Navigate Through The Beagle Channel: Seal, Bird & Penguin Islands

A really great trip which went all the way to the Hammer Island to see the penguins. We had a great time and the boat was clean and good quality, the staff were helpful, kind and informative, and we stayed at each of the main stops for plenty of time to see all of the wildlife and take all the photos we wanted to. It’s a 6 hour round trip because to get to hammer island was 2 hours alone, but well worth it. The staff told us before boarding that there was a chance we couldn’t go to hammer island because the weather might have been bad and the captain would make a call during the early stops. They reassured us that if this was to happen, we would either be refunded half of the price of the tour, or given the option to try again another day. Luckily for us, the captain assessed the weather and decided we would go, but these alternative options really gave us peace of mind. I read some reviews that the photographers can be pushy. In our experience, they were friendly and didn’t force you into taking photos with them, however, there was one instance of a photographer forcefully pushing my partner out of the way with her body whilst she was capturing photos of another couple. The guide herself was informative and shared lots of useful information, and the boat had a toilet and a well stocked cafe. We had a great time and would recommend.

This tour slows down and stops to take photos of the birds and lighthouse before arriving at the penguins. Guide narration in English and Spanish which tells all about the Beagle channel. Bar in board for snacks and coffee. The travel time is about 3 hours out and back but lovely scenery to enjoy. Plenty of time to take photos of sea lions and penguins as long as you are happy to squeeze yourself inbetween the selfie takers.

A very pleasant experience. We also enjoyed talking to the couple that shared the table with us. It was beautiful.

When we arrived at the gray line office, we were told we should not take the tour as it would not get us back to the ship on time. Very disappointed, we took instead a shorter tour of the bagel channel and did not see any penguins. This was a much cheaper excursion and we are entitled to a refund.

I encountered a very rude staff member at the reception of Tolkeyen. She had a lot of attitude when I tried to show my email booking confirmation and refused to look at it or accept my booking reference number. Instead, she insisted on an “actual voucher,” which is not provided when booking through TripAdvisor. Only after comments from other staff members did she finally check the system and find my name. Very poor effort and unprofessional behavior from the worker. The rest of the trip was fairly average. There were far too many people crowding and jostling for position when trying to take photos, which took away from the experience. Overall, it felt overpriced, and there are probably better options available.

Great experience, boat starts from a very convenient location opposite hotel albatross. On Tim departure, great staff and good drinks on the boat. They get within 3 meters of the penguins

The boat circled POI well and theOA kept us up to date, not always clear out on deck. The photographers were discreet but handy.

Superb. Easy, well-staffed and organized tour of the Beagle Channel. Sea lions. More birds than you can count. Views that make every single person NOT on the trip jealous. This is another MUST DO from Ushuaia. Well organized. Check-in, get a badge/lanyard, board a boat, ENJOY. That simple. Boat is large, stable, and well-equipped. Views are great from windows ALL around and the decks. Coffee, water, snacks, etc are all available at extra cost (a little pricey, but acceptable). Bathrooms onboard are available and clean. Crew and guides are super knowledgeable of history, geography, animals, etc... and happy to answer questions. This is a SUPERB way to spend 3/4 of a day in Ushuaia and includes a decent chance at seeing a penguin, whale, or flare bird species... and an ABSOLUTELY sure chance of seeing AMAZING panoramic views of Patagonia. Don't hesitate... BOOK this NOW.

The boat was well equipped and comfortable with indoor and outdoor seating/viewing and terrific snack option’s available. Beautiful scenery and seeing the lighthouse, seals and MANY penguins were a highlight. The tour delivered on its purpose!

The tour was cancelled with no prior notice. Even though the tour operator authorised a refund to Viator, they are refusing to give us our money back. Awful rip off.

DON'T MISS THIS! It is a long trip, but really worth while. You travel all the way from Ushuaia down the Beagle Channel to almost the Atlantic Ocean. On the way there are several stops to see wildlife and the lighthouse. You do not get off but the boat takes you right up close. Then you travel to Estancia Harberton which is very interesting. A bus ride back gives you addition viewing of the landscape. Tremendous tour!

