will sail through the Beagle Channel touring islands and also go to Hammer Island where the penguins live
On the shores of the Beagle Channel and surrounded by the Martial mountain range, Ushuaia offers a unique landscape in Argentina, combining mountains, sea, glaciers, and forests. To fully enjoy your stay in Ushuaia, we recommend always having at least one waterproof coat and comfortable footwear to move around safely and comfortably on the city’s characteristic sloping streets.
In the sailing we will visit the Island of Wolves and Birds and the Lighthouse Les Eclaireurs, known as the Lighthouse of the end of the world. There we can take the most iconic photographs of Ushuaia " you will be in the light of the END OF THE WORLD It is the favorite postcard of many and an indelible memory for those who navigate the waters of the Beagle Channel.
In addition to the islands of wolves and birds we will visit the iconic Lighthouse of the end of the world
It is an emblematic place of the Beagle Canal, known for its great variety of birds and its natural beauty. Colonies of Royal and Imperial Cormorants are found during year round. In summer we can observe them nesting. Furthermore, We find among them Seagulls Cooks, Greys, Doves Antarctica, Steam Ducks and South American Seagulls. Isle of Wolves: Another of the most important islands of the Beagle Channel in which you can observe very close the colonies of Sea Lions that inhabit these latitudes. One-haired and two-haired Sea Lions colonies are observed Hairs.
In the afternoon, you will take the excursion to the penguin in land mode, departing 14: 30 hs to Estancia Harberton. Estimated return to the city: 21 : 30 / 21 : 45 hs (land). We will sail in gomons for 15 minutes until we reach Hammer Island. On the island we will walk for an hour between Magellanic penguins and Papuans, always with a specialized guide that will allow us to know in detail everything about these wonderful creatures. The most important penguin in Tierra del Fuego. It's the only one Penguin colony in the Ushuaia area and attracts two main species: Magellanic penguins and penguins Dad.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Lunch not included
- Recommendations: - It is recommended to wear a hat, scarf, waterproof jacket, trekking shoes, gloves, and sunglasses.
- IMPORTANT INFORMATION: For tours that coincide with the opening hours of Estancia Harberton, the entrance fee must be paid without exception. Price to be confirmed. The Estancia is closed on Tuesdays.
- Due to the limited availability of this tour for the following reasons: Penguins are very sensitive to human contact, so they can only be visited by a few people per day. There is only one penguin colony in Ushuaia. This tour is the most exclusive and sought-after in South America; therefore, we ask for your patience regarding visit confirmations.
- This tour has very limited availability, and we will confirm availability upon receiving your reservation.
- This tour will be confirmed once the agency submits the passenger’s request to the penguin reserve. For this reason, please do not consider the reservation confirmed until you receive confirmation from Azul Latina through this channel.
- The published times are ESTIMATED. The final confirmed schedule will be sent to you along with the itinerary once your reservation is confirmed by Azul Latina. Please wait for the detailed itinerary, which you will receive through this platform.
- NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE WITH REDUCED MOBILITY OR PREGNANT WOMEN
- The available departure times for this tour will be 8:30 AM or 10:30 AM. We will send you your scheduled time along with the itinerary based on availability at the moment we receive your reservation.
- The tour can last 10 hours in total, depending on the itinerary of the day
- IMPORTANT : Presentation time at the tourist pier of Ushuaia always half an hour before the departure time
- In the morning you will sail the Beagle Channel (Isle of Wolves + Lighthouse) with an approximate duration of 2 : 00 to 2 : 30 hs, returning to the port. In the afternoon, you will take the excursion to the penguin in land mode, departing 14: 30 hs to Estancia Harberton. Estimated return to the city: 21 : 30 / 21 : 45 hs (land). Between both activities, passengers will have free time for lunch on their own, if desired.
- Option Walking between penguins WINTER : Departure : 14:00 hs Duration: 7 hs approx. Season: July and August Only operating days : Tuesday and Friday - You can walk on the Papuan Penguins
Reviews(52)
the agency was not well prepared. operating this tour should have warranted them to prepare for some think clothes/pants for the tourists. on our way to the penguin island, it was icy cold rain and strong wind. by the time we land on the island, my face was completely frozen... despite that, the penguins were very cute, and don't mind us (from afar). we saw many different types of penguins, there were also some birds who had similar hue like penguins that from afar look just like penguins... it was a great gift to spend my 30th birthday with those penguins, but I would love to have been warmer...
We saw whales, dolphins and lots of birds while on the boat. In addition to walking with the penguins, we were close to a huge group of male sea lions! The bone museum and tour was extremely interesting. Everything was well organized and small numbers of tourists made it very enjoyable.
Best tour company to Martillo island. Other companies offer tours however only Piratour have the licence to disembark on the island. This means that while others look at penguins from a distance on this tour you walk up close to them. The Magellanic penguins are inland so you can't even see them from the boat. Piratour take it very seriously. Our guide Julie informed us that while during the rest of the trip we were her priority on the island the penguins are her priority, then us. She told us (& enforced) that we were not to go closer than 3 metres to a penguin, and when one couple broke the rule she quickly told them off and when the husband complained she told him if he didn't like it he could return to the boat! Well done Julie! As she said this isn't a zoo. As well as the penguins we saw Sealions, Cormorants, Vulchers, and a couple of Sei whales. You get 1 hour on the island and 1 hour having lunch on the boat while the other half of your group go on the island. The only bit I didn't enjoy was the maritime museum, you get a 40 min tour and unless you're into the history of the different sea mammals is a bit dull. Overall though I would totally recommend this tour, yes it's the dearest but you get so much more for that extra money
This trip may well be the highlight of our visit to Patagonia. Everything about it from our guide to the logistics was perfect. Gonzalez was knowledgeable and funny. He made the trip so special. We took a bus ride from the port in Ushuaia to the Maritime Museum. The ride itself was absolutely stunning and the museum was so interesting. The boat ride to see the penguins and the sea lions (and so many other birds) was wonderful. And our walk among the penguins was an experience. I’ll never forget.
