Full Day on Chiloé Island Visiting Penguins in Puñihuil
Description
This tour is an alternative to traditional Chiloé tours. On this 9-10 hour tour we will visit a beautiful penguin colony, in addition to the magical Isle of Chiloé.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We begin the tour towards Pargua, south of the city of Puerto Varas, here we will board a ferry to navigate the Chacao Canal, this channel separates the mainland from the Island of Chiloé, during navigation we can observe sea lions, pelicans and seabirds endemic to this area. The ferry will dock at the Chacao Pier, here we can observe the houses that are built with Larch wood, and the Churches that are World Heritage Sites.
Then we will continue along a coastal route and visit Caulín beach, a place very famous for oysters and a rich marine fauna.
Then we will head to Puñihuil beach, there we will take a boat that will take us to a small island where the magellanic and Humboldt penguins are located, this is the place where these two species make their nests, and for generations they have coexisted together, making this island the only place in the world where this happens. The guide will explain the way of life of these birds, the environment and the abundance of food that makes it possible for these islands to become a wild paradise. It is important to mention that Puñihuil was declared a National Heritage Site for its ecological relevance.
Afterwards we continue our journey to the city of Ancud, where we can get to know the Heritage Foundation of the Local Churches, the Plaza de Armas and the Central Market, this offers many gastronomic and artisan options of the island.
return
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotels and lodging in the center of Puerto Varas
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(14)
Pablo is an excellent guide with perfect English and was able to adjust the itinerary to deal with rain showers to get in the full itinerary. Carlos is an excellent driver and kept the van clean. He always met us at the end on a stop.
An enjoyable full day of variety, culminating in the boat trip to see penguins and many seas birds. We thought it was worth it as we wanted to see a few things in the area quickly. Having a sunny day made it better.
It’s a great group tour. It was a great large group tour. The tour guide was really nice. Seeing the penguins was he best part. Know that at the end of the day, it’s a large group tour and since it was an island visit, it was very long and we spent a lot of time on the bus/boat but it’s the nature of this tour and there is no way around it.
We had an excellent experience. Day a opened with a beautiful sun, which we could see the penguins very clearly. The service was very friendly, the guide very attentive to all the details.
It was a rainy day and it made everything not fun. Spent not enough time on main event - the penquins.
Good guidance by our tour guide Yenny. The boat trip to the penguins was beautiful, then was lovely. Full day program.
For its price it includes a lot. Jenny was a very talented tour guide and provided a lot of information. Lunch was included but you had to pay (about $20). The boat to see the penguins was $10 cash too.
Good price, description matched the tour and it was very transparent about what was/was not included. Our tour guide Nelly was fantastic and really organized. She kept us informed in both Spanish and English what was next and kept the group moving along so that we had time to see everything. The only critique was two stops at artisan markets. I’d prefer one shopping stop or if there’s two for them to be different types of goods. Overall a great tour!
Collection was from hotel. Bit crammed on tight back seat. Jenny (our guide) gave commentary in English and Spanish. Clearly knowledgeable, experienced, helpful and friendly. Trip over to island straightforward and some of the group saw sea lions. First small village to stop at had a few open shops, interesting church, cafe and place to see black necked swans nearby. Stopped at a viewpoint along Pacific coast and then on to area to view the penguins. Jenny had contacted us the night before to confirm collection and warn us re CLP 10,000 cash needed for boats out to penguins. If you want lunch in the restaurant, you place your order for the set menu (chicken/omlette/King Crab dish/salmon with wine or juice and tinned fruit for desert), then off to see the penguins for about an hour or so. Nothing is guaranteed but we did see a fair number of both Magellan and Humbolt penguins along with ibis, gulls, cormorants amd various ducks. The crew got us close enough to take pics (obviously you are bobbing around) and were helpful with Jenny in pointing out different bird species. The boat is open to the weather and has an interesting process for wheeling passengers out to keep you dry. After penguins spotting you either go for your lunch [pay for with cash or card) or find somewhere to picnic if you brought something - no picnic areas are set up. On the way back we stopped at the fort outside Ancun, the town itself for a handicrafts market and another viewpoint. We were lucky with the weather but whilst on a Sunday, there is much less traffic enabling a quicker journey, many places amd stalls are shut in Ancun. All in all, we enjoyed the day and appreciated Jenny's efforts to make it worthwhile for everyone. A point to note - we booked through Viator whereas 6 other people on our tour group booked through 3 other agencies, all ending up on the same tour, though 4 of us were with Jenny and 4 with another guide doing the same basic itinerary, though Jenny added the fort and viewpoint on our return.
Nice day out, but not our favourite amongst the day trips we’ve been doing. Enjoyed the ferry trip, and the boat to see a few penguins, and some other birds. Lunch was nice. We would have enjoyed some more information on the history and particular points of interest eg. The Spanish port - some were pointed out to us by locals which was great.
