Walking with Penguins on Isla Martillo, Ushuaia
Overview
If you are visiting Ushuaia, the town at ‘the end of the world‘, in Argentina, then you might have heard about walking with penguins in their habitat on Martillo Island, or Isla Martillo. This is the only penguin colony in Tierra del Fuego, and here reside 10,000 penguins consisting of two species. Most of which are Magellanic penguins, and 70 pairs of Gentoo (or Papua) penguins from October until March each year.
Ushuaia being the most southern city in the world is where cruise ships leave for Antarctica. Naturally it makes you wonder how close you are to some of the world’s most unique animal species. The answer is; pretty darn close. Here you have the opportunity to see sea lions, penguins, beavers (which are invasive to the region), and a variety of rare birds such as parakeets and woodpeckers. It’s great if you want a taste of Antarctica without paying the insane price tag.
Today, I will go into detail on how you can go walking with penguins on Isla Martillo while visiting Ushuaia and if it’s worth it. I took the tour myself this week. There is a lot of information I could not find in advance, so I hope this helps someone. The good news is there’s only one way you can do this specific tour, which keeps things simple. The not-so-good news is that it is pricey.
Price
As of January 2025, the tour is 260 USD, or 260,000 Argentinian pesos for adults, and 156 USD for children from 4 to 11. You also pay the additional price (35 USD or 35,000 ARS) for Harberton Ranch. This ranch is where the boat launches from to get to Martillo Island. Here there is a restaurant that half the group waits in when the ranch is open (every day bar Tuesdays).
For reference, if you are considering forgoing the penguin walking and instead are debating doing only the boat tour around Martillo Island (without disembarking), that would cost 140 USD.
How to book
I recommend booking directly with Piratour here (the website is in Spanish, but feel free to contact them in English—it’s extremely common in Latin America to also book via WhatsApp).
I booked via the gift box company Tinggly here because I had a voucher. Viator is another platform you can book through, but the provider will always be Piratour.
Know before you go
- Only one tour company actually walks with the penguins on Martillo Island. This is Piratour. You can book through tour booking companies like Viator, but ultimately the tour provider is Piratour.
- The penguin tour is available from October until March. This is because the Magellanic penguins migrate further north to Punta Tombo to change their feathers. The Gentoo penguins stay on Isla Martillo year-round.
- Book in advance! This tour books out very quickly, especially in peak season (December – February).
- The tour takes about 7 hours in total, including transit to and from the island via bus and then boat. There are two tour times: 9 am or 2:30 pm.
- There is a ‘hidden’ fee of 35 USD or 35,000 Argentine pesos charged for Harberton Ranch, or Estancia Harberton. This is a local farm in the area where the tour takes off to the island, on days when the ranch is open. The only day the ranch closed is on Tuesdays.
- Bring lunch as food is not included, and it’s a long day.
- Check in at the Piratour office 30 minutes before your scheduled tour start time. You will pay the Harberton Ranch fee, if applicable—you can pay in cash or by card.
- The island is a 1 hour 45 minute bus ride outside of Ushuaia, included in the tour package.
- Tours will not be cancelled due to poor weather conditions. Bring warm, waterproof clothing—Ushuaia is notoriously wet and cold.
- December is the best month for seeing baby penguin chicks on Isla Martillo!
- Tours take place in both English and Spanish simultaneously, with the guide starting in Spanish and then translating to English.
- You will not have phone reception out on the tour, or at Harberton Ranch.
Top Tip
I recommend pooling money for the Isla Martillo experience in the months prior to your trip to Ushuaia. For your birthday and/or Christmas presents, it’s totally worth asking family for a Viator or Tinggly voucher. I had a voucher from my work for 150 USD, so I had to cover only the 110 USD difference. I probably would not have gone on the tour without that help.
How to get to Isla Martillo
Once booked in, the meeting point for the tour is at the Piratour office at the port of the Beagle Channel in Ushuaia. You must check in 30 minutes before your tour’s scheduled start time (either 9:30 am or 2:30 pm). The bus takes 1 hour 45 minutes to Harberton Ranch. From there it’s a further 15 minutes in a small speedboat to Martillo Island.
I would advise against waiting until you arrive in Ushuaia to try to get a spot in the tour (although it is possible, just risky).
History of the Region
On the 1 hour 45 minute bus ride out to Martillo Island, the tour guides provided us with a tour of the area we were passing through and of the island and the ten thousand penguins who now inhabit it. I was very glad for the tour, as the long bus journey took me off guard.
We drove out of Ushuaia city, north-eastward, passing Rio Olivia (Olivia River), where we were told that on weekends is where the local Argentinians go to camp with their families and friends to pass the time. I made a mental note that if I had rented a car, I would love to spend a day here. It was gorgeous. We continued along Route 3 until turning off onto Route J and heading south once more until arriving at Harberton Ranch.
