You'll go to Punta Tombo, a geographical accident that Magellan's penguin uses as habitat (entrance fee not included). It is located at 3 hours from Puerto Madryn, on the road you will have time to appreciate Patagonian lanscapes. At this stop, you'll have the chance to watch penguins in their own habitat as they scurry and play on the rocks. There, you'll have time to observe how the penguins coexist on the coast with other species, such as Gulls, Skúas, Giant Petrels, Cormorants, Ostreros and Pato Vapor and, given the extension of the area, typical species of the steppe like Guanacos, Choiques, Maras and Grey Foxes. You'll spend approximately an hour and a half at this stop.
Before going back to Puerto Madryn, you will make a stop at the Rawson's Port. If you chose the Toninas watching navigation, you'll embark to observe the Overas Toninas. The Overa Toninas are recognized for their similarity to the dolphins. They are no longer than a meter and a half. Puerto Rawson is one of the few places in the world where they can be observed in their natural habitat. These daring species usually escort ships, playing and showing their skills to the visitors who have the possibility to watch the spectacle. The navigation lasts approximately an hour and a half. The ones who didn't choose the navigation will have some free time to explore the port and why not enjoy a see food table (not included). You will be back to Puerto Madryn around 5 pm.
most spectacular 'close encounters' with penguins and guanacos (wild llamas) imaginable...the one mile hike along the boardwalk affords the viewers countless very close encourters with penguins and their gosslings, as well as the occasional encounter with a guanaco.
The guide was very nice. But it’s not worth taking a tour, better just find a way to get to Punta Tombo as you basically just walk in the reserve by yourself. They take you to a tea house after, note that you can just not go and go for a walk as it’s the experience is so-so. 8k for tea + a (very very big) spread of butter toast, cakes and scones.
A wonderful tour seeing so many penguins so close! And the toninas as well. Our guide was a real pro, very knowledgeable and really loving his job! Highly recommended tour that I would love to do again some dayz
A great tour to absolutely do if you’re in Puerto Madryn. Very well-organized and our tour guide was super!
It is a 2 hour trip from Puerto Madryn to punta Tombo, but the reserve is very interesting, You are able to walk along the different trails , the Penguins are so noisy calling each other to nest, but they and also friendly to take pictures (but do not touch them)It is a 20 minutes walk to the shore where the colony is bigger and you can see them swimming. One comment there is no WIFI or internet so be prepared to pay lunch in cash
Although guide & Punta Tombo was great (no issues there) the tour was not as advertised and poorly planned. First of all there was no tonina dolphin watching option (we didn’t buy online cuz reviews said it was a ripoff). Instead we went to to Welsh tea which we had no interest in (town is quite boring), which in turn only gave us 90 minutes(!) with the penguins. 90 minutes for a full day tour for the main attraction is just terrible value considering the price. We literally travelled thousands of miles and spent $1000’s to get there and only got 90 minutes in a rushed atmosphere. Again no fault of the tour guide who was great. Just the agency who designs it. We also found out others had paid less than half the amount we did. We paid over $220 basically for a 3 hour bus ride and a rushed visit to Punta Tombo. I considered 1 star but bumped up to 2 cuz guide was nice and accomodating (name was Juan).
This was an amazing tour! They were really flexible and helpful from the begining. They picked me up from Trelew airport, which was a huge help for me. It was only 2 of us in a small car and our tour operator was the best! He explained everything, was very nice and friendly and funny. We had a great day because of him. Also the tour and places we visites were amazing! The penguins were so quite and we could spend a lot of time there. The boat tour was also great, we could see some dolphins, though I think we were a bit bothering them after a while - this is separately operated by another company. Be preapred to have local cash and buy or bring your own food and drinks. Thank you for the amazing day!!!
The boat ride to see the toninas was cheaper to book during the day trip (about a third of rhe online trip advisor option price) and well worth doing as the boat ride itself was comfortable and we saw many toninas. The penguin colony is a must see as this is the largest accessible colony anywhere. Our guide was very good but was let down by not having a working microphone which made listening to her difficult on the often bumpy and noisy minivan drive.
