Estancia Harberton, the farm on the way to Martillo Island
Estancia Harberton is the old farm where the boats to the Martillo Island penguins set out, roughly 85 km east of Ushuaia. Only the walking tour stops there. This page covers its museum of bones, the Tuesday closure, the entry fee and the road out.
A farm at the edge of the channel
Estancia Harberton is the farm on the shore of the Beagle Channel where the boats to Martillo Island set out. The island sits just off its coast, about 15 minutes away by rigid inflatable boat.
The estancia was founded in 1886 by the missionary Thomas Bridges. It is often called the oldest estancia in Argentine Tierra del Fuego, and the buildings still sit low against the water and the wind.
For a visitor on a penguin day, Harberton is a stop rather than a destination. You pass through it on the way to the island, and what you see there depends on your tour and on the day of the week.
Why only the walking tour comes here
Only one operator holds the licence to land visitors on Martillo Island, and its boats leave from Harberton. That is why the estancia appears on Azul Latina Travel's full day at ~$530 and nowhere on the boat-only tours.
The catamaran from Ushuaia and the small boat from Puerto Almanza both watch the colony from the water. Neither calls at the estancia, so if the farm and its museum matter to you, the walking day is the one that includes them.
The walk itself lasts about an hour on foot among gentoo and Magellanic penguins, with a guide setting the pace. Our account of the hour ashore covers it in detail, while this page sticks to the farm and the road there.
The museum of bones
The part of Harberton that reviewers remember is a small museum of marine mammal and bird skeletons, run with the help of volunteers. One reviewer on the walking tour wrote about a room full of whale bones and the people who explained them.
It makes a quiet, slightly odd stop before or after the penguins. Skeletons laid out in a farm building give a sense of scale to the animals you may spot on the channel, from sea lions to the occasional whale.
The tour 1 listing includes the estancia museum only if it is open. Entry is not part of the fare, which leads to the two things to plan around.
Tuesdays and the entry fee
Both walking-tour listings we read say Estancia Harberton is closed on Tuesdays. If your walk falls on a Tuesday, expect to pass the farm without going inside, and look at the booking calendar before you settle on a date.
When the estancia is open and you go in, the entry fee is 60,000 Argentine pesos per person, paid separately from the tour. The listing says the amount can change, so bring a margin and ask the agency how they expect you to pay.
A second extra applies to the whole day. The port fee of 6,000 Argentine pesos per person also sits outside the fare, as our breakdown of what each tour costs shows next to the other two options.
One reviewer wished there had been coffee at Harberton. Nothing in the listing promises a café, so eat before you leave Ushuaia and carry water and a snack for the day.
The only tour that stops at Harberton
Azul Latina's day adds the estancia, the hour among the penguins and a cruise on the channel. It is non-refundable on GetYourGuide, so fix your dates before you pay.
The road out from Ushuaia
By road, Harberton sits roughly 85 km (53 miles) east of Ushuaia. The way follows National Route 3 and then Route J, and the last stretch is a dirt road, so the drive feels longer than the distance.
On the walking tour, one leg of the day is by road and the other by boat. The 8:30 am departure drives out first and sails back after the walk, while the 10:30 am departure cruises out first and drives home.
The agency confirms which of the two you get after booking. If you have a preference, mention it when you send your passport details, but expect the final call to be theirs.
Route J also leads to Puerto Almanza, the fishing village where the small-boat tour starts. Our page on small boats from Puerto Almanza explains that option, which watches the penguins from the water instead of landing.
What the channel adds on the way
The boat leg of the walking day follows the classic route along the channel. It passes two islets named for their birds and their sea lions, then rounds Les Eclaireurs lighthouse on its rock close to town.
Imperial cormorants crowd the rocks out there, and South American sea lions haul out to rest beside them. The photo below shows the kind of scene the boat slows down for.
On one trip, a reviewer had dolphins circling the boat. Treat that as luck rather than a plan, since wildlife on the channel is never guaranteed, and our guide to who lives on Martillo Island lists what you might see.
Is Harberton a reason to pick tour 1?
On its own, probably not. The walk among the penguins is what you pay ~$530 for, against ~$230 for the catamaran, and the estancia is a bonus that depends on the weekday.
If history and natural science interest you, the farm and its bones turn a penguin outing into a fuller day. If you only want penguins at a lower price, a boat does that, and our walk-or-boat comparison sets out the trade.
Either way, plan around the wind, which decides every sailing on the channel. Our page on the best time for a Martillo Island tour covers the weeks when both species are present and the days to avoid.