Thomas Bridges was the first white man to come from England as a missionary in the 1860s to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. He lived with the indigenous people, learning the local Yamana language of the Yaghan canoe people. In turn he taught them his own language, religion, and how to manage cattle. He stayed with his family in Harberton Ranch, which is the first stop on the tour. His descendants run the ranch and restaurant today. You can visit this separately from the penguin tour if you wish.
Before the tour
There are two tour start times: 9:30 am or 2:30 pm. Check-in is 30 minutes before this scheduled time at the Piratour office in Ushuaia town.
You arrive at the office to check in and pay the Harberton Ranch fee of 35.000 ARS, or 35 USD, in card or cash if the ranch is open (all days bar Tuesdays). You are given a yellow or blue lanyard which dictates which group you are in for the the tour. If you are going as a group, make sure you get the same colour, as the groups split later on.
You hop on the bus and begin your 1 hour and 45 minute journey to Harberton Ranch, where the small Zodiac boat launches from. The bus ride is long, but there is a tour for the first half of the journey, which was actually very enjoyable. If you plan on sleeping, you may not have much luck until the second half of the bus. The bus goes through fabulous scenery, rivers, and mountains.
After the bus parks by Harberton Ranch, one group goes on the boat for 15 minutes to the island to walk with the penguins. The other heads to the restaurant for an hour and a half to wait. You can grab lunch, empanadas, soup, wine, and beer here if you’d like. You cannot eat your own food (I was sternly told by the staff).
Isla Martillo Experience
My group was the first to go to the island, so we quickly ran to use the bathrooms (closed if the ranch is closed!) after the long bus ride and hopped on board the boat. The guides give you the option of standing out from under the shelter with the boat captain for the full effect—do it! It’s a gorgeous short ride.
I had imagined it would be like a scavenger hunt to try and find penguins on the island. As if we would all race and see who could find the first one! I was wrong. Immediately the island is full of penguins. From the second the boat approaches the island, there they are to greet you, as though waiting all day for you to arrive.
You are told by the guides to stay 3 meters away from the penguins, but that doesn’t mean that they will stay away from you. You walk around the island on a set path, visiting a few unique habitats. As the tour continues, there will be more and more penguins on the path, and at one point you literally step over penguin burrows that they have dug under the paths!
There are 10,000 Magellanic penguins on the island, and 70 Gentoo penguin couples. To tell them apart: Gentoos are larger, have a bright orange beak as opposed to the Magellanic black beak, and are the ones who stand in a rock nest. The Magellanic penguins dig burrows to nest their young. It is fascinating to witness them building and protecting their nests with their chicks inside. Magellanic penguins appeared in the 70s on the island, and the Gentoos appeared in the 90s.
After the tour
After the tour, we were told to hang out for an hour in the cafeteria. As I was part of the second group, the staff informed me that the kitchen was now closed (at around 6 pm), but there were scones, empanadas, wine, beer, coffee, and hot chocolate still available.
Quite randomly, once both groups returned to the land and the tour seemed over, instead we walked a few short minutes to visit a marine museum called Museo Acatushún. Here, the museum volunteers gave us a 20-minute tour (offered in both English and Spanish). This is included in the price of the tour, but they do ask for tips afterwards.
Is it worth it?
Honestly, yes!
Everyone’s budget and situation are different. I was able to save a lot of money on this Ushuaia trip by housesitting (meaning I had two weeks of free accommodation!) and by implementing other money-saving hacks, which you can read about here (link coming soon).
The upper limit on what I normally like to pay for a single-day activity or tour is 150 USD. I had a 150 USD voucher from my work via Tinggly, which brought the price to within my range. I likely would not have gone if I had to pay the full 260 USD, but that’s just me.
In the end it’s up to you, but if within your budget, I do believe it was worth it. I laughed and smiled for the whole day; the guides were superb, and I met wonderful people on the tour. And as for how close you get to the penguins, I was literally nearly tripping over them! You are advised not to approach them, but they can approach you. Under one of the walkways on the island, there were several penguins in their burrows right underfoot.
If you go, let me know in the comments below what you thought!
Useful links & Map pins
📌Tinggly gift box voucher (if your birthday falls before your trip, ask for an experience voucher!)
📌Piratour penguin tour website, email address, and WhatsApp
📌Piratour office map pin (address: Piratour, Av. Prefectura Naval Argentina 410, V9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)
📌Piratour Viator Tour link
📌Isla Martillo (Martillo Island) map pin
📌Harberton Ranch map pin (where the boat leaves from)
📌Restaurant map pin
📌Museum (Museo Acatushún) map pin
Spanish Vocabulary
Los pingüinos – the penguins
El restaurante – the restaurant
El barco – the boat
La estancia – the ranch
La pingüinera – the penguin colony
El martillo – the hammer (meaning the island is called ‘Hammer Island)
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