Ushuaia: Ganztägige Pinguinwanderung auf Martillo Island

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.

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.

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.