Penguins

[anonmom]

My mother (72), my daughter (11) and myself (46) will be on the NCL Star this Christmas and New Years. We will be visiting Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Punto Arenas, and Puerto Montt. We love wildlife and my daughter is crazy about penguins. What are some of our non-ship or DIY excursion options for seeing penguins? We all speak Spanish, have lived in Ecuador before, and are comfortable riding local public transportation, but we have never been to Southern South America. Our top priorities are: seeing multiple species of penguins and other wildlife, having an authentic experience, and not overpaying for tour operators when we could just jump on a bus or take a cab.

Thanks!

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, anonmom said:

My mother (72), my daughter (11) and myself (46) will be on the NCL Star this Christmas and New Years. We will be visiting Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Punto Arenas, and Puerto Montt. We love wildlife and my daughter is crazy about penguins. What are some of our non-ship or DIY excursion options for seeing penguins? We all speak Spanish, have lived in Ecuador before, and are comfortable riding local public transportation, but we have never been to Southern South America. Our top priorities are: seeing multiple species of penguins and other wildlife, having an authentic experience, and not overpaying for tour operators when we could just jump on a bus or take a cab.

Thanks!

In Ushaia you can do a tour to Martello Island where you walk amongst Gentoo and Magellanic penguins. It’s brilliant. The desk to join it is just alongside the jetty where the ships dock https://www.viator.com/en-GB/tours/Ushuaia/Walk-with-the-Penguins-in-Martillo-Island/d933-5239P80

[edinburgher]

Pre-Covid when we visited Port Stanley, we wanted to see some of the town itself and also some penguins.  Most of the(penguins up close) local tours were going to take many hours using up most of our time there.

 

At that time, there was an inexpensive  minibus shuttle which ran from the tender pier to Gypsy Cove and back on cruise ship days .It was a short(approx4/5 mile )ride.We could have as long as we wanted there as there was a "sort of loose timetable".  We walked the paths alongside some of the burrows and saw quite a few, but the majority were further away and down on the beaches which were closed for safety reasons. ( I think it was due to the possibility of unexploded mines left over from the war) There were also nice views from up there.

 

It wasn't an up close and personal opportunity to meet penguins  if that is what you are hoping for, but we did see some and also had time to explore Port Stanley itself. which we actually really enjoyed in part as we had perfect weather that day.

 

You could check Gypsy Cove reviews online before deciding.Whether or not the minbus shuttle runs nowadays I do not know, but if you think it a worthwhile trip you could surely find a taxi in town.

Edited September 4, 2022 by edinburgher

[tony s]

Patrick Watts tour covers this in Stanley. If cannot find email me at Patrickhenneberry@yahoo.com and will forward information 

[tony s]

9 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

In Ushaia you can do a tour to Martello Island where you walk amongst Gentoo and Magellanic penguins. It’s brilliant. The desk to join it is just alongside the jetty where the ships dock https://www.viator.com/en-GB/tours/Ushuaia/Walk-with-the-Penguins-in-Martillo-Island/d933-5239P80

Fair warning this tour is Christmas Day and might not be running 

[rkacruiser]

I recall a shore excursion from Puerto Madryn that went to an area where there were many Penguins.  As I recall the tour's description, there was a boardwalk to the area where they were.  I did not book that tour, however.

 

My tour was from Port Stanley to a good sized Penguin colony that was an excellent tour.  But, the ground on which we walked was very soft and difficult on which to walk.  I would recommend that you might consider two walking sticks, at least for the two adults.  I had a cane and that proved inadequate with me falling into the muck.  I was a filthy, smelly mess when I returned to the Zaandam.  

[anonmom]

Thank you all for this information! I will follow up on these leads and then post again

[SClakeliving]

On 9/4/2022 at 1:06 AM, anonmom said:

My mother (72), my daughter (11) and myself (46) will be on the NCL Star this Christmas and New Years. We will be visiting Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Punto Arenas, and Puerto Montt. We love wildlife and my daughter is crazy about penguins. What are some of our non-ship or DIY excursion options for seeing penguins? We all speak Spanish, have lived in Ecuador before, and are comfortable riding local public transportation, but we have never been to Southern South America. Our top priorities are: seeing multiple species of penguins and other wildlife, having an authentic experience, and not overpaying for tour operators when we could just jump on a bus or take a cab.

Thanks!

we are on the Sapphire Princess in Jan 2023, I've booked 2 small group tours (not ship excursions) based on other comments on Cruise Critic:

 

I booked a tour with Patrick Watts in Falklands to see the Rockhopper penguins at Cape Bougainville as his tour to Volunteer Point was already booked solid. Cost is $190 cash only. www.adventurefalklands.com

 

IN Punta Arenas we booked a tour with www.soloexpediciones.com to the Magellanic Penguin Reserve on Magdelena & Marta Islands. Cost is $103 per person. 

