Guide · King penguins

King penguin tour from Ushuaia: where the kings really are

The penguins on the Beagle Channel are Magellanic and Gentoo. To see a king penguin colony you cross Tierra del Fuego into Chile. Here is where they live and how a king penguin tour from Ushuaia gets you there.

Check availabilityfrom $115 · cancellation is free

Editorial team, ushuaia-penguin-tour.comUpdated October 16, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes18 sources

The matching tour Punta Arenas: Full Day Tierra del Fuego & King Penguins 4.4 (266 reviews) 15 hours from$120per person Check availabilityNo fee to cancel up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01Not at Martillo: King penguins only visit Martillo Island now and then, in small groups.¹
02Where they live: At Bahía Inútil in Chile, home of the only king penguin colony in South America.² ³
03The reserve: Parque Pingüino Rey opened in 2011 and receives visitors all year.⁴
04From Ushuaia: A private day trip of 12 hours starts from $450.
05From Punta Arenas: Full-day group tours start from $120.

King penguins and Ushuaia: the short answer

If you picture king penguins on the Beagle Channel, the reality is a little different. The penguin colony near Ushuaia, on Martillo Island, is home to Magellanic penguins and a smaller group of Gentoo penguins.⁵ King penguins turn up there only occasionally, in small groups, and the island's owners and the tourism office both treat them as a lucky extra rather than residents.¹ ⁶

The king penguins that people travel for live elsewhere on the same big island. Tierra del Fuego holds the only king penguin colony in South America, and it lies on the Chilean side, at Bahía Inútil.² ³ Getting there from Ushuaia means a long day on the road and a border crossing, and the trip is sold as a dedicated king penguin tour from Ushuaia rather than as an add-on to a boat trip.

That does not make the Beagle Channel trips any less worthwhile. They are the easy, half-day way to see a busy colony up close. The king penguin trip is a full expedition across Tierra del Fuego, and worth planning as its own day if these tall, golden-necked birds are on your list.

The day trip

From Ushuaia to the king penguins and back

Morning

Pickup in Ushuaia

The private tour collects you in Ushuaia.
On the road

Tolhuin

A first stop on the drive north.
North coast

Río Grande

A break on the Atlantic side of the island.
The colony

Pingüino Rey reserve

Time with the king penguins at Bahía Inútil.³
Evening

Back to Ushuaia

The whole trip takes 12 hours.

Where the colony is: Parque Pingüino Rey

The king penguins live freely at Bahía Inútil, and visitors see them at Parque Pingüino Rey, the King Penguin Park, a little more than 100 km from the town of Porvenir.³ It is the only king penguin colony in South America.²

The park looks after the conservation and protection of the colony. It opened in 2011 and, according to the same source, receives visitors throughout the year.⁴ It also does research and education work on the wildlife of the bay.⁷

The setting is wild and open: a wide bay, grassland and a sky that changes by the minute. Even sea crossings and the opening of the park depend on the weather.⁸ Treat any timetable as a guide and keep some flexibility on the day. The map on this page shows how far the park lies from Ushuaia and from Punta Arenas.

Size compared

King penguins next to Magellanic penguins

King penguins weigh 9.3 to 17.3 kg; Magellanic penguins average 4.7 kg for males and 4.0 kg for females.⁹ ¹⁰

Ways to the kings

King penguin tours compared

Tour	Start	Duration	Price from
Private day trip	Ushuaia	12 hrs	from $450
Tierra del Fuego and king penguins	Punta Arenas	15 hrs	from $120
Small group king penguin day	Punta Arenas	15 hrs	from $140

From-prices per person on GetYourGuide; only the first tour starts in Ushuaia.

Your options

Three ways to see king penguins

Direct

From Ushuaia

Private day trip

Price: from $450
Duration: 12 hrs
Group: Private

Check dates

Most reviewed

From Punta Arenas

Full day with pickup

Price: from $120
Duration: 15 hrs
Rating: 4.44

Check dates

Full-Day King Penguin & Tierra del Fuego Tour from Punta Arenas

Smaller group

Small group

From Punta Arenas

Price: from $140
Duration: 15 hrs
Group: Up to 13

Check dates

Decision helper

Which king penguin trip suits you?

Pick the line that matches your plans

I am only staying in Ushuaia I also visit Punta Arenas I want a smaller group I just want to see penguins I am travelling in winter

Private day trip

The only listed trip that starts in Ushuaia, 12 hours with pickup.

Tour from Punta Arenas

Full days from there start from $120.

Small group day

Limited to 13 participants.

The Beagle Channel

Magellanic and Gentoo penguins at Martillo, much closer to Ushuaia.⁵

Check the weather first

Crossings and opening depend on the conditions.⁸

The Pingüino Rey Park takes care of their conservation and protection, it opened in 2011 and up to this day they get visitors during the whole year.

Chile Travel (Sernatur)Source 4

The day trip from Ushuaia

The one listing on GetYourGuide that starts in Ushuaia is a private day trip to the king penguin reserve. It starts from $450, lasts 12 hours, includes pickup and is guided in Spanish and English. You can cancel it for free up to 24 hours ahead, you can reserve now and pay later, and it has no reviews yet.

The route follows the main road north across Tierra del Fuego, with stops at Tolhuin and Río Grande on the way, before reaching the reserve and returning the same way. That is a long day in a vehicle, through forests, past lakes and out onto the open steppe, and the time with the penguins is only part of it. Bring something to read or a good playlist for the long stretches, and enjoy the change of landscape: the mountains around Ushuaia give way to rolling plains, and the light up north often feels completely different from the channel.

