Introduction
If you are traveling all the way to the “End of the World,” there is one experience that is likely at the top of your bucket list: seeing the penguins. But here is something we learned quickly—most people only ever see them from the window of a boat. If you really want to feel the magic of Patagonia, you need to actually step onto the island and walk with Penguins.
Ushuaia is home to a unique colony on Martillo Island (also known as Hammer Island), which is a remote and protected habitat. To set foot on the island, you have to pass through Estancia Harberton, the only gateway to this wildlife experience. When we visited, the only way to do this was by joining a guided day tour with Pira Tour.
We spent a lot of time researching this because, let’s be honest, the options in Ushuaia can be confusing. Do you just take a standard Beagle Channel cruise, or is it worth the extra money for the walking tour? After standing just a few feet away from hundreds of Magellanic penguins, we can tell you: it is a total game-changer.
Why Visit
Why is a walk with Penguins so special? Well, for starters, it isn’t a zoo. It’s a real and wild piece of Patagonia where penguins rule the land.
- Up-Close Encounters: Unlike the boat tours that keep you at a distance, the walk with Penguins experience lets you walk on the same paths as the penguins.
- The Rare Species: Most colonies in Argentina are just Magellanic penguins, but here you’ll also find a permanent colony of Gentoo penguins (the ones with the orange beaks). If you are lucky, you might even spot a stray King Penguin!
- A Complete Adventure: It’s not just about the birds. To get there, you’ll see the famous “Flag Trees” bent by the wind and navigate the historic Beagle Channel. It feels like a true expedition.
While you can still take a boat tour to observe them from the water—which offers stunning views of the coast—it just doesn’t compare to the feeling of a penguin waddling right past your feet.
How to Get There
The walk with Penguins takes place on Martillo Island, which is tucked away in the Beagle Channel, about 90 kilometers from downtown Ushuaia. Since it’s a protected area, you can’t just rent a car and drive there yourself. You’ll need to join an organized tour.
Most walk with Penguins tours follow a similar route: you’ll take a bus from Ushuaia toward Estancia Harberton. The drive itself is beautiful, taking you through the rugged Patagonian landscape. Along the way, you’ll likely stop to see the famous Flag Trees—trees that have been permanently bent sideways by the fierce Antarctic winds. Once you reach the Estancia, you’ll hop on a small boat for a quick 15-minute ride to the island.
When to Visit
The best time to visit Martillo Island for a walk with Penguins depends entirely on the penguins’ breeding and migration patterns. If you want to see the colony at its peak, you should aim for the summer months between December and early March. This is when the island is most active, the fuzzy chicks have hatched, and you can see them being fed by their parents.
In Spring (September to November), the penguins begin to arrive and claim their nesting spots. The air is still quite fresh, with temperatures usually hovering between 2°C and 11°C (35°F to 52°F). It’s a great time to witness the energy of the colony as they prepare for the season. But be aware that tours start running from October 1st.
During Summer (December to February), you’ll experience the warmest weather Ushuaia has to offer, ranging from 6°C up to 15°C (43°F to 59°F). With nearly 17 hours of daylight, it is easily the best time to be on the island, though it is also the busiest, so booking ahead is a must.
As Autumn (March to May) arrives, the landscape turns into beautiful shades of red and orange. Temperatures start to drop back down to between 2°C and 10°C (35°F to 50°F). While many penguins begin their migration north in late March, you’ll still see the chicks growing and molting their baby feathers. You will only be able to do the tour until March, 31st.
In Winter (June to August), most of the Magellanic penguins have moved on to warmer waters. The temperatures range from -2°C to 4°C (28°F to 39°F), and while a small population of Gentoo penguins stays year-round, the massive bustling colonies are gone until the following spring.
For the most “active” walk with Penguins experience with the best weather, we recommend planning your visit for January or February when the chicks are most playful! Take into consideration that the tour runs from October 1 to March 31. And remember that Patagonia is famous for having “four seasons in one day,” so always bring layers and a windbreaker regardless of what the thermometer says.