In November we saw many toninas y penguins, it is an excellent time of the year to see and observe the wild animals. The tour is best appreciated when also choosing the option to watch dolphins. Otherwise it can be a boring 1,5 hours to wait around for the return of those who chose the dolphin tour.
I visited penguin island in 22 March 2019 .The Beagle Channel is worth experience.Getting close to nature at the bottom of the world to Martillo Island from Ushuaia, and walk with the penguins in their natural colonies was the most interesting trip. visiting penguin island was incredible. This is the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life.
We actually signed up for this tour aboard the NCL Sun on our way from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Punta Tombo Penguin Sanctuary was one of the highlights of our trip. Learned all about penguins and other bird and animal life in this area.Traveled directly from the pier to the sanctuary and back. Petrels & orcas kill penguins in water, foxes and sea gulls on land. Most young are born end of November. Now month old. Lay two eggs and parents mate for life. Can live 30 years. Some tagged and have GPS tracker. Eat anchovies. Regurgitate fish for young. Trails run about a half mile from the parking area and are well marked. Five bridges allow penguins to move under the trail system so they are able to reach the sea unimpeded. Estimated one million penguins use this sanctuary. Guanacos, related to camels, also use this area. Allows up close and personal views of penguins and young in their home environment.
<p>Punta Tombo was our favorite place in all of Argentina, so I highly recommend going there, but the tour itself was only so-so. The toninas watching was cancelled due to wind, which was very disappointing, and we received no refund for it. Instead we went to the paleontological museum in Trelew, which was fine, but no replacement for toninas, AND we paid for it out of pocket. The guide was the same we'd had for Peninsula Valdes, but he was barely trying for the English crowd this time, speaking for 10 mins in Spanish and then maybe two sentences in English. Worst of all, after Punta Tombo we were left for an hour in a town called Gaiman, a Welsh settlement where the only thing to do is pay for incredibly overpriced and according to those who got suckered, BAD tea service. So we ended up wandering a one-street town for an hour, where the most happening place in town was the gas station. Clearly the tour company is getting kickbacks for stopping here. We would have preferred just going back to Puerto Madryn an hour early.</p>
On the coast of Chubut province and at the corresponding time of year, there is nothing that compares to the experience of going to see penguins in their habitat. The penguin is the main activity they must carry out in this region. There is also a small museum and Guanacos. (Entry fee may be paid in cash only).
Once seeing penguins in the wild, that was our wish. The area is impressive and there are many penguins that can be observed from nicely landscaped paths in close proximity. However, after 2.5 hours of driving we had to share this experience with many hundreds of other tourists who are carted up in large buses and still quite diminish the nature experience. It is recommended if possible to come füh in the morning or later afternoon.
It is a place that deserves the view, it is beautiful very quiet and to see the amount of penguins there is impressive.
Knowing what the nature of the animals that live there is was a wonderful experience, highly recommended for all kinds of people.
Full of penguins, the journey from Madryn gets a little long, it is about 3 hs and the last part that is of ripio, will be about 20 km, it takes quite a while but totally worth it, beautiful landscapes!
Long journey and kind of tedious, but we think it's worth it. At least for the animal lovers. You could also see sea lions (who also booked the toniñas), guanacos and choiques (nandus) as a bonus. I would definitely recommend the trip with the Toniñas.
Cordial service, very nice walk. To be excellent, they could extend the attendance time, even because it is too long to dark in the region. But the walk is worth it.
Beautiful place. Amazing to see the penguins so close. The paths are very well marked. I recommend if you go very hot days bring water to make the hike more bearable. I definitely recommend doing this walk, it is worth it.
Beautiful walk really worth going there. I didn't imagine seeing so many penguins, so close and don't be afraid of the man. The path is very well prepared. As we went in January we were lucky enough to see the chicks and some of them already moulting their feathers. The people were very respectful, but the penguins were within reach and crossed paths, no one touched them or got too close. There is a viewpoint where you can see them going from the sea to the coast and back. We loved it.