This trip was a good trip but not as described and the booking process was a nightmare. Our original booking date was changed but the ticket was never updated During communications with Grey Line we were given a start time of 8:30am (not the 8am on the tour description) then in later communication 1:30pm. When we queried this we recieved no response. When we went to investigate for ourselves we discovered the tour operator on our ticket was totallt incorrect. W spent an hour trying to find the right operator - had this been the morning of our trip we would have missed it. The start time was 8am and the meeting point was the tour operators hut not the pier as previously suggested. There is no extra fee for Haberton Ranch but there is the opportunity to have a beautiful meal in their restaurnat with fresh veg from their garden. As this wasn't clear we had sadly bought a packed lunch and so missed out. There are also drinks and snacks available on the boat. There are no extra fees for Isla Martillo as you don't exit the boat There were no extra port gratuities We booked this tour with the understanding that it would have a maximum of 20 people in relaity there were several 100 on the boat which was chaos when trying to see the penguins from the back of the boat. A small group were then dropped at Haberton Ranch but then the return journey was a 2 hour bus ride rather than returning by boat which was disappointing. Had this been accurately described the trip would have been great but Grey Lines were terrible.

This tour pretty much covered everything there is to see in Ushuaia! The boat ride was crowded, yet overall comfortable. We only got a short glimpse of the small penguins, and sea lions, and did not stop at all by the little towns they mentioned in the description. The lighthouse was small...not much to it. Getting photos of anything significant was a challenge from any part of the big boat, mainly due to the crowd, so paying the US$15 for your personal photos to be taken by the "professionals" was well-worth it! The Harberton stop (which is at an additional cost)was interesting. The food was really delicious and healthy! We did find it expensive, but there was no other option if you wanted a restaurant. The tour at Harberton may be very long and tiring if you are older or not as energetic, as the tour includes a mammal museum of fossils (which we were unaware of), AND you end up leaving the boat and having to drive back to town in a bus for another couple of hours (which was not made clear to us in the description either)! The views of the channel were amazing, especially due to the unique rough waters, wind and chill in the air of the End of the World! It will for sure be an unforgettable memory for us always! (PS you can get a stamp on your passport on the boat, for a small optional tip at the coffee/concession stand, which had great fresh coffee and goodies at a low cost).

very enjoyable tour,although the visit to Harberon Ranch, was of much less interest, I would skip it.

Nice trip down the Beagle Channel with good insights delivered in both English and Spanish. The trip to the Estancia is more interesting than I expected and gave lots of good information on the plants and animals I would see over the following days in and around Ushuaia.

I booked the tour 2 month in advance and was not disappointed . There are more tour operators with this one day activities . We did one way with the boat and the trip back with the bus. One day tour from 8:00 to 8:00 pm. The Harberton Ranch stay was to long , could be half of the time.

It was the worst tour ever. We took a boat for 3 hours to take a tour. But we missed to get off the boat. Because their English was horrible. All instructions were in Spanish. They spoke English as well, but it was horrible and we couldn't understand. So we couldn't take a tour, we waste time and money. That's all.

This is a great tour and well worth it but also worth clarifying what the trip entails. You will not actually stop and visit Williams Port and Port Almanza. You will cruise by them. It did not affect the experience but is worth mentioning. As well, when you reach Estancia Harberton the boat will leave you there and you will be bussed back to Ushuaia. This is mentioned but is a bit confusing if you speak to other passengers during the trip who are skipping the Estancia portion and returning by boat. They also do not mention that Estancia Harberton's "Museum" is actually a functioning marine biology lab where marine mammal skeletons are collected and assembled from the beagle channel. It is one of the most interesting aspects of the tour. All of the other highlights, penguins, seals, sea birds, lighthouse, etc. are just as great as you think they will be. 10/10 would do it again.

A great experience! Even if you are going to Antartica, this tour adds another dimension to your experience. And if you are not going to Antartica, this tour is a must.

<p>A great experience! Even if you are going to Antartica, this tour adds another dimension to your experience. And if you are not going to Antartica, this tour is a must.</p>

<p>Saw cormorants, penguins and seals during the Channel cruise. Wish we could have spent more time with the penguins and actually set foot on the island with them. I'm sure they don't allow this since people would tend to touch and feed them, but being up close to them would be incredible. Other than that, the Beagle Channel cruise was very easy. The boat is a large motor-driven catamaran with plenty of indoor seating or deck access if you prefer.</p>

<p>Estancia Harberton was only ok. Wish had there had been signs in English for the trees, etc.</p>

