Full day trip (c. 12 hours) by plane and led by naturalist guide; available year-round (except June through September) from Tuesday through Friday
Tierra del Fuego King penguin tours. On this option, we leave Punta Arenas on the earliest flight (8.15am) and fly back to Punta Arenas on the afternoon (5.20pm). Duration of the flight approximately 12 minutes. Availability for this option is limited, so booking in advance is recommended. We start our journey with a transfer from your hotel to the Punta Arenas airport; from here we will take an early flight to the town of Porvenir, in Chilean Tierra Del Fuego Island. This is a short but truly scenic 15-minute flight over the mythic waters of the Straits of Magellan. We will appreciate the incredible glacial action recorded in the last 12,000 years, which has carved these famous seaways as well as the coasts of both the mainland and the huge island of Tierra del Fuego. From the plane we will see the distant peaks of the Andes, located in the southern part of the island, and the huge embayment called Bahia Inútil (Useless Bay).
As soon as we land you will realize that the vegetation of this part of Tierra del Fuego is dominated by flat wind-swept steppes, with tussock grasses and low shrubs, and interspersed with rolling hills. After meeting your local guide and driver, we will stop at the town of Porvenir, visiting a pioneer home, our lovely and cozy hotel, Hosteria Yendegaia; 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 great diversity of waterfowl and shorebirds. At sea we may see albatrosses, petrels, gulls and skuas patrolling the turbulent waters of the bay.
At Reserva Pingüino Rey we will have a short introduction on how to visit and approach the King Penguins. This is a private nature reserve which aims to preserve the small numbers of the ‘Kings’ that visit the area and even remain year-round here, taking advantage of the excellent feeding conditions of the surrounding seas. 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). After this great wildlife experience, we will return to Porvenir to take our flight back to Punta Arenas. (Picnic-Lunch) (Guide) king penguin tours Tierra del Fuego King penguin tours.