The boat was spotlessly clean. As it was wet, the large picture windows kept misting up, but the tour operators went around and cleaned them. Very helpful and knowledgeable guides. We stopped at a few small islands on the way to observe sea lions, sea birds and the lighthouse. We also saw whales on the last leg of the cruise to the penguins. And then, we got off the boat for an hours walking on the island, amongst the penguins, with sea lions on the beach. To be that close to wild penguins…! Despite very clear, concise and to be fear , only three rules about walking on the island with the penguins, we still had a few people in our group that thought they could act differently. If you can’t follow basic rules, (keep together, walk where told to, don’t get too close to the penguins, (3m), listen to the guides), then this trip is not for you. As the guides said, “this is not a zoo, it’s not Disney, these are real live, wild penguins”
Don’t book with Viator. Just show up to the Ushuaia tourism huts outside the Ushuaia tourism offices and book directly. Not only did Viator messed up our booking time arrival - they said 8am and no one was here- but they proceeded to price gouge us $900 when the other travelers paid $550 at the door. What a disgusting amount of dishonesty and unprofessionalism and first impression of Ushuaia and we haven’t even started the tour.
Thank you for your review. Let’s address your concerns point by point so we can properly clarify the situation: The amount you mention is not correct. You have made an incorrect currency conversion. The only difference when booking through Viator is approximately USD 10 per reservation. This is because we prepay and secure the spots in advance for this very exclusive tour, where availability is extremely limited. Only a very small number of people per day are allowed to do this experience, which makes it almost impossible to find availability upon arrival in Ushuaia without a prior reservation. Booking through Viator ensures that you have guaranteed availability to participate in the tour. What may be missing from your comment is that, without a prior booking, visitors often face lines of more than 2 km at the pier. Even after waiting in that line, more than half of the people do not manage to secure a spot for the tour and they are informed of this in advance. Fortunately, that is precisely what we handle for our clients we take care of all arrangements in advance so you can avoid that uncertainty and inconvenience. We truly hope that despite your concerns, you were able to enjoy the tour and the overall experience.
We really enjoyed this excursion. During our cruise through the Antarctic, this was one of three excursions that focused on penguins. It was the best of the three. We received great communication from the team after we booked - and as we approached the date of the excursion - via the Viator app and WhatsApp as well. We met the team near their stand outside the cruise port - it was very easy to find. Sailing on the Beagle Channel was great. The boat was in great shape - and had *tons* of glass so even if you wanted to stay inside, you could see all around the ship. We stopped a couple of times to see native birds as well as sea lions - and the lighthouse as well. There was a little “cafe” on the ship that had a great selection of food and drinks. We ordered some empanadas - they were really delicious! They had lots of sweet treats and hot and cold drinks, as well as wine. Upon landing at the first stop - they broke the group in half. we spent about an hour at the museum - which is run by volunteers. It was really interesting to hear all of the information about the whales, dolphins and pinnipeds. After our museum visit, the other half of the group had come back from the island, and went to the museum and we prepared to visit the island. The 10 minute trip on the small boat was very comfortable. It had a soft cover over the passenger compartment so even if it had been raining, we would have stayed dry. The visit to the penguin colony was the real highlight. We saw *so* many penguins as well as a huge number of sea lions. The guide was very clear about what we should and shoudln’t do - and was very respectful of the animals. We were able to get *so* close to the penguins. It was really amazing. After returning to shore, we took at bus ride for about 2 hours back to the pier. The bus was very clean and comfortable. If we ever visited again - we would not hesitate to book this tour again and enjoy being up close with all of the wildlife.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience in such a detailed way! We truly appreciate the time you took to write it. It means a lot to us, and it is incredibly valuable for future travelers to know that they can confidently enjoy this experience. Your feedback helps others feel assured about choosing this tour, and we are very grateful for that.
We took this tour with Piratour who are the only company that allow you to get on the island and walk with the penguins. It was a truly magical experience and one I never will forget. It is limited to a small number of people. I think there were 16 of us. The weather wasn't the greatest but it didn't matter. If you are anywhere near this place you MUST take this tour! Also our tour guide, Caos, was excellent, and explained all the rules and regulations for visiting the island.
It is wonderful to watch the penguins of two kinds so closely. If you come to this area, you must choose a tour like this one that will allow you to be on the island! The capacity is very limited. I think that is why they did not over advertise it. Otherwise I cannot think about why someone would not choose this tour.
We had a wonderful day: an exceptional experience with Fabrizio, our guide, passionate and who shared his enthusiasm and knowledge of fauna and flora. Very available to give us answers and explanations to our questions. Fabrizio was vigilant and attentive to the whole group. Service not given but worth it and very well organized.