Psst, you can join Tina’s Yoga Studio and get access to hundreds of Yoga, Meditation, and Well-being videos.
How We Visited: Our Experience
Getting Started: The Early Bird Gets the Penguin
Our walk with Penguins day started early—6:00 AM early! Since the walk with Penguins tour departed at 7:35 AM, we grabbed a quick breakfast and walked five minutes to the Pira Tour Ushuaia office at the port. After checking in and getting our color-coded badges (we were “Team Yellow”), we hopped on a comfortable, air-conditioned bus.
Tip: The bus has a restroom, but it’s generally kept for emergencies. Don’t worry, though—the guides are great about offering a “natural WC” break if the 1.5-hour drive feels a bit long!
As we drove towards the walk with Penguins, our guides shared some fascinating facts that made us realize just how wild this part of the world is. For instance, did you know the road you’re on is the same highway that connects all the way up to Alaska? Or the sad history of the beavers? They were brought here in the 40s for fur trading, but because the weather wasn’t as cold as Canada, their fur stayed short and useless. They were released into the wild and have been a bit of a local headache for the forests ever since.
The Iconic Flag Trees
About an hour into the drive, we made a 15-minute stop at the Flag Trees. You’ve probably seen photos of these, but seeing them in person is different.
The wind here is so relentless that the trees literally grow sideways. They look like they’ve been sculpted by a giant hand, and they make for the perfect “I’m in Patagonia” photo.
The Main Event: Martillo Island
We reached Harberton Station around 9:15 AM. Because our group was scheduled to visit the island and do the walk with Penguins first, we headed straight to the pier. A quick 10-minute boat ride later, we were stepping onto the pebble beach of Martillo Island.
The second you step off that boat, you are surrounded. There are penguins everywhere, and you really understand the meaning behind a walk with Penguins. We spent about an hour walking a specific path through the colony.
The majority are Magellanic penguins, and while the island is also home to a permanent colony of Gentoo penguins, they were nowhere to be found when we visited. That’s the thing about wildlife—it’s never a guarantee! Even so, watching the Magellanic penguins waddle around and ‘talk’ to each other was easily one of the most hilarious and adorable things we’ve ever seen
A quick note on the rules during the walk with Penguins: This is a protected habitat, not a zoo. You have to stay with your guide and keep at least four steps away from the birds. If a penguin decides to walk toward you (which they often do!), you have to step back and give them the right of way. It’s their island, after all!
The Museum & The Journey Back
After the walk with Penguins, we headed back to the mainland for a 30-minute break at a charming little teahouse run by local students. It was the perfect spot to warm up our hands before visiting the Acatushún Museum.
A student guide walked us through the skeletons of dolphins, whales, and birds found in the Beagle Channel, which gave us a whole new appreciation for the marine life we were about to see.
Around noon, we boarded a modern boat for the return trip to Ushuaia via the Beagle Channel. This wasn’t just a commute; it was a full-on cruise. Unfortunately, it also signaled the end of the walk with Penguins.
We even got a surprise—free pizza served at our tables! As we sailed, we saw dolphins jumping in our wake and passed the famous Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse (the red-and-white one often called the Lighthouse at the End of the World).
By 2:40 PM, we were back at the port, tired but completely buzzing from the walk with Penguins experience.
Booking Your walk with Penguins Tour
When we visited, Pira Tour Ushuaia was the only company authorized to let people walk on the island. Because they have a strict limit on how many people can visit each day to protect the penguins, these tickets sell out fast—especially in the high season (December to February).
We found that the best way to secure a spot for the walk with Penguins tour was to head to their office at the Ushuaia port a day or two in advance. They offered two main options:
- Walk with Penguins (Bus Round Trip): You take the bus to the island and back.
