This is the only excursion operating out from Punta Arenas to see King Penguins in their natural habitat. It is a very long day and those who wish to experience seeing these colourful birds will need to be up early. The colony has approximately 120 to 150 penguins, based on the fabled island called “Tierra del Fuego”, the land of fire.
- Operated between October to March
- NOT available 25 Dec and 01 Jan
- Subject to local weather conditions
- FULL REFUND IF TRIP CANNOT BE OPERATED
Note: Experience Chile only offers this activity to be built into your main itinerary, that we arrange, and not as a standalone.
Description
We offer a full-day excursion from Punta Arenas to the famous “land of fire”, the Tierra del Fuego Island, to visit a colony of King Penguins. Pick-up is at 07:00hrs from your hotel in Punta Arenas, returning later the same day around 19:30hrs. Therefore, in order to enjoy this excursion, you will need to have the previous night and the night after the excursion in Punta Arenas. We can, of course, arrange the accommodation as part of your Patagonia itinerary.
We suggest you add this pre or post the rest of your Patagonian itinerary as long as you are arriving to, or departing from, Punta Arenas. For example, maybe you are going to visit Torres del Paine, or maybe you are returning back from the park. On the other hand, maybe you are in Punta Arenas to board the Australis cruise ship, or possibly you will disembark in Punta Arenas. Either way, the King Penguins is a chance to get over to the Tierra del Fuego and see what it is like.
The name Tierra del Fuego came from the early European explorers who noticed constant fires on the land. These fires were ignited by the indigenous people for cooking, keeping warm and clearing land.
The “Tierra del Fuego” is directly opposite from Punta Arenas and the trip here will be either on the ferry that goes to Porvenir from Punta Arenas, or by road to a shorter ferry crossing and then by road again to Porvenir. From this village there is a further drive each way of around 2hrs to the colony and back. This long day means a total duration of around 15hrs, most of the time in a van or bus. Pick-up time from your hotel in Punta Arenas will be around 07:00hrs to 07:30hrs, depending on which hotel you are staying at.
About King Penguins
The largest penguin species is the Emperor Penguin and the King Penguin is the second largest. Typically, a King Penguin can be up to 100cm tall. At first glance a King Penguin looks very similar to an Emperor Penguin because they both share an almost identical colouring of orange and yellow on their necks and highlighted orange on their beaks and an orange-coloured patch behind their eyes, and for this reason, visually, they are attractive to look at. The King Penguin breeding cycle is to rear a couple of chicks every three years and once born, the chicks take between 14 to 16 months to fledge the nest.
Pick-up is at 07:30hrs from your hotel in Punta Arenas, to then board a larger bus for a road transfer to the ferry embarkation point near to Punta Arenas, or further along the coast at Punta Delgada, from where the shorter ferry crossing departs.
The weather on the day and ferry scheduling will determine which route will be taken on the day of your excursion. Either way the destination is Porvenir, a small village almost opposite Punta Arenas across the other side of the Magellan Stretch.
Upon arrival to Porvenir at around 11:15hrs, you will be able to stretch your legs and walk around, visit the local museum, and have lunch (cost of which will not be included in the cost for the excursion).
The Colony
Then after lunch, at 13:00hrs, the bus will depart to where the King Penguin colony is located – which is about 120km from Porvenir, and this trip that will take about 2hrs. However, it will be broken by a few interesting stops. The estimated arrival time to the colony is around 15:00hrs. Here you will have approximately 1.5hrs in the park to see around 120 to 150 King Penguins that permanently nest here. However, you will be restricted to a distance of 25mt from the penguins.
At 16:30hrs the departure for the return journey begins and arrival to Punta Arenas is usually around 22:30hrs to your hotel.
For this trip we suggest you bring warm clothing, including gloves and a warm hat, hiking boots and waterproof jacket. Lunch is not included, but you can buy lunch in Porvenir or bring a packed lunch of course. Obviously bring a camera or use your cell phone.
Included
- The return transfer (transport), ferry crossing, park entrance ticket and guide.
Not Included
- Any meals and tips you may wish to give.
