Punta Tombo Penguin Colony Tour: Walk Among Thousands

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.89 (176 reviews) 91% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/9

Duration7h

GroupUp to 22

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

You walk directly among the penguins instead of watching from a distance.

This shore excursion from Puerto Madryn takes cruise passengers to Punta Tombo, home to the largest Magellanic penguin colony on the American continent, where you spend approximately 2 hours in the reserve observing thousands of penguins alongside guanacos, maras and native armadillos in their natural habitat. The tour includes a 2-hour drive each way, a stop at a dinosaur replica, and a panoramic city tour of Puerto Madryn on the return if time allows. A live guide in English or Spanish, hotel or port pickup, bottled water, sandwiches and WiFi are included; the full day runs about 7 hours and suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Punta Tombo and Puerto Madryn

Drive 2 hours to Punta Tombo
Stop to see dinosaur replica
Explore Punta Tombo Penguin Colony
Drive 2 hours back to Puerto Madryn
Panoramic city tour of Puerto Madryn

The Experience

The tour starts with a pickup from your cruise ship or hotel in Puerto Madryn and heads inland across the Patagonian steppe. The first stop comes after about 15 minutes at a replica of the largest dinosaur ever discovered in the world, found in the province — a quick look before the drive continues toward Punta Tombo, roughly 2 hours from the port. The landscape shifts as you move away from the coast, and the guide explains what you are crossing through.

Punta Tombo itself holds the most important Magellanic penguin colony on the American continent. You spend approximately 2 hours in the reserve walking among thousands of penguins in their natural habitat instead of viewing them from a boardwalk or viewing platform. The area also shelters guanacos, maras and piches — Patagonian armadillos — so the reserve is not a penguin-only stop. The guide points out behavior and species as you move through, and the reserve is wheelchair accessible with paved surfaces throughout.

The return journey takes another 2 hours back to Puerto Madryn. If the ship's departure schedule allows, a panoramic city tour of Puerto Madryn's landmarks and viewpoints fills the final hour before you return to the port. Bottled water, a ham and cheese sandwich, a chicken sandwich and a muffin travel with you; WiFi is available on the coach.

What’s included

Live guide in English or Spanish.
pickup from your cruise ship or Puerto Madryn hotel.
bottled water.
ham and cheese sandwich, chicken sandwich and muffin.
WiFi on board.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Animal Travel

Is this one for you?Book this tour if your ship docks in Puerto Madryn and you want to use the morning or afternoon for a full inland excursion — the timing is built around cruise schedules, the guide knows exactly when you need to return, and the walk among the penguins is something you cannot do anywhere else in the region.