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Punta Tombo Penguin Colony Tour: Unforgettable Wildlife Experience in Argentinean Patagonia
4.5
32 Ratings
Puerto Madryn
Embark on an unforgettable wildlife adventure in Argentinean Patagonia with a tour of the Punta Tombo Penguin Colony. Witness the mesmerizing sight of thousands of Magellan penguins in their natural habitat.
Embark on an unforgettable wildlife adventure in Argentinean Patagonia with a tour of the Punta Tombo Penguin Colony. Witness the mesmerizing sight of thousands of Magellan penguins in their natural habitat.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Punta Tombo - 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…
-
Punta Tombo - 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. -
Puerto Rawson - 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.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
- Round-trip navigation (only in the Toninas Watching option)
- Professional guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
- Round-trip navigation (only in the Toninas Watching option)
What's Not Included
- Entrance fee for Punta Tombo
- Lunch
- Cruise Port pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Entrance fee for Punta Tombo
- Lunch
- Cruise Port pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Visit the most significant reservation for Magellan’s Penguins in Latin America. It presents a splendid opportunity to watch dolphins and penguins within their native environment. Punta Tombo stands out as one of the most renowned and frequented shores in Argentine Patagonia. Countless tourists convene here to witness an enthralling spectacle in the…
Visit the most significant reservation for Magellan’s Penguins in Latin America. It presents a splendid opportunity to watch dolphins and penguins within their native environment. Punta Tombo stands out as one of the most renowned and frequented shores in Argentine Patagonia. Countless tourists convene here to witness an enthralling spectacle in the natural world: the continent’s massive colony of Magellan penguins.
- The stop at the Rawson’s Port is subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be able to stay longer at Punta Tombo, main stop of this tour and you will be given a full refund of the Toninas navigation in case you payed for this option.
- Season: From September to Mid-April
- Please note that lunch will be taken in the car, as we won’t have time to stop : the road trip will take approx. 6 hours (round-trip). We suggest you to prepare sandwiches, if not you will still be able to buy food when we stop on the road.
- Cruise Passengers are not allowed to take this tour
- The option Punta Tombo Penguin Colony without Toninas is subject to changes in the itinerary. Can be changed from Playa Union to Gaiman.
Location
Puerto Madryn
Departure Point: Centrally located Puerto Madryn hotels.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(32 Ratings)
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Ilhank554
Dec 5, 2023
Highly recommended! - 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
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ilhan_k
Nov 8, 2023
Amazing experience! - A great tour to absolutely do if you’re in Puerto Madryn. Very well-organized and our tour guide was super!
Review provided by Viator
Norma
Nov 22, 2022
Many cute penguins - 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
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nora_n
Feb 10, 2020
Great tour with the best tour guide - 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!!!
Review provided by Viator
Zohrehghorban
Apr 20, 2019
Penguin Island tour from Ushiai - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ronald
Mar 15, 2019
Must See Penguin Experience - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cosconstantinou1
Nov 17, 2019
Long day but great wildlife - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dunja
Nov 16, 2019
Exciting wild life tour - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kim_j
Jan 19, 2024
Punta Tombo is a great place but no tour needed - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Luis_s
Oct 8, 2022
Terrible value - 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).
Review provided by Viator
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