Navigation to Beagle Channel and Sea Lions Island with Transfers

Ushuaia, Argentina

4 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Follow Charles Darwin's sailing route through the Beagle Channel on this catamaran trip out of Ushuaia. Check out Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and some shipwreck ruins before experiencing the deafening din of large colonies of sea lions barking on Sea Lions Island. Visit the End of the World Museum, view Ushuaia's defunct prison, and see Olivia and Cinco Hermanos (Five Brothers) mountains. Visit Bird Island to view the varied avian population of this region and hear knowledgeable commentary from your guide.

Catamaran cruise through Beagle Channel from Ushuaia
Pass the city’s industrial area, End of World Museum, and Maritime Museum
Gaze at Martial Glacier, Encajonado River, Five Brothers and Olivia Mountains, and more
Observe legions of sea lions at Sea Lions Island and diverse species at Bird Island
Choose from among several departure times, depending on low- or high-season visit
Pickup and drop-off from centrally located Ushuaia hotels included

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transport by coach or minivan
Professional guide
3 hours Navigation

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Boarding Fee

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Please indicate the hotel where you will be staying in Ushuaia. In case you are staying outside the pick up area, we will assign you a meeting point.

Meeting point

Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo - Muelle
Av. Prefectura Naval Argentina, V9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Please indicate the hotel where you will be staying in Ushuaia. In case you are staying outside the pick up area, we will assign you a meeting point.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

After pickup at your Ushuaia hotel, transfer to the pier to board your catamaran for this journey through the Beagle Channel. Head east along the coast for views of the former prison, which now houses Ushuaia's Maritime Museum and a replica of Darwin's ship, the "Beagle," as well as the End of the World Museum.

Learn from your guide about Ushuaia's origins as a penal colony while you pass dramatic mountain scenery, including the Olivia and Cinco Hermanos (Five Brothers) mountains. Make your way past the Tunnel and Fique Ranch and the Encajonado River as you trace Darwin's 1833 journey through the Beagle Channel. Approach the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, around which the ruins of the shipwrecked SS Monte Cervantes lie.

Turn west toward Isla de Los Lobos (Sea Wolves Island) home to hundreds of king cormorants, fur seals, and sea lions. Watch as the animals fight for space on the rocks as well as caw, grunt, and bark. Next, stop by Isla de Los Pajaros (Bird Island) home to steamer ducks, giant albatross, petrels and skuas, among other species.

Gaze upon Martial Glacier as the catamaran makes its way back to Ushuaia through Paso Chico (Small Passage.) Upon return to the pier, climb aboard your vehicle for drop-off at your Ushuaia hotel.

Tourist Port

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Islas Alicia

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Hostería Les Éclaireurs

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Las Margaritas (Pass By)

Canal Beagle, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo - Muelle

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
You may bring your own food and drinks
It is recommended that you bring binoculars
Not wheelchair accessible

Most travelers can participate
Cruise Passengers are not allowed to take this tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Chase_M

All in all fantastic day and experience. Beautiful weather and also a nice boat. Professional and super nice staff. Everything was great :)

Reviews

4.1

based on 63 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Reseller of a tour from a different operator for more $ and better description

Michael_P, Jan 2024

This deceptive tour company resells "Navigation through the Beagle Channel to the Lighthouse" tour from Tolkeyen Patagonia. Buy the same tour for much less from Tolkeyen.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Michael_P, We sincerely appreciate your feedback and regret any confusion that arose regarding your experience with our tour service. We take your comments very seriously and want to address your concerns appropriately. We understand your concern regarding the price and description of the tour you booked through our service. We would like to clarify that we work closely with our local colleagues, which allows us to offer a wide range of travel options for our clients. In the specific case of the tour you mention, we have an agreement with our colleagues in Ushuaia to offer the excursion "Exploration of the Beagle Channel and Sea Lion Island on a Catamaran Cruise". This partnership allows us to secure reservations in advance and guarantee the best places on the tour for our clients. We understand that there may be discrepancies in the prices offered by different sales channels. However, we strive to provide a value-added service that includes the convenience of booking in advance, securing your place on the tour and providing a satisfactory travel experience. We appreciate your feedback, as it helps us to continually improve our services and ensure transparency in our operations. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you again in the future and provide you with an exceptional travel experience. Best regards, Tangol Tours

Great tour of Beagle Channel

Bibianne_B, Nov 2023

This tour was exactly as we expected. We were picked up by Tolkeyen exactly on time (they contacted us with pickup time on WhatsApp). There was plenty of time at all the major viewpoints for everyone to get a good look and lots of photos.

