Seeing the Martillo Island penguins on a cruise stop in Ushuaia
Many visitors reach Ushuaia by ship and get a single day ashore. Two of the three Martillo Island tours take about five hours and start in town. The full day with the walk runs longer and is a gamble when an all-aboard time is waiting.
Two tours that fit a day in port
A cruise call in Ushuaia gives you a fixed window ashore, and any penguin trip to Martillo Island takes a large share of it. The island lies in the Beagle Channel roughly 85 km (53 miles) east of town, so there is no quick hop out and back.
Canoero's catamaran and Explore Tierra del Fuego's small boat each take about 5 hours and start in Ushuaia itself. Azul Latina's full day with the walk takes about 8 hours, which is a different matter on a port day.
| Tour | Length | Starts from | Lands on the island | Price per person | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran (Canoero) | About 5 hours | Tourist dock, Av. Prefectura Naval Argentina 410 | No | ~$230 | Free up to 24 hours before |
| Small boat (Explore Tierra del Fuego) | About 5 hours | Pres. Julio Argentino Roca 138 | No | ~$150 | Free up to 24 hours before |
| Walk (Azul Latina) | About 8 hours | Tourist Port, Ushuaia | Yes, about one hour | ~$530 | Non-refundable on GetYourGuide |
The catamaran from the tourist pier
Canoero's catamaran at ~$230 leaves from the tourist dock at Av. Prefectura Naval Argentina 410, in town. It runs morning and afternoon departures, and one reviewer took the 3:00 pm boat.
The route crosses Ushuaia Bay past Bird Island and Sea Lion Island. It circles Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, then sails east to Martillo Island. You watch the colony from the deck, since the catamaran does not land.
Allow time at the start. One reviewer queued at the ticket desk on the pier to swap the QR code from the booking for a paper ticket, and another advises getting there 45 minutes ahead to claim a good spot on board.
A five-hour penguin trip from the pier
Canoero's catamaran starts at the tourist dock in town and takes about 5 hours, with free cancellation until 24 hours before. You see the penguins from the deck, with no landing on the island.
The small boat via Puerto Almanza
Explore Tierra del Fuego's small boat at ~$150 also takes about 5 hours. It meets at Pres. Julio Argentino Roca 138 in Ushuaia, then drives about 1.5 hours along Route 3 and Route J to the fishing village of Puerto Almanza.
Roughly 1.5 hours on the water follow, with up to 15 people on board, and then the van back to town. One reviewer counted about 30 minutes at the penguins themselves, watched from the boat.
The meeting point is fixed and there is no pickup, so you make your own way there from the ship. Our guide to the Puerto Almanza boats describes the day in more detail.
On a port day the fixed start matters. If the ship docks late, a missed van cannot be caught up further down the road, since the boat leaves from a village 1.5 hours away.
Why the walk is a gamble with a ship to catch
Azul Latina's full day with the walk at ~$530 is the only one of the three that sets you on Martillo Island. It takes about 8 hours, and the agency confirms whether you join the 8:30 am or the 10:30 am departure only after booking.
That combination is hard to square with an all-aboard time. You don't know your start when you pay, and on GetYourGuide the booking is non-refundable, so a clash with the ship costs the full price.
If your ship stays from early morning until late evening, ask the agency about timings before you commit. Otherwise our walk-or-boat guide and the page on the hour ashore help you decide whether the landing is the part you can't skip.
An excursion bought through the cruise line is usually timed around the ship. An independent tour runs on its own clock, and the ship won't hold its departure for a boat that comes back late.
Leave a margin before all-aboard
We suggest a margin of a couple of hours between the planned end of the tour and the time you need to be back on board. That is our advice, not a rule from any operator.
A five-hour tour that starts in the morning leaves room for a late return and the walk back to the ship. An afternoon departure on the same day leaves far less, so check it against your ship's hours before booking.
Work out the times from the schedule in your own cruise documents, since port calls vary from ship to ship. Our price guide lists what each tour includes, which helps when you compare with the excursions sold on board.
Count the trip from the ship to the meeting point as well. Finding the right desk or address in an unfamiliar town takes longer than a map suggests.
When the wind has other plans
Wind on the Beagle Channel can call off a sailing, and on a port day there is no spare day to fall back on. The ship won't wait for a later departure either, so a cancelled boat may mean no penguins on this visit.
The catamaran and the small boat cancel free up to 24 hours before, which lets you react to a bad forecast. Our guide to wind cancellations explains what each tour offers when a boat stays in port.
Dress for the deck whatever the sky looks like from the ship. The packing guide covers layers, and the best-time guide shows which part of the penguin year your cruise falls in.