As a private trip, it suits a couple or a small family who want to go at their own pace. It is a big investment of a day and a budget; weigh it against the alternative of reaching the colony from the Chilean side if your itinerary also includes Punta Arenas.

Map

From the Ushuaia pier to the penguins, and to the king penguins

Where the boats start, where Martillo Island and its penguin colony lie on the Beagle Channel, and where the only king penguin colony is found, across the border in Chile.

Map of the Beagle Channel from the Ushuaia tourist pier past Les Eclaireurs lighthouse to Puerto Almanza, Martillo Island and Estancia Harberton — Beagle Channel

Map of the eastern Beagle Channel with Puerto Almanza, Martillo Island and Estancia Harberton — Martillo Island

Map of Tierra del Fuego from Ushuaia via Tolhuin and Rio Grande to Parque Pinguino Rey at Bahia Inutil, Porvenir and Punta Arenas — King penguins

1
Ushuaia tourist pier
The catamaran on this site's tour leaves from the tourist pier, where the operator's office is.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Les Eclaireurs lighthouse
The red and white lighthouse on the Beagle Channel has been in service since December 23, 1920, and is now remotely operated.¹¹ ¹²
In Google Maps ↗
3
Puerto Almanza
Some penguin tours drive guests here first and start the boat trip from this small harbour.¹³
In Google Maps ↗
4
Martillo Island
The penguin colony, about 90 km from Ushuaia, with Magellanic penguins and a smaller number of Gentoo penguins.¹⁴ ⁵
In Google Maps ↗
5
Estancia Harberton
The historic farm founded in 1886 that owns Martillo Island; the walking tour on the island starts nearby.¹⁵ ¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
6
Ushuaia
The city where the Beagle Channel boat trips and the long day trip to the king penguins start.
In Google Maps ↗
7
Tolhuin
A stop on the drive north on the day trip from Ushuaia to the king penguins.
In Google Maps ↗
8
Rio Grande
The day trip from Ushuaia passes through this town on the Atlantic coast.
In Google Maps ↗
9
Parque Pinguino Rey
The king penguin reserve at Bahía Inútil in Chile, a little over 100 km from Porvenir.³
In Google Maps ↗
10
Porvenir
The town on Chile's side of Tierra del Fuego that the ferry from Punta Arenas reaches.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
11
Punta Arenas
From here the ferry crosses the Strait of Magellan to Porvenir.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Before the long drive to the kings

Documents and timing

Check the documents you need to enter Chile
Allow extra time at the border both ways
Keep a spare day in case of weather

What to take

Windproof layers and a warm hat
Snacks and water for a long day
A camera with a good zoom

Video

EPIC TIERRA DEL FUEGO: King Pinguins in Chile [VAN LIFE]

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Going from Punta Arenas instead

The other way to the colony starts in Chile. To reach Tierra del Fuego from the Chilean mainland you cross the Strait of Magellan from Punta Arenas to Porvenir, or take the shorter crossing at Primera Angostura from Punta Delgada to Bahía Azul.¹⁷ The organised tours handle all of that for you.

A full-day tour of Tierra del Fuego with the king penguins starts from $120, lasts 15 hours, includes pickup and is rated 4.44 from 266 reviews. A second full-day tour starts from $140, also lasts 15 hours and keeps the group to 13 participants. Both are long days, but they cost much less than the private trip from Ushuaia.

If your trip through Patagonia passes through both countries, the simplest plan is often to see the Magellanic and Gentoo penguins on the Beagle Channel while you are in Ushuaia, and the king penguins from Punta Arenas. That way each day stays manageable and you see Magellanic, Gentoo and king penguins in one journey. It also spreads the long drives across different days, which makes a big difference on a trip where the distances are already large.

What makes king penguins worth the journey

King penguins are big. They are the second largest penguins in the world, after the emperor penguin.¹⁸ They stand 85 to 95 cm tall and weigh between 9.3 and 17.3 kg.⁹ Next to them, a Magellanic penguin looks small: males of that species weigh 4.7 kg on average.¹⁰

They are also striking to look at. The bright orange and yellow patches on the head and the upper chest glow against the grey Fuegian sky, and the birds stand upright and still for long periods, which makes them very rewarding to photograph from the viewing area. Chicks look completely different from the adults, wrapped in thick brown down.

Seeing them in South America is unusual: Bahía Inútil holds the only colony on the continent, a rare chance to watch them without joining an expedition ship.² Give yourself time at the viewing area, because the birds reward patience: they preen, call, shuffle and every so often a whole group turns and walks to the water's edge.

Planning the king penguin day

Start with your route through Patagonia. If you are only in Ushuaia, the private day trip is the direct option, and you should book it early and confirm the details with the operator. If you also pass through Punta Arenas, the group tours from there are the cheaper way to see the same colony.

Then think about the season. The park receives visitors all year, but in winter the days are short and the weather harsher, and sea crossings depend on conditions.⁴ ⁸ The Beagle Channel penguins, by contrast, are at Martillo between October and April; a trip in those months lets you see both colonies.⁵

Finally, pack for a long, cold day outdoors: windproof layers, a warm hat, snacks and water, and a camera with a good zoom for the viewing distance. Check which travel documents you need to enter Chile, and allow extra time at the border on the way out and back. A small amount of local cash for coffee on the road is useful too, and a fully charged phone or power bank keeps your camera going through a day that starts early and ends late.

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