King Penguin & Tierra del Fuego Tour
Punta Arenas, Chile
- 14 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy a day away from the city on a day tour of Tierra del Fuego island. Travel the distance with ease, with round-trip transfer and ferry crossing included, and discover island highlights including Parque Pinguino Rey, Porvenir Museum, and the village of Cerro Sombrero. Learn about the archipelago’s history and culture from your guide, and enjoy absorb coastal and rural views of southernmost Chile.
- Enjoy hassle-free round-trip transfer from your Punta Arenas hotel
- Tick off several island attractions in just 1 trip
- See the only colony of King penguins outside Antarctica
- Learn about the history, culture, and preservation of the archipelago
What's Included
- Transfer from/to Punta Arenas Hotel.
- English/Spanish tour guide
- Ferry Ticket
- Airport transfers
- Optional Gratuities
- Lunch
- Entrance fee - King Penguin ParkCLP18,000.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pick up included for Hotels located nearby urban zone in Punta Arenas
Operating hours.7:00 am
Itinerary
1
Tierra del Fuego
7 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Tierra del Fuego
7 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Wear comfortable, warm clothes and trekking shoes or boots
- Please bring a jacket, windbraker or sweater, a scarf, hat, sunglasses and water
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants (mandatory)
- Tour is subjected to weather conditions
- This tour doesn't work on December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.
- There's an entrance fee which you have to pay directly on the destination entrance for the King Penguin Park.
- There'll be time for a traditional chilean lunch (meals not included)
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 5 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 55 reviews
Elaine_W, Mar 2026
Almost the entire trip is in the van crammed with the others. The other stops were a complete waste of time and the penguins lasted about 1 1/2 hours. Lunch was at 3pm and everyone complained about how late it was. We started at 7 am and got back at 8.15 pm
Total waste of time and money
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations. This excursion is a full-day tour due to the remote location of the king penguin colony, which requires traveling long distances by road and ferry in order to reach this unique conservation area. The additional stops are included to make the journey more varied and to show different landscapes of the region, although we understand that the day can feel long for some travelers.
Lunch time may vary depending on ferry schedules, road conditions, and weather, which are factors beyond our control in this part of Patagonia. We appreciate your comments, as they help us explain more clearly the duration and characteristics of this tour so future passengers can choose the experience that best fits their interests.
mhbronstone, Mar 2026
It’s a really long day. Most of the time is on the bus and ferry. I suggest only doing this tour if you really, really want to see the king penguin. I am glad I did it but it was very windy and we weren’t able to get too close to the penguins since it’s a conservation area.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for your feedback. This excursion does involve a long journey, as the King Penguin colony is located in a remote and protected area, which makes the experience special but also requires significant travel time by land and ferry. As this is a conservation site, there are strict rules regarding the distance visitors must keep from the penguins to ensure their protection. Weather conditions in Patagonia can also be unpredictable, especially the wind, which is very common in the area. We appreciate your comments and are glad to know that, despite the long day, you were happy to have seen the king penguins in their natural habitat.
Kyle_M, Mar 2026
Tour was very good with a sampling of local history, food, and of course the penguins. The penguins were much better than expected, spending the 1 hr time slot in view the whole time. March was nesting season so there were some chicks as well! Everything went smoothly until the afternoon ferries were shut down by wind, but our guide and driver pulled stings to get us off the island on the 1st ferry once it reopened, so couldn’t ask for more.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour, especially the penguins during nesting season — seeing the chicks makes it even more special.
We’re also glad our guide and driver could assist when the ferries were temporarily suspended due to the wind. Our team always does their best to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Kiran_H, Feb 2026
Penguins were nice and worth the trip, but I would have liked to do more on Tierra del Fuego. Lunch was at a very expensive restaurant with cafeteria quality food. We had a few long photo stops which weren't very impressive (Porvenir Sign, decaying estancia) but it would have been nice to at least see a bit of Porvenir or the museum or other settlements, given how long the tour was. We also saw foxes and guanacos.
That being said, I think most of the penguin tours have identical itineraries based on the other groups we saw.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback and for taking the time to describe your experience.
We are glad to know that you enjoyed the penguin colony and the wildlife sightings, which are certainly among the highlights of this excursion. At the same time, we truly appreciate your comments regarding the itinerary and the lunch experience.
This tour operates under specific logistical and timing constraints due to ferry schedules, distances, and access regulations within Tierra del Fuego, which is why most operators follow very similar routes. Nevertheless, your observations are extremely valuable, as they help us evaluate potential improvements and better manage expectations about the nature of the stops included.
We also regret that the lunch did not meet your expectations. The restaurant selection is based on availability and operational considerations in such a remote area, but we will certainly review this aspect with our partners.
