Best place to see Penguins on the Grand South America tour.

[Poojacque]

We were thinking of going to Punta Tombo Penguin Reserve to see the penguins.  Other than The Falkland Islands to see the King penguins, are any other sites better than Port Madryn for seeing these fun little creatures?

 

thanks

Poojacque

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

I was booked on HAL's Westerdam Antarctica trip for January of 2021. Obviously that was cancelled but I did a ton of research. There are some great threads here which link to even better blogs:

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/370-antarctica/

 

Have fun!!

 

 

 

[Poojacque]

Thank you.  I’m heading to these posts and blogs now.  

[Sir PMP]

Here's a golden tip since you live nearby, I assume you will stop in Punta Arenas, Chile. Take the slow boat trip to Isla Magdalena, and you will be walking in the middle of lots of Magellan penquins. Don't tell any one.

[boulders]

Volunteer Point in the Falklands had several species of penguins, not just the Kings. That was sooo much better than the Chilean ports. 

[Poojacque]

Thank you.  Hope we get into that port.

[Poojacque]

Boulders….Thank you.  Hope we get into that port.

 

Sir PMP:  

wow you are close by!  Thanks for the tip

[LuAnn]

40 minutes ago, boulders said:

Volunteer Point in the Falklands had several species of penguins, not just the Kings. That was sooo much better than the Chilean ports. 

I so agree! Patrick Watts tour we think is our best shore excursion ever! 

[Loreto]

1 hour ago, Sir PMP said:

Here's a golden tip since you live nearby, I assume you will stop in Punta Arenas, Chile. Take the slow boat trip to Isla Magdalena, and you will be walking in the middle of lots of Magellan penquins. Don't tell any one.

I agree!  We took the ferry to Magdalena Island with HAL and it was an unbelievable experience...Thousands of penguins!  We also went to a beach in the Falklands...North Pond (or something like that) it took some time to get there.  Lots of different penguins and a rookery.

Lucky you to be going...0ur 2nd trip was cancelled in 2020.🙁

[AryMay]

Another option for Puerto Madryn would be to go to El Pedral. We did this tour in 2019 and loved it! The small group tour included a meal...lamb roasted over an open fire. We were up close and personal with hundreds (maybe thousands!) of magellanic penguins and saw other wildlife too. I will note that the day we were there it was sweltering...so hot that the poor penguins were panting. 

 

Here is a link to the El Pedral website: https://www.reservaelpedral.com/en/dia-campo-eng/

 

And a link to my blog with more details and lots more photos from our day: El Pedral Penguin Tour

 

If seeing penguins is high on your list, you should book tours in more than one port. You never know when a port might get skipped due to weather. 

Edited July 19, 2022 by AryMay

[rkacruiser]

The best place to see Penguins is from the deck of a HAL ship as it sails by Antarctica.  Good binoculars help.  But, even, without, your can see them.  One even came out to greet the Zaandam as she sailed by.  One bird was swimming by the ship as we were sailing.  Thank goodness, I was at the right spot and and time to witness it.  

 

I booked an excursion in the Falklands to see some colonies.  Don't remember where.  But, it took a 4x4 to get there and was worth the experience.  Be aware when you walk around the colony that the ground is very--very--soft.  I was not careful enough and fell into the muck.  After the staff retrieved me and I returned Port Stanley, the 4x4 driver told me:  "You smell."  When I got back aboard the Zaandam, everything I was wearing went to the laundry and I went into the shower.  

 

All turned out well.  It was another memorable travel experience.  

[dog]

4 hours ago, LuAnn said:

I so agree! Patrick Watts tour we think is our best shore excursion ever! 

Agree. We booked with Patrick Watts for Volunteer Point. So much fun!

[crystalspin]

We wanted to be sure to see penguins and Stanley is fairly often missed for weather, so we booked a combination Penguin Reserve and Sheep Station ship's tour at Punta Arenas Chile (Otway Sound). AND the 4x4 Penguin Colony (plus "tea" at local place) at Stanley. 

 

Fortunately we got to do both. I think we enjoyed the Otway Sound the most. It was a bit blustery and turned out the fact it was a ship's tour was priceless as they held the last Tender for us when a squall had blown up and stopped the ferry for some time from Otway/sheep ranch to the port. (The weather was perfect where we were!)

Edited July 20, 2022 by crystalspin

[TiogaCruiser]

@crystalspin When was your trip?

My understanding is that the penguins stopped going to Ottawa Sound sometime around 2015. We went in 2013.

[crystalspin]

16 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

@crystalspin When was your trip?

My understanding is that the penguins stopped going to Ottawa Sound sometime around 2015. We went in 2013.

