Visit in the season
The colony is only occupied from spring to autumn (September to April). Outside those months the penguins are at sea and the headland is empty.
Punta Tombo
Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina
On a bony headland on the Patagonian coast, hundreds of thousands of Magellanic penguins dig their burrows across the dry scrub — one of the largest colonies of any penguin anywhere, and the biggest on the South American mainland.
The great colony
A city of burrows
Each spring, Magellanic penguins return from the Atlantic to the same patch of Patagonian coast, re-opening the burrows they scrape under the bushes and between the tussocks. At its peak the colony holds hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs, spread across a reserve of low scrub that runs right down to the sea.
Marked trails and low walkways wind between the nests, so visitors move through the heart of the colony while the penguins commute past on their own worn paths to the water. It is a noisy, dusty, utterly alive place — the braying calls carry across the whole headland.
Sep–Aprthe breeding season, when the colony is active
Nov–Janchicks in the burrows
Magellanicthe species that nests here
Trelewthe nearest town and airport
Plan your visit
Watching well at Punta Tombo
Punta Tombo is a reserve on the open coast — most visitors come on a day trip from the Chubut towns.
Keep to the trails
The ground is riddled with burrows and penguins have right of way where the trails cross their paths — stop and let them pass rather than stepping off the track.
Go early
Morning light is kinder and the birds are most active before the midday heat. The site can be busy with tour groups later in the day.
Base in Puerto Madryn
Most visits run as a day excursion from Puerto Madryn or Trelew, often combined with the wildlife of the Valdés Peninsula.
Keep exploring
More places to see penguins
Punta Tombo is one of many wild shores where penguins come ashore. Follow them around the globe.
Where to see penguins