Ushuaia Catamaran Cruise to Penguin Island

The Beagle Channel from the port of Ushuaia

The Beagle Channel is the strait that runs for about 240 kilometres between the main island of Tierra del Fuego and the islands to its south, forming the border between Argentina and Chile for most of its length. Ushuaia sits on its northern shore beneath the Martial mountains, and the port's tourist pier, where this cruise begins, is a short walk from the main street. The catamaran heads east, the direction of the open Atlantic, with the city and the snow peaks behind.

This is the longest of the Beagle Channel cruises from Ushuaia, covering roughly 90 kilometres of water in each direction, and it shows the channel changing character as it goes: busy and mountainous near the city, wider and wilder toward the east, with forested shores, isolated farms and views across to the Chilean island of Navarino. The guide explains the geography and the stories of the native Yámana people and the first European settlers along the way.

Sea lion islands (Isla de los Lobos)

A few kilometres east of Ushuaia the catamaran reaches the Bridges archipelago, a cluster of low islets where the first wildlife stop of the day is Isla de los Lobos, the sea lion island. South American sea lions, with the heavy manes of the adult males, share the rocks with smaller South American fur seals, and the colony is present all year, resting, sparring and fishing in the cold water around the islet.

The boat slows and holds position a few metres from the rocks so that everyone can photograph the animals from the open decks. The guide points out the differences between the two species and explains the breeding season, when the beaches become crowded with pups. This Beagle Channel sea lion stop is short but always a favourite, and it comes early in the cruise while the light from the east is still low over the water.

Seabird islands (Isla de los Pájaros)

Next to the sea lions lies Isla de los Pájaros, the bird island, where imperial cormorants nest in dense black-and-white rows along the rock, together with rock cormorants, kelp gulls, skuas, steamer ducks and the occasional southern giant petrel. From October to March the colonies are full of nests and chicks; the rest of the year the birds remain but in smaller numbers. The catamaran circles close without landing, and the noise and movement of the colony carry across the water.

Shortly afterwards the route passes the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, the red-and-white tower built in 1920 on its rocky islet, which the boat circles for photos before turning east. Seabirds follow the catamaran for much of the day: albatrosses and petrels appear in the wider stretches of the channel, and the guide helps passengers identify them. Binoculars are useful here and for the penguins later.

The eastern channel: Gable Island and the Harberton coast

Beyond the lighthouse the channel opens into a wide, quiet stretch that few shorter cruises reach. On the Argentine shore the forest comes down to pebble beaches, and the catamaran passes Gable Island, a large island with low cliffs, and the historic coast of Harberton, where the first farm on Tierra del Fuego was founded in 1886 by the missionary family who learned the Yámana language. The Chilean mountains of Navarino Island rise across the water to the south.

This part of the voyage takes about an hour and a half each way and is the time to relax in the heated cabin, step out on deck for photos of the scenery, or listen to the guide's commentary on the farms, the shipwrecks and the whales that occasionally pass through the channel. The long approach makes the arrival at the penguin colony feel like a real expedition to the end of the world.

Martillo Island: the penguin colony

Martillo Island, often simply called Penguin Island, is a small island about 90 kilometres east of Ushuaia, opposite the Harberton coast. Its gravel beaches and grassy slopes hold a colony of Magellanic penguins that arrive each spring to dig their burrows and raise their chicks, staying from October until April before migrating north to the coast of Brazil. A small group of gentoo penguins, taller with red beaks and white eye patches, lives on the island all year, and the occasional king penguin has been seen among them.

The catamaran approaches to within a few metres of the beach and moves slowly along the shore for about 30 minutes, so passengers on deck can watch the penguins waddling, swimming and standing at their burrows without disturbing them; this cruise does not land on the island. Is Penguin Island worth visiting? For most travellers it is the highlight of Ushuaia, and the best time to see Magellanic penguins is from November to February, when chicks are on the beach.