Thank you again for your constructive feedback. It helps us continue refining our services
Igor_F, Feb 2026
We were lucky that weather was excellent and we were able to see a colony of King penguins. They were amazing!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
We’re delighted to hear that the weather conditions were perfect and that you were able to see the King Penguin colony. They truly are an amazing sight. We’re glad everything came together for such a memorable experience and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Jane_R, Jan 2026
Be prepared for a very long day of travel to soend an hour viewing the penguins at a distance for an hour. Make sure to bring drinks, snacks and Chilean pesos. Be prepared for a long wait in the morning to be picked up. There were 9 hotel stops iur driver had to make and pickip took an hour. We were told to be ready at 7 am. We had to miss breakfast at our hotel, which started at 7 am. We were not picked up until 7:45. After a 30 min bus ride we reached the ferry point and had a two hour feery ride across the Magellan Strait to reach tiera del fuego. The tour stopped for lunch at a small loval restaurant, which was cafeteria style and pretty good. The price of lunch was not included. The tour also stopped at a native museum and the cost of admission was not included nor was the cost of admission to the penguin park. The miseum only took chilean pesos sonof you disn’t have any you couldn’t enter the museum. It is strange that the admissions are not part of the price of the tour. In all we spent over six hours on the bus and over two hours on ferries to spend an hour with the penguins. Places to purchase drinks and snacks and use a toilet were frw and far between. I do not recommend thia tour.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback.
We understand that the length of the journey may feel demanding. However, we would like to clarify that the total duration of the tour is clearly specified in the product description, including long road travel and ferry crossings, which are unavoidable due to the remote location of Tierra del Fuego and the King Penguin colony. For conservation reasons, the time spent observing the penguins is strictly limited and regulated.
Regarding the morning pickup, multiple hotel stops are required to collect passengers from different locations, which can extend the pickup window. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, including missing hotel breakfast.
Please note that meals, museum entrance fees, and the penguin park admission are clearly indicated as not included in the tour price. Some local sites only accept Chilean pesos, and we recommend guests bring cash, snacks, and drinks, as services along the route are limited due to the isolated nature of the area.
We appreciate your comments, as they help future travelers better understand the characteristics of this excursion and allow us to continue improving our communication.
Kind regards,
Brett_J, Jan 2026
Our guide and driver were great. Informative and entertaining. But as many others have mentioned it’s a long day. If you weren’t on vacation would you drive 5 hours to look at a flightless bird for an hour then travel 5 plus hours back home? Probably not. After lunch we waited 90 minutes for the ferry, since there doesn’t seem to be a schedule and they just show up wherever. We didn’t go to the museum that was in the itinerary and the stop in the village is just for lunch. You don’t explore or anything. At the penguin viewing the penguin guy brings you out to them and talks a bit. After 30 minutes he told us it was time to go. We just travelled for 5 hours for 30 minutes? It’s suppose to be an hour viewing and I told him that. He told me it’s been an hour already with a dumb smile on his face. “Time flies when you’re having fun right?”
Well his smile faded when I showed him the time stamps on my camera showing it was only 28 minutes. He walked off angry and told me to do what I wanted.
We got back around 9. They didn’t put us on the 2 hour ferry because of some car race or something so we had to come back the same way we left in the morning. The ferry was probably nicer and more comfortable but maybe this way saved us some time. We got back just after 9pm.
I probably wouldn’t recommend this trip. 14 hours long for less than a hour of penguin viewing isn’t the best use of time. But maybe it’s your thing so in that case go for it.
Bring a book
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the guide and driver.
We’re sorry that the length of the day, waiting times, and penguin viewing duration did not meet your expectations. Due to the remote location and local logistics, travel times and schedules can vary, but we understand how this can be frustrating. Your comments have been shared with our team to review and improve the experience.
Ishaan_K, Dec 2025
The tour is great but it’s an extremely long day for just about 30 minutes with the penguins. The drive is really long and you’re at the mercy of the ferry which may take forever depending on the wind. I started at 7am and got back at around 10:30pm. Most of the day will just go in driving.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour overall.
We understand your comments regarding the length of the day. Due to the remote location and the nature of the experience, travel times can indeed be long, and the ferry schedule is subject to weather and wind conditions, which are beyond our control. This can make the day feel especially extended, even though the time spent with the penguins is relatively short.
We truly appreciate your honest perspective, as it helps future travelers have a clearer expectation of the experience. Thank you again for your review, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on another adventure in the future.
Mara_M, Dec 2025
Amazing Tour. Exceptional Tierra del Fuego.
We enjoyed very much and we are recommended this tour very deeply.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that you had an amazing experience and enjoyed exploring the exceptional landscapes of Tierra del Fuego. Your recommendation means a lot to us. We’re grateful you chose our tour and would be delighted to welcome you back for another adventure in the future!
