Penguin lovers have a cheaper alternative to Antarctic cruises when visiting Ushuaia: almost every day from October to April, boat trips to Martillo Island bring visitors to a colony of everyone’s favourite flightless birds just outside town.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about these trips, including how to arrange one, what the experience is like and what species of penguins (and other animals) can be seen.

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What types of penguins can be seen near Ushuaia

Magellanic penguin

This type of penguin has two black bands across its chest and pink calluses around its eyes that help it to regulate its body temperature. It visits Ushuaia during the Austral summer from September to April, when it mates and lays eggs in a small burrow. Outside this period it migrates north to either Brazil or Peru, a swim that can be up to 4,000 miles. Not that it’s too difficult an undertaking for them: like all other penguin species they are masterful swimmers, almost flying through the water.

Gentoo penguin

It’s not clear how this bird’s name came about, although one theory is that it came from the Portuguese word for nice (“gentil”). Another is that it relates to an old English term for Indians (gentoos) and the white stripe above its eye resembled a turban in the eyes of early explorers. Martillo Island is one of only two colonies in South America, and it’s thought that this population originated in the Falkland Islands. Gentoo penguins can often be seen porpoising, or leaping out of the water, as they approach the island. They nest on open ground, and people who walk on the island can often see their chicks. Fun fact about this species: it mates for life, and males that cheat on their partners are often violently exiled from their colonies.

King penguin

The second-largest penguin only started appearing at Isla Martillo two years ago. In that time, a pair has bred – once successfully, although the chick unfortunately died a few weeks later. It is thought that they came over from a more established colony in Chile’s half of Tierra del Fuego, a population that itself was only established in 2010. In any case, spotting this species here is not altogether uncommon, if the numerous travel blogs saying they saw a single king penguin are anything to go by. If you want to check if this species is likely to be about, use eBird’s Isla Martillo page to find out when it was last seen. Fun fact about this species: an individual at Edinburgh Zoo called Sir Nils Olav holds the rank of Brigadier in the Norweigan Kings’ Guard, and as the name suggests, he has received a knighthood.

How to buy tickets

Near Ushuaia’s port area is a cluster of small wooden huts, all of which are tour offices. You should be able to get a rough idea of what they offer judging by the signs displayed on their walls, but it’s good to ask. Some will have you on a large catamaran with an indoor section, others will put you on a RIB and have you exposed to the elements.

Alternatively, you can Google Map this area (it’s near the End of the World Sign) and reserve in advance with one of the agencies. Whatever you do though, aim to pay in cash, since this will enable you to pay at blue dollar rates.

Recommended reading: How Argentina’s Blue Dollar works

The first office I tried wasn’t offering tours to Isla Martillo until November but pointed me in the direction of an office that was. Some people I met theorised that all the agencies share boats, and in any case, it doesn’t seem like the competition between them is too intense. In any case, make sure the trip will take you to Isla Martillo – otherwise you may end up just visiting the islands immediately south of Ushuaia, none of which have any penguins. You can reserve a spot in advance by simply telling them your name and then pay up to an hour before the tour begins. When I went there were afternoon departures at 14.30, so you can (in theory) book them for the same day, as long as they’re not full and the weather is good enough.

Once you’ve paid, you’ll join a queue to get into the port area. You’ll have to show your tickets twice: once at the port entrance, and again when boarding the boat.

First stops: Isla de los Pajaros, Isla de los Lobos and the Lighthouse at the End of the World

The boat will spend its first bit of time at sea putting distance between itself and Ushuaia, revealing just how much this city is surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Twenty minutes later it will arrive at a pair of islands whose names translate to Bird Island and Sea Lion Island – no prizes for guessing where they got their names from, especially when you arrive! Isla de los Pajaros is covered by black and white imperial cormorants, birds that look like penguins but have longer necks and can fly. Meanwhile, sea lions crowd the rocks of Isla de los Lobos.

Other birds that can be seen here are snowy sheathbills and skuas, both of which eat cormorant eggs. Sometimes the sheathbills will fly over to the boat and land on it, perhaps as a result of being fed by visitors in the past. There’s also the possibility of seeing fur seals, sea lion lookalikes that are nonetheless a different species (look at the nose shape to be able to distinguish them). Elephant seals are even rarer, and yet there was one lying among the cormorants on the day I visited.

Both times, expect the lower and upper decks to be crowded with people looking to take photos. Since space is at a premium, do your fellow passengers a favour and move to the back once you’ve snapped yours.

After these two islands, you’ll visit another site that’s a huge hit with the crowds: the world’s southernmost lighthouse. Nowadays, it is powered by solar panels and remote-controlled, and continues to keep ships safe as they traverse the sometimes-treacherous Beagle Channel. 

Cruising down the Beagle Channel

As these islands are grouped fairly close together and lie just south of Ushuaia, you’ll spend roughly an hour cruising through the channel thereafter. 

You’ll be able to head outside at any point, and you’ll likely have the deck to yourself since most people will be staying inside at this point. It’s likely that you’ll see some albatrosses soaring about, their wingtips almost slicing the waves, and some will come quite close to the boat. You might even get lucky and spot whales or dolphins, but these aren’t very frequent. Indoors, there’s a small cafe with empanadas, coffee and beers on offer.

