Beagle Channel Navigation Penguin Colony: An unparalleled experience of sailing eastward

Embark on an unparalleled sailing experience on the Beagle Channel, exploring the stunning scenery and encountering a colony of Magellanic and Papua penguins on Martillo Island.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Isla Martillo - We set sail from the local tourist pier along the wide Ushuaia Bay until we reach the Beagle Channel through Paso Chico.
    There we sail around Isla de los Pájaros (Birds Island) where we will appreciate the Fuegian avifauna observing Skuas, Black-browed Albatrosses, Steamer Ducks, Geese, Kelp Gulls and Grey Gulls; and Isla de los…
What's Included
  • Catamaran Sailing
  • Port taxes
Additional Information

Unparalleled experience of sailing the Beagle Channel eastward enjoying the wonderful scenery of the channel and the mountains that surround it, there we will see Puerto Almanza on the Argentine coast and on the Chilean coast the Puerto Williams Naval Base, and arrive at Martillo Island where we will have the opportunity to see a colony of Magellanic Penguins and some specimens of Papua penguins.

Location
Rumbo Sur
Avenida Prefectura Naval Argentina
Los pasajeros deberan presentarse en la Boleteria de RUMBO SUR 30 minutos antes del zarpe.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(27 Ratings)
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Ashok_k
Dec 24, 2025
The best of Ushuaia - If one has to take only one tour,he must take this one.Punctuality and cafeteria on the cruise impressed.
Review provided by Viator
Blair_c
Nov 14, 2025
Any visit to Ushuaia must... - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Lucy_s
Feb 10, 2025
Close enough to get great photos - 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
Review provided by Viator
Krishnacjha
Jan 3, 2025
Unique Experience - Watching penguins was the most exciting experience for my family. We often talk about that experience. Bonus feature was watching whale. Sailing through Beagle Channel was awesome. View points from the boat can be improved considering the number of people on board.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Raul_c
Mar 30, 2026
The perfect excursion,... - 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
Review provided by Viator
Hannah_s
Mar 7, 2026
Beautiful views across... - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Jf_s
Feb 18, 2026
As expected - Good organization, boat a little tight for the number of passengers. Little outdoor space. Very good guide.
Review provided by Viator
Eli_v
Dec 31, 2025
Great animals views . Everything else is sub-par - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Marko_m
Dec 28, 2025
Would not go with this company - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Marcia
Jan 31, 2025
Tour was incomplete. I'm trying to talk to the trip for the difference, but it's impossible. I can't contact - For bad weather we did not go to see the penguins. to request refund of the difference from the ride I can not with the trip advisor
Review provided by Tripadvisor