The 15 Best Penguin Tours in Patagonia

1.Ushuaia: Penguin Watching Tour by Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 439 reviews · 5 hours · from $180Our pick

Cruise the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to sea lions, seabirds, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and penguins on Martillo Island.

“Fun and well-organised excursion to see sea lions, cormorants and penguins from up close. We were very lucky and even saw a humpback whale. The only negative/annoying part of this journey were two ladies of the organising agency who took pictures of the passengers. We wanted to enjoy the beautiful animals and they were shouting for people to make room in order for them to take there pics which could then be bought. Very annoying. Otherwise everything was great (even the coffee on board!).”

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2.Ushuaia: Catamaran Sailing to Penguin Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 436 reviews · 5h 30m · from $92

Sail the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to see sea lions, cormorants, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and Magellanic and Gentoo penguins.

“Definitely it's worth to visit the island. The only problem is that it takes quite a lot to navigate the channel, almost 6 hours of navigation to go and come back. Not sure how much it depends on the boat used or on the channel navigation challenges. It seems to be the cheaper option available, but still in my opinion it's a bit pricy.”

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3.Ushuaia: Beagle Channel and Penguin Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 318 reviews · 5 hours · from $178

Cruise the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to Martillo Island for penguins, sea lions, seabirds, mountain views, and a chance of whales.

“Lots of people but great tour and well done to allow everyone views of the penguins. We were treated to some humpback whales too, which made it even more special. The highlight of our time in Ushuaia!”

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4.Catamaran Tour through the Beagle Channel and Penguins in Isla Martillo

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 124 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $240

Sail the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to sea lions, seabirds, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and thousands of penguins at Isla Martillo.

“Overall is good. Just the initial part of trying to figure out what to do to get on board is frustrating. Need to provide more explicit instructions such as: 1. Go to this Kiosk at this location on the google map. 2. Report your name and retrieve an actual boarding ticket. 3. Head to this location on the google map to board. Instead of just indicating a meeting point without explanation. Who are we meeting? What do we show when we meet? etc.”

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5.Martillo Island: Boat Trip to the Penguin Colony & Beagle Channel

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 108 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $177

Cruise the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to Martillo Island for penguins, sea lions, cormorants, mountain views, and lighthouse history.

“The low rating is due to the treatment we received from the tour operator (Tangol tours)that we were connected to by Viator. We booked (and received confirmation) for a morning tour to accommodate the time we had based on the ships scheduled arrival and departure time. Two days before we arrived the tour operator switched the tour time to the late afternoon which would have been bnb impossible for us. When we tried to work with them to change back or find another alternative they stopped communicating with us so we had no confirmed tour upon arrival in Ushuaia. Terrible customer service. Never use Tangol tours. Fortunately the local agent…”

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6.Ushuaia: Beagle Channel Boat Tour and Penguin Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 86 reviews · 9h 30m · from $449

Spend a full day cruising the Beagle Channel and walking among Magellanic and Gentoo penguins on Martillo Island from Ushuaia.

“Excellent and highly recommended. This tour is an experience of a lifetime. Our tour guys, Milko, Gerardo and Norbi…(apologies for misspelling) were amazing. Loved our day walking among penguins and learning about them. Thank you”

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7.Navigate through the Beagle Channel: Seal, Bird & Penguin Islands

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 84 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $158

Review of Ushuaia’s Beagle Channel cruise to sea lions, cormorants, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and Martillo Island penguins.

“It was well organised and we thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the farm”

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8.Penguin walk in Ushuaia + navigation option

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 81 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $291

Walk among Magellanic and Gentoo penguins on Martillo Island from Ushuaia, with Beagle Channel navigation, guides, and Harberton Ranch.

“What a great experience ! Before we landed on the island we were given instructions of how close we were allowed to get and what areas to stay in to protect the birds and their habitat. The guide was knowledgeable and all the staff/ crew were very pleasant. The scenery from the boat on the way to the island is beautiful. It was a longer day than expected but well worth it! It was a once in a lifetime experience to be that close to penguins!”

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9.From Ushuaia: Penguin Watching Tour by Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 55 reviews · 5 hours · from $177

Sail Ushuaia’s Beagle Channel to sea lions, cormorants, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, and Magellanic penguins on Martillo Island.

“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”

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10.Puerto Madryn: Punta Tombo Walking Among Penguins Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 46 reviews · 10 hours · from $120Top rated

Walk among Magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo on a full-day Puerto Madryn tour with hotel pickup, bilingual guide, and optional extras.

“Very good tour. Loved walking with Penguins though could have used a little more time at Punto Tumbo. The guide was very good She shared a lot of interesting information.”

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11.Punta Tombo Tour, the Penguin Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 46 reviews · 9 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $90Best value

Review of the Punta Tombo penguin tour from Puerto Madryn, with Magellanic penguins, wildlife, costs, timing, and practical booking advice.

“Long trip but worth it to see penguin colony. Guide & drivers were lovely. Pick up from hotel was a bit late - so don't panic if this happens!”

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12.Ushuaia: Martillo Island and Walk Among Penguins Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 43 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $369

Walk among Magellanic and Gentoo penguins on Martillo Island, then cruise the Beagle Channel to seabird, sea lion, and lighthouse sites.

“The guides were wonderful the scenery was breathtaking and the Penguins!!!! You have a truly unique opportunity to be in the company of the best dressed animals in the kingdom. So close you’re part of the colony and are expected to go fish to help out. This tour is a must!”

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13.USHUAIA: ALMANZA, THE SPIDER CRAB ROUTE & PENGUIN SIGHTING

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 43 reviews · 7h 30m · from $250

Travel from Ushuaia to Puerto Almanza for Beagle Channel scenery, close penguin viewing by zodiac, and a fresh seafood lunch.

“Merci à notre guide Franco pour ses explications et l’esprit amical de cette journée excellente. Le repas de midi à Puerto Almanza était exceptionnel: ceviche + moules grillées + crabe royal 🥰. Nous avons pu approcher les pingouins à bord du zodiac confortable. Nous recommandons ce tour sans réserve.”

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14.From Puerto Madryn: Penguin Tour & Península Valdés Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 41 reviews · 10 hours · from $198

See Magellanic penguins, sea lions, guanacos, and more on a small-group Península Valdés day trip from Puerto Madryn.

“Outstanding day where we saw so much wildlife (whales, penguins, sea elephants and sea lions) accompanied by a superb friendly and informative guide. Would recommend highly.”

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15.Punta Tombo Penguin Colony from Puerto Madryn with optional Toninas Watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 33 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $158

See Punta Tombo’s Magellanic penguins, Patagonian wildlife, and optional Toninas dolphins on a long but memorable day from Puerto Madryn.

“This was an amazing tour! They were really flexible and helpful from the begining. They picked me up from Trelew airport, which was a huge help for me. It was only 2 of us in a small car and our tour operator was the best! He explained everything, was very nice and friendly and funny. We had a great day because of him. Also the tour and places we visites were amazing! The penguins were so quite and we could spend a lot of time there. The boat tour was also great, we could see some dolphins, though I think we were a bit bothering them after a while -…”

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