Beautiful reserve where penguins have their nests and every year in September they return for hatching. Exciting to walk with them completely indifferent to the human presence. Of course respect for these creatures and the environment goes on everything.
Protected area and reserve of Magellanic Penguins, the largest in the world. Beautiful place, very careful and well prepared to attend to the tourist!
If you want to see a penguin box as it should be, this is the place.It combines the beauty of the place with the magic of the penguins...I could stay the whole day watching and enjoying the place.Attention that the roads, because of a stoppage of road , are not well maintained and are of ripio...hope they solve it or kill the golden egg chicken!!
It is worth the more than 300 km from Madryn...get up early...travel by way of ripio and hire a tour so that the guide tells you all the details (for that they are prepared and studied and do their job with great dedication) to enter is charged a pass as a PN They have a stop and dining room Simple but complete There are days when many people arrive and it is preferable to arrive first thing.
The walk to Punta Tombo penguin is a beautiful experience when arriving at the place, which has however some cons that I want to tell you here. But first all the positives, which almost makes you forget everything else. In the penguin they put together a path of boards that one must follow so as not to intrude on the nests of birds. Walking through this place one sees penguins in their nests, sometimes brooded, others already with their young, sometimes alone, others in pairs. And also, it is possible to see the penguins walking to and from the sea. Some precautions, however: 1. As in all of Patagonia, the wind is the main protagonist. Hats, jackets and even cell phones must be held tightly, as the wind can pluck them from your hands and once this happens, it becomes virtually impossible to retrieve belongings, because it is not allowed to leave the path or jump the wire. 2. The road to the beach is very long. The reward is that you see all kinds of penguins within a beautiful landscape, but it is important to point out that you have to walk a lot... and with wind! 3. The place from which you start walking is very precarious, to the point that in the bathrooms there is no water (very scarce in the whole area). 4. Nearby is an interesting Educational Center, cute to visit (a little naive for my taste) and where you could eat. I mean you could, because while the place is very simple and cute, the service is very poor and the Quality of food even worse. 5. In addition, the distance from Puerto Madryn is very long, so you have to get up early and walk almost two hours until you reach the place, traveling part of the way on the river. Despite all these comments, the penguin experience is worth it.
Wonderful place, a super cared space, with respect for animals. Amazing penguins, everywhere, many in the positions you seek, walking , lying down, tending to their eggs or their newborn young. Wonderful.
Very nice to walk around and see how they take care of their eggs and how they walk around the place. My 5-year-old daughter enjoyed it but I have a 12-month-old baby and it is a bit complicated because it is 3 km of walking and in some places the path in stones with which it is difficult with baby carts. $180 a park ticket and children under 6 do not pay. There are bathrooms where the interpretation center is, they are very clean and cared for. Also a restaurant that operates daily from September to March. Once you enter the walkways to see penguins you cannot eat, con mate or smoke.
What a fantastic experience, walking the walkways and seeing the penguins in their nests guarding their eggs, while others came and went from the sea. Keep in mind that you have to take the entrance upstairs in interpretation center, which is worth visiting.
It is a beautiful place, where you can make direct contact with nature, see the penguins in their natural habitation is beautiful, at this time they are very active and the males have arrived to condition the nests and many females, they are in the process of courting and mating, a place that I can not tire of visiting!!! and to which I would return.
It's a must-see excursion! I went recently and it was beautiful to see how the penguins set up nests to receive their mate and then breed! On the other hand, the scenery from the end is spectacular.
Spectacular environment where you have all the penguins walking in front of you, we went to the end of September which is when the male penguins arrive before the females to condition the nests. This year large numbers of species present.
Amazing to see how the penguins make their nests and then the females lay their eggs... A walking tour of 3km where you will not miss seeing penguins at any time, hundreds and hundreds. The only "con" is that the tickets are bought as soon as you arrive, having already parked the car, but the penguin is 1 km away so you have to go back to the vehicle, and there are no information signs of it... For us who were with 1 baby and 1 baby (with cart, and so on) we would have found it useful to know this in advance
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