 

Oh No! Yes, our trip was 2014. I hadn't heard that colony was no more! 😞

 

[Poojacque]

On 7/19/2022 at 3:56 PM, AryMay said:

Another option for Puerto Madryn would be to go to El Pedral. We did this tour in 2019 and loved it! The small group tour included a meal...lamb roasted over an open fire. We were up close and personal with hundreds (maybe thousands!) of magellanic penguins and saw other wildlife too. I will note that the day we were there it was sweltering...so hot that the poor penguins were panting. 

 

Here is a link to the El Pedral website: https://www.reservaelpedral.com/en/dia-campo-eng/

 

And a link to my blog with more details and lots more photos from our day: El Pedral Penguin Tour

 

If seeing penguins is high on your list, you should book tours in more than one port. You never know when a port might get skipped due to weather. 

 

[Poojacque]

Great information.  Thank you.   I can’t wait to read your blog.  We have now booked two penguin tours just in case.

 

when I was trying to book Volunteer Point one of the tour companies told me another ship is in the same day as we land.  Everyone sold out and some with long wait lists.  
 

we ended up making volunteer point reservations through HAL excursions.  No what we wanted but we are in.  
 

thank you

sally

[Poojacque]

21 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

The best place to see Penguins is from the deck of a HAL ship as it sails by Antarctica.  Good binoculars help.  But, even, without, your can see them.  One even came out to greet the Zaandam as she sailed by.  One bird was swimming by the ship as we were sailing.  Thank goodness, I was at the right spot and and time to witness it.  

 

I booked an excursion in the Falklands to see some colonies.  Don't remember where.  But, it took a 4x4 to get there and was worth the experience.  Be aware when you walk around the colony that the ground is very--very--soft.  I was not careful enough and fell into the muck.  After the staff retrieved me and I returned Port Stanley, the 4x4 driver told me:  "You smell."  When I got back aboard the Zaandam, everything I was wearing went to the laundry and I went into the shower.  

 

All turned out well.  It was another memorable travel experience.  

 

[Poojacque]

😄. It must have been an interesting return to the ship.  
 

thank you.

[TiogaCruiser]

22 minutes ago, Poojacque said:

Great information.  Thank you.   I can’t wait to read your blog.  We have now booked two penguin tours just in case.

 

when I was trying to book Volunteer Point one of the tour companies told me another ship is in the same day as we land.  Everyone sold out and some with long wait lists.  
 

we ended up making volunteer point reservations through HAL excursions.  No what we wanted but we are in.  
 

thank you

sally

I did that excursion with HAL, and I’m glad I did. As a lower star Mariner in an inside cabin. It would have been a long wait to get off the ship, and I likely would have missed a private tour.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Poojacque said:

😄. It must have been an interesting return to the ship.  
 

thank you.

 

Other than the 4x4 driver (whom I was sitting next to), no one else said a peep.  I got out of the mini-bus back to Port Stanley, headed for the tender dock and tendered back to the ship without the few guests around me on the tender or the crew as I boarded the ship saying anything.  This experience was probably the most embarrassing thing that I have experienced during a cruise.  

[AKJonesy]

If memory serves me, Volunteer Point on the Falklands booked up very early.  

[LuAnn]

On 7/20/2022 at 2:57 PM, TiogaCruiser said:

I did that excursion with HAL, and I’m glad I did. As a lower star Mariner in an inside cabin. It would have been a long wait to get off the ship, and I likely would have missed a private tour.

Good point about the tenders!!

[Broon]

We went to Magdalena Island and walked among many, many penguins. Highly recommended shorex.

 

Also, at the Falklands, we took the shorex to Bluff’s Cove….many penguins there, too.

[scubacruiserx2]

On 7/19/2022 at 12:44 PM, Poojacque said:

We were thinking of going to Punta Tombo Penguin Reserve to see the penguins.  Other than The Falkland Islands to see the King penguins, are any other sites better than Port Madryn for seeing these fun little creatures?

 

thanks

Poojacque

 

 

 

Our favorite place to see penguins was in Antarctica where we saw 5 kinds in their natural environment for feeding and breeding . We also saw Whales , Orca and many other types of birds and tons of icebergs and glaciers . Here they are jumping on an iceberg 

 

 

 

 

A pod of Orca chasing a penguin

 

 

 

The next best was on the Falkland Islands where we saw 3 kinds close up and with babies and eggs .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next best for us as Punta Tombo that also had close encounters with a Guanaco

 

 

 

Magdalena Island was a long bumpy ride in a crowed hot boat with lots of people on the island for only about an hour to see 1 type of penguins . Instead we preferred the trip to the beauty of Patagonia with Torres Del Pines from the port of Punta Arenas .

 

 

 

Our least favorite was Otway . A very long , crowded ride with the penguins seen at long distance . You may like to look at our full review with lots of photos and videos here :