On the way to the island you’ll likely pick up phone signal from Chile, so turn off data roaming if you don’t want to get whacked with excessive charges.

Reaching Isla Martillo’s penguin colony

Don’t worry if you can’t see penguins immediately when you approach Isla Martillo – the island is quite sizeable, and the penguins confine themselves to a small corner. The boat will approach the island, stopping just short of the shore where the penguins congregate. As it will stick around for a good half hour, chances are you’ll also see some penguins launching themselves out of the water and landing on the beach – not always in the most graceful manner. 

Gentoo and magellanic penguins will be hanging about on the beach, and if you go to the upper level of the boat you’ll be able to see a small colony atop the hill. It’s here that the gentoos have their chicks, although chances are they’ll be just out of sight. 

If the king penguins aren’t on the beach, look for them here. You may also need binoculars if they’re a fair distance away – plus, you’ll want to see their beautiful orange heads and chests in detail as opposed to a speck on the horizon.

Walking with the penguins on Isla Martillo

As the name of this experience suggests, there is an option to alight from the boat and wander around the island – in a guided group, mind you. Doing so will allow you to get better shots, even if you don’t have a telephoto lens, since the penguins have little fear of humans. As with any wild animal that lacks fear of humans, don’t try to stroke them. Otherwise, you’ll find out just how sharp the pointy end of a penguin’s bill can be.

While many travel bloggers to Ushuaia rave about this experience, I personally didn’t do it for a few reasons: the weather wasn’t exactly tip-top, so it was good to have the option to get inside if things turned sour; I had already seen penguins up close in Peninsula Valdes; I was able to see the penguins swimming beneath the boat this way; and, it would have cost double the price of a boat-only tour.

If you want to do it yourself, Piratour is the only operator that is licensed to lead these tours. You’ll find their hut amongst the rest near Ushuaia’s docks.

A quick guide to Ushuaia

Ushuaia is a city that has made a name for itself in various ways: it’s the gateway to Antarctica and Patagonia, two veritable Shangri La’s for outdoor lovers. It’s a place to rest and recuperate from one’s outdoor adventures, as well as offering plenty less than an hour away. As the Fin del Mundo (End of the World) it’s home to the world’s “southernmost” many-a-thing, including microbreweries. Ushuaia is also quite possibly the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited, with snowcapped, pointy mountains towering above. Literally – unlike other cities where their nearby mountains are on the horizon, these ones come right up to the city’s edge. My hostel may have been in the town centre, but the view made me feel like I was in a Swiss mountain chalet (its name is Yaghan Hostel, if you’re interested in staying).

In total, the city takes about forty minutes to walk across from west to east, but the parts you’ll likely need to visit are much closer together. The seafront makes for a pleasant place to walk and is also where you’ll be boarding boat trips or cruises. The heart of the action however is along Avenida San Martin, a couple of blocks inland. With many of the city’s shops, restaurants and pubs located here, as well as most of the hotels and hostels a block or two away, Ushuaia really is a compact place.

The Fin del Mundo may be distant from other cities, but it’s a far cry from being basic. This modern city has everything you could possibly need, from accommodation at every price level to modern hospitals. You’ll also find vegan restaurants, nightclubs, artisan coffee shops and pubs serving locally-brewed stout and IPAs. At the last one, Patagonia excels thanks to a supply of excellent-quality water with which to make beer. 

Additionally, and perhaps rather unexpectedly for an isolated tourist city, Ushuaia is only slightly more expensive than the rest of Argentina. Contrary to travellers’ warnings that Patagonia is expensive, this is a place where one can get dinner for £7 or a dorm bed for £15 without too much shopping around. In short, not much more than what one would pay in Buenos Aires.

Getting Blue Dollar rates in Ushuaia with Cambios and Western Union

For a quick explanation of what this is: Argentinian currency controls have created a parallel exchange rate, since the demand for foreign currency has vastly outstripped (official) supply. This means that if you can send yourself money via Western Union or get cash changed at a Cambio, you’ll get double the official exchange rate and end up paying half the price for your travel expenses. 

Ushuaia has a Western Union office in its centre, though like any Western Union in Argentina it should not be 100% relied upon. Some travellers I’d befriended told me it was reliable enough the first day I met them. Then, on the second, they told me they’d wasted an entire morning since the office had run out of cash and they’d had to wait in a two-hour line to find out. 

There are also Cambios in town, so if you’re coming in from Chile you should withdraw some Chilean pesos in cash and get these converted to euros or US dollars. And mind the condition of the bills – oftentimes, Argentinian Cambios will be picky and only accept them if they’re crisp and new. 

As for if you’re coming in from Buenos Aires, this is one of the few places in Argentina where WU is reliable. I never had any problems taking out large amounts at the Plaza de Mayo office and they were quite efficient, so aim to take out enough cash here to cover your stay in Patagonia.

How much do these boat trips cost?

Argentina’s inflation makes it practically pointless to quote prices in pesos, so I’m going to stick with pounds and USD. Also bear in mind that these assume you’re using blue dollar rates: expect it to be double if paying at official rates.

Boat trip: £37/ $40

Beer and chips combo: £2.95/ $3.30