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS OPERATOR!!!!

Diana_M, Dec 2022

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS VIATOR OPERATOR!!!! They confirmed the day prior to meet at the meeting point at 9:30. We get to the meeting point to find out that the boat had already departed. We would have had to arrive at least 30 minutes prior. The worst part? I wrote this operator TWICE and the company actually running the boat also contacted them, but I never heard a peep from them. No apology even. Nothing. No response whatsoever. Basically, because they gave us faulty information that we followed to the letter we missed the tour. The local company operating the boat was kind enough to put us on another excursion in the afternoon, but this Viator booking? No word still from them. The tour itself was only okay because people kept standing in front of the windows where people were seated, blocking everything. We finally found a spot at the back of the boat outside where we did not block the view for other passengers. But it might be easier when you get to Ushuaia to visit the group of tour houses/huts that are near the port. You can choose the excursion you want in real time and not end up missing the entire thing because the Viator operator listing this booking can’t provide adequate instructions. I am extremely unhappy with the entire experience. Book with someone else if you want to do this tour, or visit the Tolkeyen hut and take the same excursion without the headache and complete disregard. I understand mistakes happen, but why they could not even apologize to me is not acceptable. They should give me a refund, but as I got no apology, I doubt that will happen. They didn’t respond to 2 emails informing them that they screwed us over

Very good activity allows to know the different islands in the Beagle Channel area

Martin_B, Feb 2021

I am very keen on this tour as I was able to learn and visit the historical Beagle Channel.... what I would add to this activity is some meal or snack to be included as part of the fare. The diverse islands are shown and commented in a friendly manner and there is plenty of printed material in the ship to be read and seen. The local supplier makes this tour a good deal for the visitors.

Response from Host, Feb 2021

Dear Martin, Thank you so much for sharing with us your experience on your tour. On this excursion, we can see an important extract of the beauties of Argentina. The Beagle Channel is a "must" when you come to our country. Thank you for your recommendations, they help us to improve our services. Your words make us very happy, and we really appreciate your time to write this review!

Penguins :)

Chase_M, Feb 2020

All in all fantastic day and experience. Beautiful weather and also a nice boat. Professional and super nice staff. Everything was great :)

Wonderful scenery with an average guide.

SumitD D, Nov 2019

Great trip if you understand Spanish. We expected the guide to speak as often on English as in Spanish. Instead, she spent easily 80% of the time speaking in Spanish. Her English descriptions were short and terse.

Response from Host, Jul 2020

Dear Sumit, Thank you for your review We are sorry to hear that the guide did not meet your expectations. The guide who made the excursion is a graduate guide and who has also received intensive training in our tours. All our guides are certified. However, we take this feedback and forward it to the guide as an opportunity to improve our services. Despite your disappointment, we hope you enjoyed the experience and the beautiful landscape. Will be a pleasure to assist you in your next visit! Regards!

This tour was amazing! Don't miss...

Jacqueline_K, Apr 2017

This tour was amazing! Don't miss this one, especially if you are fortunate enough to be in Tierra del Fuego in shoulder season. You get to experience the wonder of this place without it being packed by tourists. Company was first-rate. Had a professional biologist on board. I would recommend using the photographer on board from the start. He takes all photos for the day, including 8 or 10 of you. The photos are great and, more importantly, you don't have to spend the day behind the camera. Which would be a shame in this quiet stillness. Put the Go Pros down on just this one. Highly recommended!

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed...

