Beagle Channel Navigation Penguin Colony

Ushuaia, Argentina

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

5 to 6 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

What's Included

Catamaran Sailing
Port taxes

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Rumbo Sur
Av. Prefectura Naval Argentina, V9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Los pasajeros deberan presentarse en la Boleteria de RUMBO SUR 30 minutos antes del zarpe.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Martillo Island

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Canal Beagle

5 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 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

Lindsey_B

We really enjoyed this adventure. The ship and crew were wonderful. We went at the beginning of penguin season (early November) and there weren’t all that many penguins at the island, but the rest of the experience was so wonderful I’d recommend it either way.

Reviews

4.3

based on 27 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Beautiful views across...

Hannah_S, Mar 2026

Beautiful views across the journey. Great view of seals and penguins from the boat. However, lots of passengers made it difficult to get a good close up view from the side of the boat when near to the animals.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Hannah, Thank you very much for sharing your experience and for highlighting the beautiful views and wildlife sightings during the navigation. We regret that at certain moments the number of passengers made it more difficult to get a closer view from the side of the boat. We always operate within the authorized capacity limits and environmental regulations, prioritizing both safety and the protection of wildlife. We truly appreciate your feedback, as it helps us continue improving the experience for all our travelers. Kind regards,

Great animals views . Everything else is sub-par

Eli_V, Dec 2025

I’ll start with the positive . We got amazing views of both seals and penguins . We also saw birds which look like penguins but are closer to pelicans - that was awesome. Also, there are was a cute cafe on the board. The rest of the experience lives a lot of room for improvement. The English of the guide is not clear at all and English explanations were much shorter than the Spanish ones. The main issue however is the Catamaran itself . The viewpoints are extremely narrow to make room for more sitting spaces , so if you want to make a picture of yourself and the animals that’s hardly possible - only one of the two. The last point is the choice of embarkation point . It takes 2 hours to sail to the Penguins and 2 hours back and you only view the Penguins for 20 minutes . It would have been much wiser to use minivans to drive to a closer embark point and then take more time to spend with the penguins.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you very much for sharing your feedback and for taking the time to describe your experience in detail. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the wildlife sightings, especially the seals, penguins and birds, as well as the onboard café, which are among the main highlights of this navigation. Regarding the points mentioned, we would like to clarify that the itinerary, navigation duration, viewpoints, and time spent near the penguin colony are defined by the operating company and regulated by local authorities in order to protect the wildlife and natural environment. Both sailing times and viewing periods are clearly stated in the tour description prior to booking. Concerning the guide’s explanations, we appreciate your comment and will share it with the operator, as service quality is very important to us. As for the vessel layout, the catamaran’s design and available spaces follow standard configurations for this type of navigation, always prioritizing passenger safety and comfort. We truly value your observations, as they help us continue improving, and we appreciate you choosing this experience. Kind regards,

Would not go with this company

Marko_M, Dec 2025

The penguin colony as well as the sea lions were 100% worth seeing. This is a MUST in Ushuaia, and the company does a great job at picking out the locations and giving sufficient time to take it all in. However, in hindsight, I would go with another tour company. Their stand at the docks had a mile-long line for check in - we arrived almost 1 hour early, but unless we went out of the line and talked to the organizers we would have missed the trip. The people there were very rude, there was general disorganization, and a dozen people trying to talk to someone at the same time. The rudeness was surprising and pretty much the only time in Argentina that we experienced this. The boat was large but very overcrowded. We came an hour earlier to the docks but there were no seats left on the boat. We had to essentially beg people to sit between them. The overall atmosphere is really dampened by this, and it was not worth the price they charge. There was a very strong emphasis on upselling and charging for 15 different things on the boat as well. The whole operation felt like just a tourist trap, and although the experience IS WORTH IT, I would book with a local company upon arrival instead of going with these guys.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We’re glad to hear that visiting the penguin colony and the sea lions was a valuable experience, as this is one of Ushuaia’s main highlights. We would like to clarify that our company operates as a sales and reselling platform, while the check-in process, port organization, vessel capacity, seat allocation, and onboard services are managed exclusively by the local operating company authorized by the port authority. These aspects are outside of our direct control. Regarding your suggestion to purchase the excursion locally upon arrival, it is important to note that doing so usually means booking with the same authorized operating companies working at the port, as the number of licensed operators is limited and regulated. We sincerely regret that operational issues affected your overall experience. Your comments are valuable and have been shared with the corresponding operating company in order to improve organization and passenger service during peak periods. Thank you again for your feedback and for taking the time to leave your review.

The best of Ushuaia

Ashok_K, Dec 2025

If one has to take only one tour,he must take this one.Punctuality and cafeteria on the cruise impressed.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted that you enjoyed the tour and appreciated the punctuality and service on board. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and we hope to welcome you back to Ushuaia in the future.

Any visit to Ushuaia must...

