Although the Otway penguin reserve has 10,000 penguins at the time we arrived most had left. It was very windy and we had to wait a while to see the 3 magellanic penguins battling their way through 50 knot seas to get back to shore.They are plucky little birds. More

About a 1 hour drive from Punta Arenas, mostly because it is accessed primarily via a winding dirt road off of highway 9. Road starts just past the airport heading north and is indicated by a sign that only says “Pinguineros”, not Seno Otway. There some kind of road toll/car entry fee of ChP 1,500/person a few kilometers before you... More

We were thrilled to see the penguins walking out of the water and trundling up the beach, darting in and out of burrows and generally being cute. You get really close up views, good photo opportunities and it is a lovely experience. The downside is that there are heaps of people around and all the bus companies give you a... More

You can see they coming back from long sea trips, and the warm welcome of the family when they meet again. They are playful and expressive. The wind is VERY chilly and strong. The whole thing is marvelous and worth coming to this world's end to see. Yo can never see anything like this in a zoo or wildlife reserve.... More

We went in February so there were still penguins in residence. The checks were getting their adult "feathers" and molting their juvenille feathers.It took an expensive taxi ride to get there but well worth it when you consider your chance to visit a penguin reserve in a natural setting. You are able to get quite close to the penguins. You... More

A must near Punta Arenas. We rejoiced watching penguins go in and out of the water, and walk alongside, half a meter away from us! We even got to see some Flamingoes and Ñandues (Patagonian Ostriches), near the Reserve! We rented a car in Punta Arenas, and went on our own! If you do this, you can perfectly well go... More

Fine if this is the only place you are going to see penguins. We booked with Solo Expediciones and would not recommend them. They told us to go to the office so we took a cab - $10USD- and they were not expecting us. Looked rather shocked to see us. They called someone to come get us from the cruise... More

From Punta Arenas it's about 67 KM to Otway Sound, most of it over dirt road (travel time about 90 minutes each way). It's definitely worth it. There's a good board walk that takes you out to the Colony, and some small towers (about one story tall) that you can climb. The Magellanic Penguins are a delight, in pairs with... More

Timing is everything when planning your trip to Otway Sound to see the penguins. We saw a few penguins on our visit in early March but the locals kept telling us "you should have been here last week ... there were thousands of penguins here". There is a sizable walk from the parking lot to the viewing area but it... More