Ushuaia: Beagle Channel Navigation to the Penguin Colony
Description
A unique experience on the Beagle Channel, one of the most stunning natural wonders in the world. We will sail through the channel, visiting Sea Lion and Bird Islands, where you can observe sea lions, cormorants, and other seabirds in their natural habitat. We will make a stop at the iconic Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse, a historic lighthouse located on an archipelago of the same name, offering a unique view of the region. The highlight of our journey will be the visit to the penguin colony on Martillo Island. This is, without a doubt, the most anticipated moment of the tour. Our boat will dock on the island, allowing you to experience an unparalleled opportunity: to observe up close the charming Magellanic penguins. These friendly animals, known for their curiosity, come within a few meters of visitors, providing a unique chance to admire them in their natural environment. This tour is designed for those seeking a nature and adventure experience in Tierra del Fuego.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Unique experience on the Beagle Canal, one of the most impressive natural wonders in the world. We will cruise the canal, visit the Lobos and Birds Islands, where you can observe sea lions, cormorants and other seabirds in their natural habitat.
We begin the navigation departing from the Tourist Pier of our city, heading towards the center of the Beagle Channel. As we sail away, we enjoy panoramic views of the Ushuaia coast, spotting important buildings such as the Maritime Museum (the former prison), the End of the World Museum, the industrial area, and the Olivia and Cinco Hermanos mountains. We navigate southwest, approaching Sea Lion Island, where from the boat we can enjoy views of sea lions in their permanent habitat, set in a marvelous scene. Continuing our navigation, we head towards Bird Island, home to Magellanic and Imperial cormorants, a privileged area to observe marine birdlife. We continue sailing towards the Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse, located in the archipelago of the same name. On these islets, parts of the Monte Cervantes shipwreck, which sank in 1930, can be observed. Following the southern coast of the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego, we will spot Estancia Remolino, where the Monte Sarmiento ship ran aground. Crossing the Beagle Channel north to south, we will see Gable Island and the Puerto Williams Naval Base (located on Navarino Island, Republic of Chile). Upon arriving at Martillo Island, we approach the beach and stay there. It is amazing to observe how the Magellanic penguin colony, which nests during the summer season, approaches the boat with notable curiosity, swimming underneath the catamaran and resurfacing—an unforgettable spectacle that invites countless photographs. From here, we sail back to the Tourist Pier, passing by Estancias Túnel and Fique along the way.
We continue towards the Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse, located in the archipelago of the same name, where the ship Monte Cervantes wrecked in 1930. The return will be via Paso Chico, passing by Estancias Túnel and Fique, returning to Ushuaia with a view of the impressive backdrop provided by Mount Martial and its glacier.
Upon arriving at Martillo Island, we approach the beach and remain there. It is amazing to observe how the Magellanic penguin colony, which nests during the summer season, approaches the boat with notable curiosity, swimming under the catamaran and resurfacing. It’s a spectacle that invites us to take countless photographs. From here, we sail back to the Tourist Pier, passing by Estancias Túnel and Fique along the way.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Passengers must arrive at the Tourist Pier half an hour before the service departure. Address: Tourist Pier, Av. Prefectura Naval Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, V9410 Ushuaia.
- This service is non-refundable for cancellations made within 4 days prior to the service date. However, if you need to modify your reservation—such as adjusting the number of participants, changing the date, or requesting a cancellation with a refund—we can accommodate your request as long as it is made at least 4 days before the service date.
- Passengers will not disembark from the catamaran during the tour because penguins are very sensitive to environmental contamination, and we cannot risk their natural habitat. However, we will dock at Martillo Island, where the penguins will approach the catamaran and even play around its hull just a few meters from us. We will be able to observe them up close, as if we were on land.
- This tour does not include hotel pick-up; however, we need the name of the hotel where you will be staying in Ushuaia to be able to contact you in case of any last-minute schedule changes.
- This tour is a 6-hour navigation through the Beagle Channel on a flat catamaran that will approach the coast of the most important islands.
- The tour includes boat transfer, a bilingual guide, and entrance fees to the visited sites. The tour difficulty level is low. It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing.
Reviews(20)
The tour operator canceled this tour ! We have been so very disappointed, that this particular tour was canceled $
Dear Boris, We are truly sorry for what happened and understand your frustration. However, we would like to clarify that the tour was not canceled by the agency nor by choice. The navigation was suspended by the Naval Prefecture due to strong winds that posed a safety risk to passengers. This tour is one of the most popular among visitors because of its outstanding experience and high-quality service. It is also the only catamaran that reaches the penguin colony. That said, passenger safety is always our top priority, and the Naval Prefecture is the authority responsible for determining whether sailing conditions are safe. We made every effort to reschedule the tour for the following day, but as you were unable to attend, a full refund was issued. We kindly ask for your understanding that it is not accurate to describe the tour as “horrible,” as it could not take place due to weather conditions beyond anyone’s control. We truly hope you will have the opportunity to experience it on your next visit. Best regards,
Great catamaran tour to the penguin, on the journey we see the lighthouse of Ushuaia, sea wolves, and mountain landscapes in Ushuaia, and on the way we can find Whales.Where the captain for the boat for tourists to observe and we also know the island of birds until we finally arrive at the penguin to observe the penguin colony.
