It is a 2 hour trip from Puerto Madryn to punta Tombo, but the reserve is very interesting, You are able to walk along the different trails , the Penguins are so noisy calling each other to nest, but they and also friendly to take pictures (but do not touch them)It is a 20 minutes walk to the shore where the colony is bigger and you can see them swimming. One comment there is no WIFI or internet so be prepared to pay lunch in cash

Amazing experience with wild nature of Peninsula Valdes and his history with really professional guide and stuff that's work there.

I would not recommend it at all! Apart from the local flora we saw very little. If the period is not recommended then they should not offer this kind of tour because it is really a waste of money and time. It has been completely different from what was in the description. In particular: - I had requested the tour to be in English and the tour operator kept speaking in Spanish despite me asking to translate. He said only 2/3 sentences in English and I could tell it wasn’t the full explanation he had given in Spanish. So, I didn’t understand almost anything as I don’t speak good Spanish. - The description stated that the access to the Peninsula Valdes is approx. 650 ARS but we had to pay 2800 ARS per person - Before the trip started we asked the tour operator if we needed cash to pay in restaurants and shops and he assured us that we could use credit cards, but this wasn’t the case and we couldn’t even have lunch because we didn’t have cash as we had to pay the high amount to enter the Peninsula - The description didn’t really specify what we could do if we hadn’t purchased the wale experience so we assumed that there were other activities in place or a trip back to the hotel. But when we got to Punto Piramides in the afternoon, we were told we had to wait in the bus for 2 hours which is unacceptable. So, we had to go back to the hotel with a taxi which cost us 10500 ARS. - Also, there were basically no animals. The very few we could see were so far away that we couldn’t even tell what they were. It felt like we have wasted our money and I don’t even understand what the price I paid included besides the transport as I wasn’t provided with what I was supposed to receive. I don't recommend this experience to anyone as my experience was so bad that I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience the same. I send a complaint on August 18 and I'm still waiting to hear a final answer from them despite the many follow-ups.

We did this as a shore excursion and we booked it directly with El Pedral. The El Pedral team at the Puerto Madryn port were well signed and we found our way to our guide, Rodrigo who directed s to the small 'bus we went touring within. Rodrigo was well spoken and an excellent guide giving us great information on the excursion. We saw some wildlife on the journey to El Pedral property. Our first stop was to observe a small nmber of Elephant Seals laying below our cliff top observation point and then we proceeded to the area of the light house. Then came the reason for our journey - the walk, maybe 1500m or more, to the area where the penguins were located. First we saw moulting birds and then more and more and finally we reached the pebble beach where there were many penguins close to the line of surf. A few walked close to us while we stood upon the beach. After we returned to our bus we went to the El Pedral buildings where we had a lunch which included Argentinian style BBQed lamb and wine. This was the best excursion we have ever been on in our 6 cruises.

We had a great time visiting the penguins. It was an amazing experience walking and sitting on the beach with them. New born chicks were very cute. The overall experience with El Pedral Penguin Colony Tour was outstanding.

We were met on the dock by 2 guides and taken to the buses. Had a great drive out to El Pedral, seeing llamas and reals en route. Rodrigo also made mate for everyone to try. Went to see the penguins. Be warned that there is quite a long walk from the bus to the beach, but you will see lots of penguins on the way. You will then be taken by bus for lunch. Only negative was that we had to wait on the bus at the port for over an hour, waiting dor people to disembark as they had decided beforehand who should be on each bus. Might be better to just fill up a bus and go and let the stragglers wait for the other latecomers.

This was an amazing trip. Our guide and driver were great. They answered our questions, gave us history and pointed out animals with stops to take photos before we got to the ranch. They discussed all the amazing features of each We had no idea when we booked the trip that the penguin colony was on the ranch's private property. The daily visitors were limited, so it was really private. We were able to go on Christmas which was great as well. Make sure your batteries are fully charged as you will take a ton of photos The only issue was that the brochure did not mention footwear and photos depicted people in sandals. Please do not do this.... it is hard to walk on the rock beach. I'd suggest a light weight hiking shoe or at least tennis shoes.

The boat ride to see the toninas was cheaper to book during the day trip (about a third of rhe online trip advisor option price) and well worth doing as the boat ride itself was comfortable and we saw many toninas. The penguin colony is a must see as this is the largest accessible colony anywhere. Our guide was very good but was let down by not having a working microphone which made listening to her difficult on the often bumpy and noisy minivan drive.

In November we saw many toninas y penguins, it is an excellent time of the year to see and observe the wild animals. The tour is best appreciated when also choosing the option to watch dolphins. Otherwise it can be a boring 1,5 hours to wait around for the return of those who chose the dolphin tour.

I visited penguin island in 22 March 2019 .The Beagle Channel is worth experience.Getting close to nature at the bottom of the world to Martillo Island from Ushuaia, and walk with the penguins in their natural colonies was the most interesting trip. visiting penguin island was incredible. This is the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life.

We actually signed up for this tour aboard the NCL Sun on our way from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Punta Tombo Penguin Sanctuary was one of the highlights of our trip. Learned all about penguins and other bird and animal life in this area.Traveled directly from the pier to the sanctuary and back. Petrels & orcas kill penguins in water, foxes and sea gulls on land. Most young are born end of November. Now month old. Lay two eggs and parents mate for life. Can live 30 years. Some tagged and have GPS tracker. Eat anchovies. Regurgitate fish for young. Trails run about a half mile from the parking area and are well marked. Five bridges allow penguins to move under the trail system so they are able to reach the sea unimpeded. Estimated one million penguins use this sanctuary. Guanacos, related to camels, also use this area. Allows up close and personal views of penguins and young in their home environment.

Our bilingual guide Juan was excellent, very knowledgeable. He made our trip an unforgettable experience. We didn’t get to do the whale watching (January is out of whale season), but nevertheless it was so worth it. We got to see sea lions, sea elephants and penguins. Also guanacos (similar to lamas), patagonic hares, armadillos, patagonic ostriches, owls... Our driver was also very good, and would be very attentive for wild animals, pointing them out to us, stopping or going very slowly to take pictures. Our van was comfortable, with good A/C. A wonderful day. Note: even if the weather may seem hot in Madryn, do take a jacket, as it may get very windy (and thus cold) momentarily.

This was a full day with interesting and amazing experiences. We went to the bird's Island. Then we went to the Museum to get some Information about the flora and Fauna. We continued to Puerto Piramides. We went on a whale watching tour where we still saw some whales, although it was late in season. We went with Bottazi, who did a great job. We weent on to Caleta Valdes, where we saw Elephant seals, sea lions, penguins and several other birds species and a wonderful landscape. At last we got to the Northern Point where we saw more animals. On our way we saw guanacos aand owls and Patagonian ostriches. Cesar die a great Job drivingg and giving a bunch of infor,´mation.

Our guide, Juan, was excellent and gave us a wonderful tour. There were 4 of us plus Juan and the vehicle used only held 5 people. We were so crowded in the Car that one person got out and did not go. We have never had a problem like this with any other company.

I did the full day tour and chose to do the optional whale watching tour. My day was amazing, my bilingual guide was fantastic, and we saw Southern Right Whales on the boat trip. On land we saw many birds, including penguins, and several mammals. I've talked to a number of people who took shorter tours of the Peninsula and were disappointed. While this tour's length makes for a long day, I think this makes for a more rewarding experience. My guide was a local who talked about the history and culture of the area as well as the nature we were seeing, and she made sure we were as comfortable as possible during our long trip. Highly recommended.