There are a number of operators offering this trip. We had done the hour long double decker bus tour ofUushuaia which included a 20% discount voucher for Rumbo Sur (and 2 museums) - which saved a lot more than the bus tour cost! Really helpful lady in the booth at the port (there are several of these) sold us the tickets. Trip was on time, and did all that it said. The boat was a little basic and had some suspect safety aspects such as the rails at the front, but did the job. Stopped at the sea lion colony and cormorant nesting site, cruised around the lighthouse and down to the penguin colony past Port Williams (Southernmost town in the world). You can't land here (need to do a small boat trip from Harberton for that) but the boat gets really close so you get a great view of the Magellanic and Gentoo penguins. We were treated to a lonely sole King penguin as well. You land at Harberton, which is no longer a working farm but has retained all the old equipment. The history explained on the tour was very interesting. We had lunch up in the restaurant (good value, but reasonable extra cost). There is also a cafe in the old farm house or you can take your own. Final call was at the very well presented marine museum which is a recognised research centre for marine mammals and other wildlife. We were just a bit rushed here and needed to have our wits about us to get on the right bus home! The bus trip home was through some amazing mountain scenery which includes ski fields (in winter!) It is a full day, but well worth it. It does everything it says on the box and does it well. Note that the trip down by boat and back by bus as we did it means a more comfortable boat trip with the prevailing westerly wind behind us than the reverse option.

<p>Good information, nice vieuws. Harberton was realy nice, bus drive back with nice vieuws. Sea lions, only about 20, penguins were cuit.</p>

<p>Not as fascinating as one would expect. Once you get to the estancia, there's not much to do. Still worth checking out.</p>

<p>I highly recommend the whole day tour including the Beagle Canal boat ride then disembarking in Hamerton Hatbor. The Estancia estate tour included all sorts of historical and nature related facts. The tea house offered tasty confections and the marine museum tour was enjoyable and very interesting!</p>

<p>Excellent way to spend your day. Watching the penguins was very entertaining. The Estancia Harberton harbours a museum worth visiting. The guides were also very knowledgeable. As a bonus we got to see the snow at the end of the tour upon arriving into Ushuaia.</p>

<p>Good for seeing lots of sea bird life, but a long, uneventful boat ride. Est Harberton is interesting, particularly the marine mammal museum, which is very impressive.</p>

<p>The boat experience is ok-this lighthouse/island is really pretty small-even though it looks so much bigger in photos. Expected to be bigger considering ships that come through here. They do get you up close to island to take plenty of photos and then again when go to penguins. We had done another tour in Chile where we walked around with the penguins so this was a bit of a let down. Again, they do stay long enough for you to take photos-they are adorable.<br/> We took the extended tour of the Estancia Harberton and so glad we did. The Marine animal museum is an excellent display of the marine animals life size murals and their actual skeletons next to the paintings. Guide informative as well. We were two of 4 English speakers so had small group tour. One smart Argentine who knew English joined our group for the small group experience.<br/> There is a small restaraunt-food ok-but hit the spot and they work to serve you quickly so can get on with tour. Also-they take any currency. <br/> The tour of the Estancia was fascinating-how built, how came about, family still living working there. Again, guide was very informative, fun and knew excellent English. Can't think of her name--sorry-but young, funny and excellent.<br/> Ride back to Ushuaia is by bus-down gravel roads but scenic drive through forest, etc.</p>

<p>We enjoyed the trip, though it was a long ride between stops 1-1.5 hours - but was well worth the trip. You'll need cash for the boat, it was very cold outside and everyone was getting hot chocolate. The boat pulls up very close to the rocks and island to see the sea lions and penguins. The stop at Estancia Harberton was very nice as well, make sure you bring cash for lunch.</p>

<p>Be sure you have arranged transport to the marina as hotel pickup isn't included. It was fantastic to be so close to the cormorants, sea lions and penguins...they put the catamaran right on the sand and the penguins were on the beach and swimming around the boat. We got lucky too and saw a pair of King penguins, not very common there. The estancia was interesting, though I thought it was a working one when I booked that part of the trip, but it's been a tourist destination since the 1990s when a big snow storm killed most of the areas sheep and that estancia decided to go all tourist. The restaurant on the estancia is good- the stew was delicious, but a bit pricey.</p>

<p>Who goes to Ushuaia and passes up the opportunity of seeing penguins? If you are going to Antarctica you can pass on this but for those of us who didn't its worth just seeing the penguins. The optional part is the second part with the estancia. You get to tour an estancia from that was founded by a local. You also tour the facilities of fossils from local sea mammals and have time for lunch. Feel free to bring your own lunch. Or they should consider changing tour to include lunch.</p>