Courtney_T, Jun 2025
What an experience. I didnt realize I booked the 6-8 hour tour. But so happy I did. Food point were great, the ferry through the Straight of Magellan and seeing the penguins were amazing. If you are in this region of the world, do NOT miss this. It was fantastic.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words and for joining us on this unforgettable experience!
We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed every part of the tour, from the delicious food stops to the ferry ride through the Strait of Magellan and, of course, the incredible penguins. It’s always rewarding to know that our guests leave with such great memories.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Warm regards,
Carolyn_P, Mar 2025
The guide Martin is great. He provides a nice history of the area. This trip gives you a short visit to the King Penguins at a distance. Worth the trip if you have never had the chance to see these birds before.
Shea_H, Mar 2025
It was so amazing to see the penguins and they were so much closer than I expected. It is a long day but the vehicle was comfortable and there were plenty of chances to stretch our legs and use the facilities.
Gary_H, Jan 2025
Lots and lots of driving, hours. Seeing the wildlife and stopping to see the wildlife along the drive was wonderful as was the driver. And of course the penguins were fun. Lunch was good. Too much Spanish, not enough English.
Paul_H, Jan 2025
There are ;lots of stops on this trip, some of which were not interesting. You are 100 meters for the penguins, so if you bring binoculars that would be great. They do have binoculars at the site.
Deb_L, Jan 2025
King penguins were so cool to see, for sure a highlight - but it turned into a 15 hour day, lunch was okay ($14 for roast lamb & potatoes, vegetarians also served the soup with chunks of meat in it). Heavy winds meant taking 1+ hour to the car ferry, then another 1.5 hours to the penguins sanctuary in a 15 person transit van. For the final 2 hours guide talked nonstop. Exhausting. Must really want to see penguins.
Marta_A, Jan 2025
This was a very, very long trip. It started around 7:30 and we got back to Punta Arenas at 22:40. That’s 15 hours to see beautiful penguins for 1 hour. Crossing the Magellan Strait was interesting, but crossing back took for ever because there were too many cars. Both the driver and the guide were professional, and did a wonderful job, but the trip needs to be planned differently. It would also help to tell people that there is no food available from 13:00 until 22:40. I would have brought some food with me, had I known that.
Elizabeth_S, Dec 2024
We really enjoyed the King Penguins, the set up is very respectful of the wildlife and offers plenty of time to watch and take photos. Our guide Luis was very knowledgeable and accommodating. Luis shared lots of information about the Selk'nam people, which we really appreciated. Lunch was great at a little restaurant on Tierra del Fuego. The ferry ride back to Punta Arenas was also really enjoyable as we saw plenty of whales ☺️
Thanks Luis & Mauricio!
Renee_A, Dec 2024
We had an amazing time on this tour. Honestly we never do tours and scheduled this at the last moment rather than driving ourselves. The guide and driver were fantastic. So much information and history was presented about the region in a fun and engaging way and the penguins were totally worth it! Great tour, highly recommended!
Petr_K, Dec 2024
Many day-tours in Punta Arenas depend on weather, i.e., wind. In windy days some ferry routes may not operate or be significantly delayed. Our tour had to change the plan because the ferry between Porvenir and Punta Arenas didn't operate that day. So we went both ways through Punta Delgada. It is a looong day! We have seen the penguins and it was worth it, they were over 100. The guide, Luis, provided plenty of information. The only little miscommunication was in relation to lunch. We brought sandwiches as per instruction but on the way back we stopped for lunch in a restaurant.
Anna_B, Apr 2024
If you love penguins I would recommend this! But it’s about 8 hours of travelling round trip. It was a really long day of sitting in a car to see the penguins for 45 minutes. Our tour guide, Paula, was very knowledgeable.
The tour was a lot of money considering it does not include lunch and entrance into the penguin park. Also if you get motion sick I recommend brining anti nausea medication for the roads on the island.
Nicole_L, Mar 2024
great tour, our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area. Definitely plan for a long day, around 12 hours, but we made several stops for food and to see other sites in addition to the penguins
ZiChian_C, Mar 2024
Too much traveling. The tour operator could communicate better in hostel pick up and inform the customer earlier.
