Ushuaia Penguin Island Tour

Yes, for most visitors to Ushuaia: Isla Martillo is the penguin colony that Ushuaia penguin tours visit. Landing is the strongest version — a 1-hour walk on marked paths, ≈20 people at a time — but it costs from $530 in summer and sells out weeks ahead. If that is out of reach, a catamaran from the pier cruises along the island on a ≈5-hour trip from $110, with sea lions and the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse on the way. The cheapest catamaran is the budget entry point.

That rule is not about Ushuaia: the photo ban people ask about applies to the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island, Australia. On Isla Martillo photos are allowed, both from the boats and during the walk. The limits on the island are no flash, no drones, staying ≈3 m from the birds and keeping to the marked paths with the guide. One catamaran's review summary says the crew rotates the boat so both sides get a view for photos. The walk and its rules.

Rarely: King penguins appear on Isla Martillo only occasionally and in a handful, so no tour can promise one. The reliable species are Magellanic penguins in season and Gentoo penguins all year. A separate King Penguin Nature Reserve day trip leaves Ushuaia (12 hours, from ≈$700), but it visits a different colony and is not covered on this site. Species by month.

Isla Martillo is ≈85–90 km east of Ushuaia. By road it takes ≈1.5–2 hours each way on National Route 3 and Ruta J to Harberton or Puerto Almanza, then a short boat crossing. By catamaran from the tourist pier the whole round trip takes ≈5 hours, with stops at Bird Island, Sea Lion Island and Les Eclaireurs. Pier and Almanza departures.

Not on foot: only one operator, Piratour, is authorized to land and walk on Isla Martillo, always with its guides. The data we checked does not confirm a walk-up ticket at Harberton, so plan on a booked tour. You can see the island independently only in the sense of choosing your own boat tour from the pier or Puerto Almanza. The all-inclusive walk covers transport, the channel cruise and the landing in one booking.

No: Estancia Harberton is closed on Tuesdays, and also on 25 December and 1 January (one operator lists 25 December – 2 January). The walk on Martillo departs from Harberton, so walk tours are planned around those closures. In season the estancia opens ≈12:00–19:00 from about 11 October to March, according to the estancia. On a Tuesday, a catamaran from the pier is the alternative: the Canoero catamaran sails from town.

The summer walk on Isla Martillo lasts 1 hour, after a 15-minute speedboat crossing from Harberton. The winter landing (≈July to mid-September; one listing sells it 1 July – 15 September) gives ≈30 minutes ashore with Gentoo penguins only. Boat tours spend their time alongside the shore instead: one Almanza listing states 40 minutes in front of the island. The full-day walk pairs the 1-hour walk with a morning channel cruise.

The walk is not recommended for travelers with reduced mobility or during pregnancy, and the all-inclusive walk lists wheelchair users and pregnant women as not suitable and bans strollers. For children, Piratour states 0–2 travel free and 3–11 pay a child rate. One catamaran listing describes itself as wheelchair and stroller accessible, which makes it the practical alternative: the colony catamaran.