South America
Argentina
Patagonia
Province of Chubut
Dos Pozos
Things to do in Dos Pozos
Punta Tombo
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Punta Tombo

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Punta Tombo
4.5
#1 of 1 things to do in Dos Pozos
Nature & Wildlife Areas
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Duration: 2-3 hours
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The area
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Restaurants
1 within 5 kms
la Antonieta Parilla
3
3 km$$ - $$$ • Grill
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,255 reviews
Excellent
1,696
Very good
466
Average
70
Poor
13
Terrible
10
Dave Unger
7 contributions
okay but ended very poorly
Mar. 2023
booked through our cruise line - a long drive - the tour was okay but when we wanted to buy souvenirs even though A LOT of the tourists spoke English there was a definite lack of understanding at the only gift shop - we wanted 3 t-shirts and tried to pay with a credit card - the clerk said the purchase did not go through because of a poor internet connection - so we paid in cash
of course because the purchase did not go through we did not get any type of receipt - but when we got home there was a charge on our credit card statement for the 3 items
we could not get in touch with the gift shop so went through the cruise line who did nothing but put up road blocks in our efforts to resolve the issue
if you take the tour use cash at the site - DO NOT use credit
Written June 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helene S
Houston, TX1,776 contributions
So nice to be able to walk along the boardwalks to see so many penguins walking, napping, and swimming in the reserve
Mar. 2023
Punta Tombo is a beautiful reserve in Argentina filled with a large colony of Magellanic penguins, the largest in Argentina. It was so nice to be able to walk along the boardwalks to see so many penguins walking, napping, sunning and swimming along the Atlantic coast.

Besides the hundreds of thousands of penguins, there is a wide variety of other wildlife and plants that can be found while exploring the reserve. Lots of other seabirds, likes gulls and shags (cormorants), rheas and guanacos. So lucky to be able to find a lot of guanacos crossing the road later in the day.

The Magellanic penguins are so cute! We saw them in Ushuaia, walked alongside them in the Falkland's at Bertha's Beach (along with lots of Gentoo penguins), but could not have imagined that there would be so many at Punta Tombo Reserve. It was like a continuous parade of penguins. The Magellanic penguins were named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted the birds in 1520.

Love their little tuxedo pattern. The adults have black backs and white abdomens with two black bands between the head and the breast. The lower band looks like an inverted horseshoe. The younger penguins have a blotchy pattern on their feet, which fades until their feet usually become all black. They use their rigid wings to swim under water. They mate for life raising one or two chicks each mating season.

We took a small group tour from Shore Excursions and our guide was fabulous! Along the way, she explained the topography and the history of the Chubut Province. Loved the maps. We were also lucky to see a huge herd of sheep crossing the highway, blocking tour buses, led by gauchos. One little straggler had to be picked up and carried across the busy road.

Would highly recommend a visit to the Punta Tombo Reserve to see penguins, guanacos and more.
Written April 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chloe S
20 contributions
Great Museum & conservation area
Mar. 2022 • Couples
The entry price was ARG $1300 per person.
The museum after buying the entrance ticker was incredible! Very interactive and visual, speaking English with little Spanish we really appreciated the translation of the museum!
Unfortunately we went at a time when 80% of the colony were out in the sea hunting, so we saw only a fraction of the colony!

The area was clean and kept really well!
The road leading down to the conservation area is bumpy and pebbly. Just be warned this is not tarmac so make sure your car is suitable.

We had a great time, there are more than just penguins guanacos, lizards, armadillos and lots of different birds!
Written March 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gatorgolfer
Knoxville, TN1,843 contributions
Great Penguin Experience
Jan. 2022
Wow....I see 2 years since last review!

We went today off our cruise ship....sunny, windy, and a 2.5 hour drive each way, plus we spent about 75 minutes with the penguins and a hour for lunch.....a full day.

They say there are a million penguins here......I know there are a lot. You walk about 20 minutes down a boardwalk to the main observing point, and there are penguins almost all the way.....not in a big noisy group, but nesting here and there, and becoming more dense as you get closer to the beach, where you will see them at the waters edge and swimming.

