King Penguins

2-day trip for wildlife enthusiasts

Wildlife Trip

King Penguins Wildlife Trip

King Penguins & Wildlife of Tierra del Fuego

2-day Trip for Penguins & Wildlife Enthusiasts

Based in Porvenir

King penguins wildlife trip. Join us on this unique itinerary to discover the magnificent King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego plus other wildlife of Tierra del Fuego. Our Tierra del Fuego wildlife trip is suitable for nature enthusiasts as well wildlife photographers of all levels of skills.

This short program is a comprehensive introduction to the island of Tierra del Fuego, its wildlife highlights and natural history. On this 2-day program, we will have access to Tierra del Fuego by ferry; a great variety of wildlife including albatrosses, sea lions and dolphins (even whales!) can be seen during the 2-hour ride over the waters of the mythic Magellan Straits. We will visit the King Penguin breeding colony at Useless Bay. We will look for Guanaco, foxes and a variety of birdlife on the moorlands of Baquedano Hills. The wetlands of Laguna de los Cisnes Nature Reserve hold flamingos, swans and several other waterbird species; here we will investigate its intriguing stromatolite fields, one of the Earth’s most ancient life forms. king penguins wildlife trip

King Penguin, Bahia Inutil, Tierra del Fuego, Chile © Claudio F. Vidal, Far South Exp

Trip Highlights

• Cross the mythic Magellan Straits by ferry and look for a variety of marine life including penguins, albatrosses, petrels, sea lions and dolphins. Sei Whales are usually spotted during the rides.

• Visit the world’s most accessible place to see King Penguins in the wild.

• This particular expedition to Tierra del Fuego is oriented to discover the diversity of mammals, birds and plants as well as to have great interpretation on the natural history of the island of Tierra del Fuego.

• Experience great birding opportunities in the shores of the Straits of Magellan, the windswept steppe and marshes of the islands; you will discover a wealth of specialties and range-restricted Patagonian birdlife.

• See interesting mammals such as Guanaco, Peale’s Dolphin and South American Sea Lion.

• Trip oriented to nature enthusiasts with an interest on King Penguins and other wildlife of Patagonia. king penguins wildlife trip

Itinerary in Brief

Day 1 • Morning ferry to Porvenir – Drive to Reserva Pingüino Rey – Afternoon visit to King Penguin Reserve – Baquedano Hills – Overnight Hotel Barlovento or similar, Porvenir

Day 2 • Morning visit to Stromatolite Park – Birding Laguna de los Cisnes Nature Reserve – Ferry back to Punta Arenas – End of the trip

Trip Map

Detailed Itinerary and Activities

Day 1 • Ferry to Porvenir - Visit the King Penguin colony - Baquedano Hills

We will start our journey with a private transfer from your hotel to the ferry docks located at the northern end of Punta Arenas. At approximately 9 am, we will begin our 2-hour crossing through the mythic waters of the Straits of Magellan; these world-famous seaways are very rich in terms of history of exploration. Magellan, Drake, Cavendish, Bougainville, Fitz Roy and Darwin, among several other sailors and explorers, surveyed this region, most of the times, in really harsh and dangerous conditions. You will see an interesting array of seabirds, including Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel, Southern Fulmar, Imperial Cormorant, Dolphin Gull and South American Tern. It is very likely to see interesting marine mammals such as pods of Peale’s Dolphin and inquisitive South American Sea Lion.

As soon as we land you will realize that the vegetation of this part of Tierra del Fuego is dominated by flat windswept steppes and rolling hills, with tussock grass and low shrubs. After meeting your local guide and driver, we will stop at the town of Porvenir; here we will have coffee or tea, snacks, and will have the opportunity to relax for a short while. Immediately we will be driving for approximately two hours along the shores of Bahia Inutil (Useless Bay), where we expect to see a great array of wildlife including Guanaco, Southern Grey Fox, the ubiquitous Upland Goose, Chilean Flamingo and a diversity of waterfowl. At sea we may see albatrosses, petrels, gulls and skuas patrolling the turbulent waters of the bay. Reserva Pingüino Rey is a private nature reserve that aims to preserve the only known continental King Penguin colony. We will have ample opportunities to observe and photograph the penguins from a reasonable distance (maximum approach distance will be given by the guide and must be respected at all times during your visit).

Overnight at Hotel Barlovento or similar, Porvenir (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

Day 2 • Visit Stromatolite Park - Laguna de los Cisnes Nature Reserve - Ferry back to Punta Arenas

In the morning, the Stromatolite Park will be visited, a place that maintains a landscape that dates back to the beginnings of life on the planet, a place where nature is extreme as is its wildlife. We will also visit the Natural Reserve Laguna de los Cisnes in search of a wide variety of land and water birds that are sustained by the surrounding lagoons. We will also be attentive to the local fauna, cururos, foxes and guanacos will be species that will cross our path.

At noon we will board the ferry to cross the Strait of Magellan again with a return to Punta Arenas.

(Breakfast, Lunch) (Guide).

Dates & Rates

Custom Departures

This trip is operated on request with a minimum of 1 participant and a maximum group size of 6 guests. Larger parties can be accommodated on request, and is likely that the group can be split in order to minimize the impact on the penguin behavior. Available year-round each Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We leave Punta Arenas on Day 1 on the earliest ferry (9am) and take the ferry back to Punta Arenas on Day 2 during the afternoon (2pm). The duration of the ferry is approximately 2.5 hours.

Trip Code	TDF05
No. of guests	1	2	3	4
Price per person (USD)	$1,650	$950	$775	$650

What the trip price includes/excludes

The trip price includes: Ferry fares, private transfers from your Punta Arenas hotel to the ferry terminal, meals and naturalist guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, and park entrance fees. Bottled water is also provided.

The trip price excludes: Tipping (entirely optional), travel insurance, excess baggage charges, à la carte dishes, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.

Important

Availability is limited thus we recommend to book fairly in advance. king penguins wildlife trip

Take a look to some other trips to Tierra del Fuego

Trip Registration

To book this tour, please complete our online registration form. We will process your booking form and will send you (within 24 hours) a note with space confirmation and a deposit invoice with payment instructions. The deposit amount is USD150 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 60 days prior to tour departure.

Note: Inquires received on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays will be replied during the following working day.

Cancellation Policy

Notice of cancellation can only be accepted in writing from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.

Refunds are made according to the following schedule:

• If cancellation is made 60 days or more before departure date, the deposit less USD100 is refundable.

• If cancellation is made fewer than 59 days before departure date, no refund is available.

This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself. king penguins wildlife trip