Exactly as promised. Great weather made it even better. Nice pleasant day on the water and in the sun. We enjoyed ourselves.
Great tour. Very well organised company. Clean boat and most importantly the captain did a great job for everyone to see well. Tourists on the boat were kind and gave an opportunity for others to move forward too to see as well. I highly recommend this trip. I believe it was better priced than many of the other ones too. Go see the penguins!
We booked this tour with high expectations, but we were extremely dissatisfied upon arrival. We did not received the tour we booked, and we were offered limited options when we discovered that the tour company MIGHT NOT return us to our cruise ship by the scheduled departure time. The tour company published excursion arrival and departure times for which they did not honor. They started the tour an hour and a half after their published time and were a half-hour late in receiving us for check-in. We opted for a shorter tour in order to avoid missing ship's movement and to get some (an undetermined amount) of our excursion costs returned to us. The tour clerks were not organized or helpful. And the 30 plus passengers that signed up for this tour were left standing and waiting for help in line for nearly an hour. It was obvious that there was little coordination between this tour company, Trip Advisor, and the cruise ship company. I would never recommend this tour to any cruise ship traveler.
Dear Pamela In order to respond to your comment we are copying the response that we have already sent two days ago ,personally to you. you have received the itinerary twice, on August 21 and the second reminder on January 12 prior to the service. In both itineraries they specifically say that you must arrive at the dock at 8:30 AM (even if the ship leaves at 9:00 AM). Also in the product you have acquired, it specifically says that the tour has a duration of 6 hours Therefore, if your cruise itinerary was not compatible with the duration of this tour, you should not have acquired this tour, or at least ask us about this situation. Clearly in our itineraries sent twice to you, shows our WhatsApp contact to which we assist our passengers every day of the year. We have never received an inquiry from you asking us if your cruise itinerary was compatible with our tour, in this way, and having sent you the tour so far in advance you would have been correctly informed. As this tour does not include the pick up or drop off, we do not ask our passengers where they are coming from or what time they have to return, we only clarify the duration of the tour and the time they must arrive at the dock, Passengers must check that the round trip itinerary coincides perfectly with the itinerary of their cruise, and if they still have any questions, our WhatsApp is perfectly published and is even sent to them on the itinerary to ask any questions. Instead, you never answered the itinerary sent through viator, you did not contact us, you did not inform us that you were on a cruise and that you had a specific schedule, I am very sorry that you did not contact us sooner and that you did not respond to any of our sent itineraries, I am also sorry that you did not take your cruise schedule into account before acquiring the tour or at least befor of the date of the service. We could avoid the situation . And just to be clear the schedule in the service description is and was written correctly. Hopefully next time you can receive the notifications sent by the agency where you acquire the services and thus avoid these situations. Have a nice day and thank you for your comment since thanks to these situations other users will take into account that the notifications must be read, and that we are available 24/7 to answer any questions before and after purchasing a tour with us
I recommend going in and sitting directly on the lower deck. The upper one is smaller and it is difficult to find a place near the windows. In any case, every time the boat stops everyone goes out to the external walkways, so the windows are only used to look at the landscape between stops, but for the points of interest (lighthouse, penguins, etc.) we all go outside. The excursion is about 5 hours of navigation. At no time does it get off. In any case, the boat stops long enough at each point of interest to take photos without problems. On Penguin Island it literally runs aground on the coast, so you can see them up close. It's worth all the hours of browsing to see them. One would like to stay longer! The ship has bar service and a guide provides information throughout the trip.
6 hours locked in a catamaran to see a few penguins. Maybe in the middle of the breeding season it is a little more interesting, but they should tell you that outside the mating season it is a 6-hour boat trip to see some penguins from afar. Because they don't even let you get off.
Absolutely fantastic and memorable experience. We had a beautiful day on the water and the penguins were amazing. We deliberately booked a trip that does not allow you off the boat because we did not want to disturb the penguins’ habitat. We were able to get plenty of clear and enjoyable viewing opportunities from the boat. This is a memory that will last a lifetime! We had some serious weather on the way back (which is to be expected) and the crew did an excellent job navigating it. We definitely recommend this journey!
I did navigate the Beagle Channel in March 2023. Overall the tour was good, for those who like boat trips. It was possible to observe many birds. But on arrival at Isla Martillo (Pinguineira) there were no penguins, but only sea wolves and many cormorans, whom the ignorant people thought were penguins, since they are far from alike. The penguins are on the other side of the island, opposite where the boat stops. Therefore, if the goal is to see penguins, the tour will not meet. Taking that, the walk is nice and in the end we were presented with the presence of whales, which is not guaranteed to see every time.
One of the places to visit at least once in your life. The southernmost city before reaching the Antarctic of the entire globe.
