Wade ashore on Isla Martillo — the only place in Argentine Tierra del Fuego where you can walk freely among Magellanic AND Gentoo penguins. Access is strictly controlled, making this the region's most exclusive wildlife encounter.
What to expect
A Zodiac skiff ferries you across the glassy channel to Martillo, where rangers guide you along marked paths through tuxedoed colonies just arm's-length away. Back at the estancia, a bilingual naturalist unpacks the island's extraordinary history — from indigenous Yaghan culture to Charles Darwin's journals. The Acatushún museum houses the world's largest collection of southern ocean marine-mammal fossils. You finish with tea or mate on the estancia's wraparound porch as Andean condors wheel overhead.
Good to know
Permits sell out weeks in advance — book the moment your port day is confirmed. The estancia is ~85 km east of Ushuaia; private transfers can be arranged. Landing is weather-dependent. All-aboard times in Ushuaia are typically late afternoon, giving comfortable margin for a full-day visit.
Sail there
Luxury cruises that call at Cockburn And Beagle Channels — book through us, the fare is identical and your concierge stays on your side.