Blair_C, Nov 2025

Any visit to Ushuaia must include a trip on the water and we really enjoyed the trip on the Beagle Channel which finished up with the penguins before returning straight back to Ushuaia. The catamaran is large, comfortable and powerful. The crew and guide were very good, snacks and coffee are available. We got a good view of the wildlife and the scenery is beautiful on both sides of the Channel. At Martillo Island we stayed for quite a while watching the penguins, which is definitely the highlight. Everyone was told to keep moving on deck so that everyone got a decent look at the penguins. The only negative was the staff issuing the tickets at the office (after you present your online ticket to them). For some reason they couldn't find our booking and we waited patiently while it was sorted except they didn't want to do anything and were unhelpful. Close to departure time we messaged the company and demanded the office people make an effort...and boarding tickets appeared.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. We’re glad to know you enjoyed the Beagle Channel navigation and that visiting Martillo Island was a highlight of your trip. We appreciate your kind words about the onboard service and also your feedback regarding the ticket office process. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and will work to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Thank you for choosing us — we hope to welcome you again in Ushuaia!

Close enough to get great photos

Lucy_S, Feb 2025

Great history and geography lesson. Ship was very good at getting close to penguin island . Downstairs area had good ventilation. Only advice I would give is tell customers to che k in at light green hut by dock. It was confusing on the AM where to go. Guide was a lovely woman who was very nice

Penguins and seals

Charles_D, Feb 2024

The catamaran was great, seats comfortable. The boat captain maneuvered the boat so all could see. A great experience.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

"Thank you very much, Charles, for your comments."

Photographers ruined it

Courtney_G, Feb 2024

Overall a very bad experience due to the photography service. There is the option to pay for photographers to take your picture, but instead of having a dedicated area for photography, they just kick passengers out from their viewing spots. The penguins were great, but the photographers were obnoxious

Response from Host, Feb 2024

"Thank you very much for your feedback. We will forward it to the shipping company. Best regards."

Disappointing service.

Terry_W, Jan 2024

Tour company canceled this trip for weather (understandable) but many other boats went out and the weather was not all that bad. We were not notified and had to stand in line for nearly an hour to be told of the cancellation. Luckily we found another tour and booked it. There are many operators on the pier at Ushuaia. I would not book this one again.

Great experience!

Lindsey_B, Nov 2023

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you very much, Lindsay, for your comments and rating. Greetings."

Nature means life.

Hilmar_M, Nov 2023

The ocean elephant, penguins, seals and birds. They are the meaning of life. Too many people in the boat.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

muchas gracias por sus comentarios y calificación, le haremos llegar a la compañía naviera sus comentarios. saludos y buen regreso a casa

The most wonderful time...

KALLIOPI_D, Apr 2023

The most wonderful time at the Beagle Channel was the last part of our trip, when we saw the penguins colony. These animals are very cute.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you very much for your comments and rating, and for visiting us, good return home

The perfect excursion,...

Raul_C, Mar 2026

The perfect excursion, unfortunately the management of purchase a disaster, the previous day I went through the offices of the company Rumbo Sur, to confirm the trip and I find that it was not listed n / reservation, after almost two hours of management of an employee of Rumbo Sur and after several calls appeared the reservation, had remained in the tangle of the intermediaries, if I had waited the day of the excursion I could not travel. Unfortunate management of Viator

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Response from Host, Mar 2026

Estimado Raul, Lamentamos lo ocurrido y entendemos la preocupación que pudo haberle generado la situación. Queremos comentarle que, en este tipo de servicios gestionados a través de plataformas como Viator, las reservas permanecen abiertas a modificaciones o cancelaciones sin costo hasta 24 horas antes de la excursión. Por este motivo, la empresa receptiva no realiza la nominación definitiva de pasajeros hasta el cierre del día previo a la operación. Esto puede ocasionar que, si la verificación se realiza antes de ese proceso de cierre, la reserva aún no figure en los listados operativos del prestador. En estos casos, siempre recomendamos contactarse previamente con la empresa receptiva, ya que desde allí pueden confirmar el estado actualizado de la reserva y asistir para evitar este tipo de inconvenientes. Nos alegra saber que finalmente pudo realizar la excursión y disfrutar de la experiencia, y tomamos su comentario para seguir mejorando la comunicación en estos procesos. Quedamos a disposición ante cualquier consulta. Saludos cordiales,

As expected

JF_S, Feb 2026

Good organization, boat a little tight for the number of passengers. Little outdoor space. Very good guide.

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Response from Host, Feb 2026

Merci pour votre commentaire. Nous sommes heureux que l’organisation et la qualité du guide aient été à la hauteur de vos attentes. Nous prenons en compte votre remarque concernant l’espace à bord, car ces retours nous aident à améliorer continuellement l’expérience de nos voyageurs. Merci d’avoir partagé votre avis !

Perfetto

Tiziana_L, Jan 2024

Pinguini visti da molto vicino, tanti e bellissimi. Abbiamo visto anche leoni marini e delfini. Organizzazione perfetta

Response from Host, Jan 2024

muchas gracias Sr. Perfetto por sus comentarios, nos alientan para seguir trabajando para ofrecer el mejor servicio

Hermosa experiencia !

FABIAN_S, Feb 2023

Hermosa excursión de navegación.....sin dudas lo mas atrapante para nosotros fue ver el majestuoso Faro del Fin del Mundo!!! No se lo pierdan. También muy bonito visitar la colonia de pingüinos. La tripulación..... espectacular!!! Muy atentos siempre.....el guía..... excelente!