ScottR_E, Oct 2016

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this catamaran cruise in the Beagle Channel in late October 2016. It was short enough to not tie up the entire day, but long enough to give us a wonderful experience in the Channel. The views were spectacular. We loved our guide. He spoke both English and Spanish although we were the only English speakers on the trip. He made a point of speaking with us personally several time throughout the trip, sharing some personal experiences. We got very close to several islands and were able to watch the birds and sea wolves sea lions sitting on the rocks and swimming in the water. It was mating time, so we saw some of the mating rituals as well. The boat captain would turn the boat from one side to another so that everyone had a close view of the animals and lighthouse. There was plenty of time for photos and selfies. We stopped at one island and got off for a short walk. Our guide told us to leave the rocks, leaves, plants, etc for others to see. As we were leaving the island, another large tour boat pulled in beside us. The tourists on that boat began picking up rocks and other things, and putting them in their pockets as souvenirs. So sad that they felt they could take what they wanted. It was a great trip and I highly recommend it. We took a morning cruise, having been forewarned that the afternoons are sometimes too windy for the boats on the Channel. The next day all cruises were cancelled in the afternoon due to the wind and waves. I would recommend going on the cruise the first day we only had two days there and taking it in the morning. If there had been a bad weather day, we would still have had a second day to attempt the cruise.

The tour was great with amazing views...

Patricia S, Apr 2016

The tour was great with amazing views, staff on the boat was very nice and helpful.

Great trip. The weather cooperated...

Rebecca O, May 2015

Great trip. The weather cooperated and the views from the boat are amazing. A nice thing to do if you are unable to do serious hiking as well.

On arrival in Ushuaia I was told...

Duncan P, Jan 2015

On arrival in Ushuaia I was told that my tour did not include the most important thing, the Penguins, so I managed to upgrade through the hotel. As the tour gets passed around from company to company, check in was confusing, this should be made more streamline. The trip was great, full of info and great sights. Warning to those who get sea sick, the journey back was extremely rough due to wind, which apparently is often. 60% of passengers got sick. It was really rough!

I feel the tour name match sea lion...

Masahiro K, Jan 2015

I feel the tour name match sea lion island not sea wolves island. The tour time had changed 1 and half hour earlier without previous announce by email. I knew it when I arrived and checked in the hotel. I hope the change of tour time will be told more earlier.

Super recomendable

Carola_T, Dec 2023

Muy buena atención por parte de la guía de turismo y de la tripulación. El catamaran es muy confortable y tiene un bar a bordo que ayuda a mitigar el frío. El paisaje de ensueño. Super recomendable

Nunca me avisaron el...

daniela_o, Dec 2021

Nunca me avisaron el horario de recogida por el hotel y viator opera con una empresa que así vez opera acon otra empresa y nunca supe que empresa ni a qué hs me pasaban buscar. Termine yendo al muelle y buscando yo quien era mí agente de turismo. La guía paso por el glaciar martial sin mencionarlo y salteo mucha información que supuestamente nuestra Enel reclrrido

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Estimada Daniela. Gracias por compartir tu experiencia con nosotros. Lamentamos que no hayas recibido los horarios de la excursión. Todas las noches, previo a la excursión, notificamos al hotel los horarios de recolección para cada tour en Ushuaia. El hotel recibió nuestro mensaje pero, al parecer, no le ha llegado a usted. Sin embargo, nosotros también dejamos mensajes a través de la plataforma de Viator con los horarios aproximados de recolección días previos al tour. Lamentamos que no haya tenido acceso a nuestros correos. Agradecemos tus comentarios ya que nos ayudan a mejorar la calidad de nuestros servicios, Saludos!

The tour itself is wonderful. A good...

Inna V, Jan 2018

The tour itself is wonderful. A good ship, interesting views around, I consider it obligatory to visit in Ushuaia. But the organization! We stupidly stood in line for landing an hour and a half, no one said why, what happened .... To be honest, even this did not spoil the impression. Сам тур замечательный. Хороший корабль, интересные виды вокруг, считаю его обязательным к посещению в Ушуайе. Но организация! Мы тупо стояли в очереди на посадку полтора часа, никто не говорил почему, что случилось.... Честно говоря даже это не испортило впечатлений.

Response from Host, Sep 2020

Dear Inna, Thank you so much for sharing with us your experience in Ushuaia. We are pleased to know that you enjoyed those landscapes of the South of Argentina. We really appreciate your comments as it helps us improve our services. Your words make us very happy, and we really appreciate your time to write this review!