Bahia Inutil | Punta Arenas
The only place in South America to see King Penguins
Way down in the south of Chile, a colony of King Penguins has settled near the town of Punta Arenas. For those who cannot afford to travel to the Falkland Islands or the other sub-antarctic islands, this is a unique chance to see these birds while travelling in South America.
In Patagonia, there are several places to see penguins. The most popular amongst visitors, as it is the easiest to find, is the Magellanic Penguin. These are pretty common and can be seen in many locations throughout the continent, including Ushuaïa, Puerto Madryn, and Chiloe Island.
The
In this article, we will share our best tips to get to the King Penguins, with or without a tour, while keeping the cost as low as possible.
How to visit?
- Self-Drive – Rent a Car
- Join a day tour to Bahia Inutil
Where to Stay?
- Hostel Entre Vientos – this is the only place we would recommend in Punta Arenas
The King Penguins of Tierra Del Fuego
In South America, researchers have demonstrated that King Penguins have been visiting the shores of Tierra del Fuego for hundreds of years, but none had been seen settling in this area until recently. King Penguins are usually a species found only in the subantarctic islands, which means a very long and expensive trip/cruise is usually the norm to go see these birds…
But lucky us (and you), a colony has set up camp in Useless Bay (Bahia Inutile) since 2010. In fact, that year, the first group of 8 arrived in Bahia Inutil and stayed for the entire breeding season before migrating and eventually returning the following years.
To support the group that now consists of more than 40 individuals, a national park has been created. Under its protection, their numbers have increased and the King Penguins of Bahia Inutil breed and give birth at the same place each year.
Where else can you see King Penguins in the world?
There are other islands where the King Penguins can be seen. The largest colony is actually found on Crozet Island, a French island in the Southern Ocean. King Penguins also inhabit Kerguelen (FR), Macquarie (AU) and Prince Edward I
How to visit the King Penguin Park in Bahia Inutil
There aren’t many ways to get to Bahia Inutil. This bay is quite remote and can only be accessed through a dirt road starting in Porvenir, a small town along the Magellan Strait. If you visit, you will more than likely be based in Punta Arenas the largest city in Southern Chile. From Porvenir, you can either drive to Bahia Inutil or join a guided tour.
Join a tour
Joining a Tour to see the King Penguins in Chile is probably the simplest option. There are many companies offering a one-day excursion from Punta Arenas to King Penguin Park and back. The tours usually start early to make sure everybody has been picked up at their hostel before driving to catch the morning ferry run by Austral Bloom, which will take you to the other side of the Magellan Strait and to the town of
Once in Porvenir, the tour will stop in this little town to visit a museum about the region. From there, your
Because the ferry timetable is quite limited, the tour will have to drive all the way around the Magellan Strait. This should take a minimum of 5 hours to return you to Punta Arenas late at night.
It is an excellent solution for wildlife enthusiasts who do not want to drive on dirt roads.
Rent a Car
If you want to take your time and spend more than an hour at the park, we would recommend renting a car in Punta Arenas.
This can be done online or directly in town. You will need to provide a credit card and a driving license. If your card includes rental car insurance, you WON’T be obliged to take a liability reduction (like in many other countries), although if your credit card doesn’t cover it, we can only recommend opting for it with the rental company. Driving on gravel roads can be dangerous.
It is best to rent a 4WD as the road to the “Parque Pinguino del Rey” is in really bad shape with potholes and
By renting a car, you will have to buy your ferry tickets, so it is best to be early. The cost of the ferry to cross with a car includes the fee of the driver but you will have to also pay for each other person in the car.
If you want to rent a car in advance, we would recommend using Discover Cars. The best part about Discover Cars is that you get full coverage insurance for less than €7 a day! You can also compare all the companies in the market, choose the type of car you want and see all the most recent customer reviews before making a booking. On the website, you can easily narrow your search price to find the best deal within your budget.
BEST ONLINE CAR RENTAL COMPARATOR – DISCOVER CARS
When booking a rental car in Chile online, we recommend using Discover Cars because they offer Full coverage for less than €7. It is one of the best rental car comparators out there!
Crossing the Magellan Strait
The ferry from Punta Arenas to Porvenir takes about 2 hours. And if the season and the weather condition allow it, it is the perfect occasion to look for marine wildlife. From the deck, you will more than likely see the short black and white Peale’s dolphin and birds such as the storm petrel, cormorant and potentially albatrosses.
If lucky and with a good eye, you may even spot whales. During the austral
We were lucky to see two sei and a few minke whales but no orcas or dolphins, unfortunately.
RELATED | How to see 1 Million penguins in Punta Tombo, Argentina
The King Penguin Park | our experience
We arrived at the natural reserve, Parque Pingüino Rey, around
We only stayed a couple of hours but that was enough to get an idea of the place and learn about the penguins. The park has placed limitations on visitors and set up observation points about 40 m away from where the colony was gathered.
A chance for us to see…the pictures don’t give the place or the birds justice. At this period of the year (end of February), the chicks are already well-grown but are still wearing their hairy brown fur contrasting with their parent’s suit-like feathers. We noticed a few were monitored by scientists as they had small trackers on their backs.
Where to stay in Punta Arenas
When we arrived in Punta Arenas we searched for accommodation everywhere. We had not booked anything but made a list of places found on Hostelworld. We carried our bags and walked up, down and around. But it seemed that all the places we had researched online and through our apps were either closed, incredibly expensive, or full of workers. Not exactly the chilled and relaxed backpacker place we were expecting.
It was a very strange place for our first day in Chile. Everything seemed new and different from Argentina. Some hostels were open, but literally, nobody was around to check us in. We ended up going to the last place we had on our list, a dingy party hostel… We barely had a choice so when the manager warned us that people were partying until late at night we faked a big smile saying that was no issue.
Penguins in South America!
If you are interested in seeing more penguins in South America, we have a dedicated article that lists all the places you can see the birds. From the Magellanic to the Humboldt and Galapagos penguins, you will get a full overview of all the places to add to your bucket list and how to get there!
> Click Here to read out dedicated article
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About the Author
Jen is the Funder, Author & Photographer behind Talesfromthelens.comJen has lived for the past 15 years across Oceania and Ireland while also travelling in Latin America, North America, and Europe. She has visited more than 65 countries and set foot on every continent in the world! She is a coffee nerd, passionate about photography, wildlife, and outdoor activities.
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