- Walk with Penguins & Beagle Channel (Bus + Boat): You take the bus to the island but return to Ushuaia by boat through the Beagle Channel.
We chose the second option so we could see the lighthouse and sea lions on the way back. At the time, it cost us about 8,500 pesos per person plus a small entrance fee to the Estancia (roughly 130 euros total). Today, even though the price in pesos is 195 000, it doesn’t change the price in euros, which remains similar.
Today, you can often book these walk with Penguins tours online in advance, but they come at a higher price.
Is it Worth It?
This is the big question. If you’ve read our walk with Penguins experience above, you know that wildlife is unpredictable. On our trip, while we saw hundreds of Magellanic penguins, we actually didn’t spot any Gentoo penguins that day.
Does that make it a “fail”? Absolutely not.
Even without the Gentoos, standing on a remote island at the edge of the world, surrounded by Magellanic penguins, is something we will never forget. You get to see them in their natural burrows, hear them “talking” to each other, and watch them waddle down to the water.
Our Verdict: Yes, the walk with Penguins is worth it. Even if you don’t see every single species on your list, the combination of the walk, the history at Harberton Station, and the cruise back through the Beagle Channel makes it a full, incredible day of adventure. Just go in with an open mind—it’s nature, not a movie!
In case you are wondering if the extra cost for the walk with Penguins tour is worth it compared to a standard boat cruise, our answer is a loud “Yes!” There is something incredibly humbling about standing on a quiet island at the edge of the world, just watching these little creatures go about their day. Just remember to pack your layers, keep your distance from the nests, and enjoy every second of it!
What to Bring & Pro-Tips
Ushuaia’s weather is famous for being unpredictable. Even if it looks sunny when you leave your hotel, things can change in a heartbeat. Here is what you should have in your day pack during the walk with Penguins tour:
- Layers are life: Wear a base layer, a fleece, and a solid windbreaker/rain jacket. The wind on the Beagle Channel is no joke!
- Good Shoes: You’ll be walking on pebbles and uneven terrain on the island, so wear sturdy sneakers or hiking boots.
- Camera Gear: Bring a zoom lens if you have one, but honestly, because you are so close, a smartphone takes amazing photos too.
- Sunscreen: The sun is surprisingly strong at this latitude, even when it’s cold.
- Book Early: We can’t stress this enough. If you have your heart set on the walking tour, try to book it as soon as you arrive in Ushuaia (or online before you get there).
Where to Stay Nearby
If you want to stay close to the port so you can walk to your tour departure, here are our top recommendations in Ushuaia:
Hosteria y Restaurante America: A cozy and reliable choice that makes getting to the morning tours very easy. Check prices here.
Alto Andino Hotel: This one has fantastic views over the city and the channel—perfect for watching the ships come in. Check prices here.
Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa: If you want to treat yourself, this is the place. It’s a bit further out, but the infinity pools and the view of the “End of the World” are unbeatable. Check prices here.
About the authors
We are Alex and Tina, a French-Serbian couple who met in China back in 2014. We spent three incredible years there before making France our home. Our shared passion for travel has been the heartbeat of our relationship for over 12 years, taking us across 44 countries and counting.
We launched TheDailyPackers in 2019 as a way to document our adventures. In 2026, we reached a major milestone by officially turning our blog into our full-time job. While we are still growing toward financial independence through this platform, every article we write is fueled by our mission to make your voyages easier through in-depth guides, honest advice, and the lessons we’ve learned from our own mistakes.
Our journey has not been without its storms. In 2023, our world changed forever when our first son, Poppy, was stillborn on November 25th. It was, and remains, the hardest chapter of our lives. In 2025, we were blessed with our second little boy, Milo. He has since joined our traveling tribe, and you’ll be seeing him—and the reality of traveling with a little one-on the blog more and more.
We hope to inspire you to explore the world with curiosity and resilience. Thank you for being part of our story.
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