Malcolm_D, Mar 2024
It was a long long day but we loved everything about this tour. It is a long day of driving so you must be prepared to spend a lot of the day in the tour bus. Our guide was just wonderful, so willing to share her knowledge about all aspects of Tierra del Fuego, environmental, natural, cultural both modern and indigenous. We saw lots of guanacos, flamingos and Caiquen and were given explanations about their natural history. We were given ample opportunity to take photographs of all these animals. Of course the penguins were the highlight. For this part of the tour we were handed over to the rangers at the reserve who were absolutely lovely. They were so willing to share their knowledge and answer questions about the penguins and to let us stay at the viewing platforms for as long as we liked. It was incredibly cold. We thought we’d been cold in other parts of Patagonia but nothing like this. A gale was blowing directly in from the bay and the wind chill factor was incredible. After the viewing there was then a long drive to Porvenir for lunch/dinner. By the time we got there it was late in the afternoon so make sure you take snacks and drinks to consume on the way. After this there was a bit of a wait for the ferry back to Punta Arenas which doesn’t leave until 8.30 and takes 2 hours. We spent the time exploring the town and learning more about the indigenous people and their culture. We highly recommend this tour if you are willing to tolerate the long time travelling to have the privilege of seeing something of the wild, bleak environment of Tierra del Fuego and the King Penguins.
Daire_V, Mar 2024
Great day out thanks to P & JC.
Pick up on time and efficient.
Drive to crossing with some shorts stops and info + pictures from guide, she made it very interesting throughout day.
Highlight was Penguin reserve of course which is amazing! Guides there were very knowledgable and interested in conservation of colony.
Trip back was long but worth it.
Ileana_S, Feb 2024
We had a very positive experience. Previous comments criticized the length of the tour VS the actual penguin seeing time (only 1h) but to be honest, the penguin colony is VERY far, there are inevitably a lot of hours in front of you just to get there. The tour stopped very briefly only 3 times in other places (porvenir square, museum "garden" and San Gregorio) and these stops didn't add at all to the length of the tour, if anything we appreciated the chance to take a short break from the bus ride.
The guide was super nice, she called us to let us know that they had started picking up passengers and the time they'd be at our Airbnb. The ferry takes 2h (9 to 11), next is a 50 m lunch break and at 12:30 we started a 2h drive to the penguin colony, where we stayed about 1h.
Next we drove 1h30m/2 h to take the ferry at a different spot (luckily the ferry was approaching, so no long waiting times) and the strait crossing only took 30m. We stopped briefly to see the rest of two ships on the shore and we drove back to punta arenas. We were home by 19:00.
Julie_S, Jan 2024
The Park of the king Penguins was really interesting. The English speaking guide needed more language practice, although she was very sweet and friendly.
lalacasey, Jan 2024
Fantastic trip. It’s a long day but worth it. The penguin colony is amazing and the tour also stops at a few other attractions. The guide, Paula, was brilliant and gave us lots of information about the area, history, nature etc.
Genevieve_S, Jan 2024
it was so amazing to see penguins, guanacos, dolphins, flamingos, horses, different types of birds, and many many sheep. tierra del fuego is a fascinating landscape, and learning about the native people from there was very interesting. our tour guide was named isabel, and she was such an amazing person! super good tour guide in both english and spanish, very helpful, kind, and knowledgeable.
If there is one thing that i would warn about the trip, it is that it is a very long bus ride, and at least 8 hours of your day will be spent in very cramped transit. bring a book! and make friends with your tour group, which made our experience much more enjoyable. everyone was very friendly and had such interesting life stories! comparably, our time with the penguins was not very long. i would not say it is a good activity for young kids. However, overall it was an amazing experience and having the company’s tour guide made it even better.
Polly_M, Dec 2023
This was really a fantastic experience. It was coordinated well. We were picked up around 7 am, drove around to pick up the rest of the group and boarded the ferry. The guide, Paula, explained everything in both English and Spanish. It took 2 hours to reach Tierra del Fuego and we arrived for a quick basic lunch. We then drove 1.5 hours to the king penguins. We were divided into two groups (Spanish or English speakers) and a ranger was assigned to our group to give us a short explanation about the penguins. We went to 2 viewing areas that had scopes that everyone could use. Penguins were relatively active in terms of moving around and swimming. We had a hour there and I would recommend bringing a camera with a zoom lens rather than counting on your phone. The penguins were relatively close, but not too close to disturb them (about 30 m). We drove north and boarded a different ferry at the north end of the island for a short trip back to the mainland and on the way back, stopped to see a couple of shipwrecks at an estancia that was appropriated by the government. We returned back to the hotel around 7:30-8 pm. Overall, a really fantastic experience. And we did get to stop to take pics of a the guanaco.
Katharine_S, Dec 2023
Seeing the King penguins was fantastic!! But it’s only an hour of a very long day. There really isn’t much of interest in the tour otherwise…but the Guide and Driver did their best. The reason for this LONG day is due to the ferry schedule. So even if you rented a car and purchased the penguin tickets yourself, you’d have a long day. Tip: bring food! You can’t buy food and our lunch wasn’t until 5pm :/
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