Where to watch Ushuaia penguins
Watching Ushuaia penguins means travelling beyond the city to Isla Martillo, also known as Yekapasela. This island lies east of Ushuaia, opposite Estancia Harberton, in Argentina. Gentoo and Magellanic penguins are part of its wildlife, while small groups of king penguins visit occasionally. Plan the outing around observing a living colony rather than collecting a promised sighting of every species.
The excursions featured here watch from the water. That makes the boat journey and the time beside the shore central to the experience. Species present, visibility and animal activity can vary on the day. If a particular bird is your reason for travelling, keep that natural variability in mind when choosing dates.
Trips for penguin watching
The channel cruise combines colony viewing with the lighthouse route. The trips via Puerto Almanza include land transport and wildlife watching near Martillo.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Martillo wildlife watching via Puerto Almanza
- Roundtrip by van
- Bilingual guide
- 30-minute wildlife watching
A snack is included. Disembarkation on Martillo is not included.
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Martillo colony and lighthouse by boat
- Beagle Channel Navigation
- Navigation to Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse
- Sailing to Los Pajaros Island
Penguins at Martillo are observed from the boat, without landing.
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Martillo colony by van and boat
- Van transport
- Boat tour in Beagle Channel
- Observation of penguin colonies
A guide accompanies the trip. A Martillo landing is not listed among the included services.
Check availability →Excursions to observe Martillo's penguins
A catamaran journey and road-and-boat outings offer different approaches to the colony. All provide general penguin watching from the water, with wildlife varying naturally.
Gentoo, Magellanic and occasional king penguins
Gentoo penguins are also called Papúa penguins in local excursion descriptions. This is useful when reading about the separate winter product focused on that colony. The existence of a winter visit is not a shared operating calendar for every excursion, and it does not turn a summer birdwatching plan into a daily service throughout the year.
Magellanic penguins are described seasonally from early October to April, with the greatest numbers from November to February. This provides a useful starting point for trip planning. It does not mean that the estate, every boat and every walking programme use those same dates. The best time to visit guide brings those different calendars together without treating them as interchangeable.
King penguins are occasional visitors. Enjoy one if it appears, but choose your excursion for the colony observation it offers. Neither a gentoo sighting nor a king penguin sighting is guaranteed by the boat options on this page. A photograph of a species illustrates the destination rather than promising that bird at your departure.
Breeding background and seasonal change
A provincial island portrait published in January 2022 described pairs arriving in spring, occupying nests and incubating eggs. It gave a broad incubation period of 40 to 50 days depending on species. This older biological background helps explain why visits differ through the season; it should not be read as a current schedule for eggs, chicks or moulting on a particular date.
Choosing an observation outing
The six-hour catamaran outing leaves Ushuaia's tourist pier and explicitly describes Magellanic penguin observation from the boat. Hotel collection and return are excluded. It suits a visitor who wants the water journey as well as the colony visit, with their own arrangements for reaching the departure pier.
A four-hour outing via Puerto Almanza combines van transport, a guide, a boat journey and observation of the penguin colonies. It excludes hotel pickup, meals and drinks. A separate four-and-a-half-hour option includes a return van journey, a bilingual guide, a snack and about 30 minutes of wildlife watching at Martillo. It also excludes hotel pickup and disembarkation on the island.
These are general wildlife outings rather than species-specific promises. Compare the boat visit formats for more detail on road and water approaches. For those who want to visit on foot, the separate guided walk guide explains that access format; a colony observation by boat remains a different booking.
Watching quietly and preparing for weather
Give the wildlife space, remain quiet around the colony and follow the crew's guidance. Do not crowd, touch or feed animals. Throw nothing into the water, and use a drone only with permission. The purpose is to watch the birds' activity without trying to provoke a reaction for a photograph.
Patagonian wind and fast weather changes affect the journey as well as the viewing conditions. Boat routes may change and departures may be cancelled. Carry waterproof shoes and a waterproof jacket, plus a hat and gloves, and leave a buffer in your travel schedule. A selected date is a plan for a wildlife excursion, not a promise of weather or a particular encounter.
The arrival guide helps separate reaching Ushuaia, reaching the actual meeting point and joining the boat programme. Keeping those stages clear is especially useful when your chosen observation outing has no hotel collection.
Penguin watching questions
Which species live on or visit Martillo?
The island is associated with gentoo and Magellanic penguins, with occasional king penguin visitors. What is visible during a visit varies naturally.
When are Magellanic penguins most numerous?
The broad season runs from early October through April, with the greatest numbers from November through February. Individual excursion dates need to fit your travel plans too.
Do these excursions include an island walk?
They offer penguin observation from the boat. Choose a separate guided walking product if visiting Martillo on foot is your priority.