Great place for photographers, and a wonderful place to see penguins when they are nesting and caring for chicks..
Written January 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erin Henderson
Pyeongtaek, South Korea48 contributions
Fantastic Experience, Worth the Drive
Dec. 2020 • Couples
We decided last minute to make the trip from Buenos Aries when I saw images of these guys online. Although a bit of a hike to get down here, it was totally worth it! Spend a few hours just enjoying the beautiful weather and observing the penguins in their habitat. They aren’t afraid of people and will often walk right by you on the walking trails, so cute!
Written December 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LazyDays4Us
Noosa, Australia331 contributions
Magellanic Penguins with chicks showing off
Feb. 2020
Worth the long trip out and 20km of dirt & gravel road. Total about 2.5 hours These little ones are ready to delight. Some great photos here. Enjoy
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GlynisRae
Sydney, Australia76 contributions
Getting back to the ship - although they are trying hard.
Feb. 2020 • Friends
Punta Tumbo and Peninsular Valdes Wild life, Puerto Mardyrn, ship Tour.
Well that’s one day l’ll never get back!
It does say 5.5 hours travelling .... and it was - with no aircon in the bus. When we got there, we saw about 10 Magallenic penguins. The elephant seals are so far away you needed very good binoculars to see the main group. We saw about 5 from 200-300 metres away!
The long drive over dirt road with a guide who was very hard to understand, was not worth the significant cost.
Stay in town, shop and drink/eat in the restaurants. We wish we had!
**Do the Volunteer Point Falklands Penguins - you see thousands all together (King (1,000’s), 100’s Magallenic & 100’s Gentoo) at The Falkland Islands. Patrick Watts Tour was great. Really great (also a long drive .... but worth it).
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mktpro99
West Palm Beach, FL1,290 contributions
Worth the drive
Feb. 2020
It is a 2.5 hour drive from the cruise ships. Lots of,penguins, many walk right near you. It is about a mile walk to the end of the path and worth it. Many penguins sit by the ocean...great pictures. Need about two hours for the round trip walk and photos.
Written February 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue M
Williamsburg, VA1,469 contributions
So Many Penguins!
Dec. 2019
If you decide to take a cruise around the coast of South America & one of your port stops is Puerto Madryn, you must arrange to go on a tour of Punta Tombo. Punta Tombo is the largest rookery of Magellanic penguins. Most do penguin tours on the Falklands but if the seas are rough, sometimes the Falklands port is skipped. It is a very long drive from Puerto Madryn so figure at least an eight hour day. We chose to do the excursion w/ the cruise line to avoid missing the ship @ the end of the tour. As it so happened, we left earlier than the stated time and we just barely got back @ 3:40 PM (with the ship departing @ 4:00 PM). Well worth the long drive. Penguins are everywhere. There’s a nice boardwalk to walk on, there’s a couple of steep areas, but all in all manageable. You want to walk to the very end so you can see thousands of penguins on the beach. You will see penguin nests, maybe catch the sight of a baby chick. If the penguin is crossing the boardwalk, he has the right of way, you must stop for him to cross. There are good, clean bathroom facilities and a nice restaurant. Lunch was included for our excursion. We had grilled steak, salad, & flan for dessert. Each couple split a bottle of Malbec. Needless to say, most of us were asleep for the ride back!
Written December 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ochlophobic
melbourne201 contributions
Excellent penguin rookery, long trip from Puerto Madryn
Jan. 2019 • Couples
We chose the Punta Tombo excursion as a non NCL excursion from Puerto Madryn when on a cruise. We were late leaving, waiting for a booked family to find the minibus parked at the town end of the wharf. It is a long drive to Punta Tombo, and while our guide gave us a good time to see the penguins, which was very good, the driver had to travel faster on the gravel road sections than might be considered safe. We arrived back about 30 minutes before the deadline for boarding but it would only have needed a flat tire or road closure to have caused us to miss our ship.
There were plenty of penguins to see from the boardwalks and vistas along the barren beach.
Written April 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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PUNTA TOMBO - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Punta Tombo