<p>Great little trip. You see seals, penguins, bunch of birds, great views. The guide is very knowledgeable. The tour of the homestead is interesting. They have a restaurant there which serves a nice lunch. Not included in the tour price. Generally a good day.</p>

<p>great lunch, smooth pick up and very informed guide pointing out the varied and beautiful landscape of Tierra del Fuego</p>

<p>It was well organised and we thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the farm</p>

<p>Good. Nice views, Estancia Harberton is an interesting place.</p>

<p>Excellent day. It is a l,ong day, so value for money. The boat trip is long so plenty of time to appreciate the amazing views. The highlight was seeing the penguins in their natural habitat.</p>

<p>It was ok, but after reading everything we really thought we were getting to walk with the penguins. However, we could only see them from the boat. Yes, really close, but from the boat; so at the end it was a bit disappointing.</p>

<p>This was a great tour that I'd highly recommend for anyone going to Ushuaia. The boat was well equipped and designed and the guides were knowledgeable.</p>

<p>Wonderful tour: comfortable boat, great sightings of penguins and southern sea lions. Estancia Harberton was wonderful: awesome museum, great history tour of the ranch. Don't believe guide books that say the lunch is US$30. It was approximately US $10.</p>

<p>I really enjoyed sailing the Beagle channel and seeing the penguins and sea lions. After we had an excursion around the Haberton Ranch, and we got to see a very interesting museum and marine fauna research facility. <br/> However, I would like to get closer to the penguins. We did not get to go on the island where they were, so we had to watch from the boat. Bring your lens with a big focal length if you want pictures.</p>

<p>At first I applied Viator tour , but at last this tour is operated by Rumbo Sur. I was so confused.<br/> And this tour's return rout is by bus, so I couldn't enjoyed. I don't recommend this tour.<br/> Viator is worst.</p>

<p>After completing the booking we received our vouchers by email. Reconfirming the tour by email was easy. The following morning we had an answer back with the confirmation of the tour. The catamaran was big enough and we were lucky that there were only a few people on the ship, plenty of space outside to make pictures and enjoy the different sceneries. Bird Island and Pinguïn Island were amazing! Harberton Ranch was okay, the story behind it was more interesting than the ranch itselve. I would highly recommend this tour!</p>

<p>The cruise on the catamaran offers great scenery. The positives are the scenery and getting to see penguins. The negatives include (1) no hotel pickup and drop off (2) it's not really a guided tour the entire time as they pass you off to different mass group guides including interns (who are very nice, but I doubt are getting paid).</p>

<p>Great tour. Nice variety of activities for a full day including the Haberton farm which was interesting and had nice simple hot food and Beagle beer in their restaurant. Boat was comfy and not too crowded (though we were not peak season). Only wish we would have stayed at the penguin island another 10 minutes (were there about 10) to watch them. Only complaint - on the Haberton farm tour there was a small group of tourists who didn't speak English or Spanish, so our tour guide let their tour guide translate every few sentences which meant the rest of us had to stand around and wait for this which doubled our tour time, reduced our info time and was dead boring. The guide should have better facilitated this and asked their guide and groupd to stand aside so we could at least chat with the tour guide about other things while they translated.</p>

<p>Although you don't go off the ship on Martillo island, the whole trip, and the views are unforgettable. The tours in Estancia Harberton were very interesting, and with enough time to enjoy the whole trip.</p>

<p>The tour is not well advertised in terms of what was offered. We were inside a heated luxury boat and had the option of a personal photographer for each of the sites. We were also left at the Estancia Harberton where we saw an old English settlement and had a scenic bus ride back! Must do!</p>

<p>It was wonderful and very informative .. spoke to post grad students at the Haberton Estancia and saw their work on stranded animals.<br/> Maybe there are more penguins at other times of the year, but there were still heaps at the moment. There were plenty of birds and lots of seals too.<br/> The only adverse comment was that we had to choose between having lunch at the Estancia or doing the tour of it, as we had arrived a little later than expected. However, given that was because we were watching wildlife, I was not all bothered by it.... Happy to forgo lunch to look at more interesting things.</p>

<p>First way overcharged By Viator. The Penguins tour was excellent. The Estancia Harberton was no working estancia. No cows no Horses no cheeps. Time waited except for the maritine museum</p>