 

[whattodo]

On 9/4/2022 at 1:23 PM, rkacruiser said:

My tour was from Port Stanley to a good sized Penguin colony that was an excellent tour.  But, the ground on which we walked was very soft and difficult on which to walk.  I would recommend that you might consider two walking sticks, at least for the two adults.  I had a cane and that proved inadequate with me falling into the muck.  I was a filthy, smelly mess when I returned to the Zaandam.  

Is this at Volunteer Point? I have been wondering about ground condition and smell at penguin colony. I couldn't find info until I saw your post. What is the muck? Could that be poop? We're traveling with grandpa with cane. I don't want him to fall or in distress on penguin excursion. We may have to book one looking at penguin from afar instead of walk with penguin. 

[anonmom]

We have booked the Patrick Watts tour to Volunteer Point from Stanley. The cost is $190 per adult and $165 for my 11 year old, which seems reasonable for a tour in small vehicles that involves hours of off road driving. Patrick has been very responsive and informative and there is no deposit required. Really looking forward to this!

 

That Martillo Island tour is not available the day we will be there, but I am going to keep looking for similar tours.

 

Gypsy Cove looks like a good option for people who don't want to spend their whole day with penguins, but we definitely want the up close and personal penguin meet and greet!

 

It looks like there are a couple of penguin watching tours from Puerto Madryn. I will continue to look into this.

 

I hate the idea of manufactured walking sticks, but they might be a necessity here. I'll look on Amazon

 

Unfortunately the Solo Expediciones torres start too early for us. They look great!

[rkacruiser]

On 9/7/2022 at 2:26 AM, whattodo said:

Is this at Volunteer Point? I have been wondering about ground condition and smell at penguin colony. I couldn't find info until I saw your post. What is the muck? Could that be poop

 

No.  The shore excursion was called the Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery.  The tour was shorter than HAL's tour to Volunteer Point, yet, allowed me to see some King Penguins as well as Gentoo Penguins.  Many, many chicks with many birds sitting on their nest.  The muck consisted of very soft and wet soil (the best description would be mud covered with grass).  Was poop part of it?  Based on what I was told after I had fallen into it, yes, it did.  Did I smell poop before I briefly became part of the landscape?  No.  My stability in such footing and the need to traverse some difficult terrain for a person of my stability alone was the issue.  Had I had a companion to help me, my accident would not have happened.  

 

The highlight of the tour was when one penguin chose to move from the main flock to another smaller flock behind me.  The bird ignored me and walked by me by not much more than 12 feet.  

[SClakeliving]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:48 PM, anonmom said:

We have booked the Patrick Watts tour to Volunteer Point from Stanley. The cost is $190 per adult and $165 for my 11 year old, which seems reasonable for a tour in small vehicles that involves hours of off road driving. Patrick has been very responsive and informative and there is no deposit required. Really looking forward to this!

 

That Martillo Island tour is not available the day we will be there, but I am going to keep looking for similar tours.

 

Gypsy Cove looks like a good option for people who don't want to spend their whole day with penguins, but we definitely want the up close and personal penguin meet and greet!

 

It looks like there are a couple of penguin watching tours from Puerto Madryn. I will continue to look into this.

 

I hate the idea of manufactured walking sticks, but they might be a necessity here. I'll look on Amazon

 

Unfortunately the Solo Expediciones torres start too early for us. They look great!

The Solo Expediciones Tour actually starts at 10:00 am from their office which is about a 5 minute walk from the pier. Their website says 6:30 am but I emailed them to inquire as our cruise ship doesnt get there until 8:00am. They assured me the tour start was 10:00 am. So if you're interested, email them and inquire.

 

[kathynorth]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:48 PM, anonmom said:

It looks like there are a couple of penguin watching tours from Puerto Madryn. I will continue to look into this.

Punta Tombo is a huge penguin colony about a 2hr drive from Puerto Madryn. It was a wonderful experience with lots of tour options. Try to get on a tour that will leave soon after the ship docks so you get there before the ship tours. 

 

On 9/7/2022 at 12:48 PM, anonmom said:

 

Unfortunately the Solo Expediciones torres start too early for us. They look great!

 

We took this tour in Dec 2018. Their website showed the early start, so I emailed them based on advice I read on these boards. They said they decided to add a boat for the cruise travelers and we were able to reserve spots on the later tour. The boat ride there and back was eh, but the penguins on the island were great. It was lots of fun walking the trail to and from the lighthouse with penguins everywhere.