Penguin colony in Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego - Far from mass tourism

The southernmost part of South America, known as Tierra Del Fuego is a natural miracle in itself with steep mountains rising straight from the sea, hiding turquoise lagunas and breathtaking mountain forests behind them.

Around 60km from Tierra Del Fuego capital Ushuaia, lives also a penguin colony measured in thousands of penguins during the high season. The colony is accessible by boat from Ushuaia.

The colony consists of two species of penguins: the Magellanic penguin and Gentoo penguin.

Many of the penguins had just finished gathering a fat layer in order to survive the long swim up north to Brazilian coast or down to Antarctica. The extra layer of fat made them clumsy on the land and many penguins decided to lay down instead of standing because of the gained weight.

Both penguin species use the islands as a nesting place, which made me suspicious of the ethical side of the penguin safari. Penguins dig their nests in the ground and once the babies are born, they guard the entrance of the nest day and night.

However the amount of visitors is strictly limited: only 40 visitors visit the islands for one hour per day. The safari route was lined with ropes in order to keep visitors away from the nesting site and there were strict orders from the accompanying guides not to approach the penguins and to keep the distance in 3 meters. Both humans and penguins have been in the islands for more than a hundred years, which was apparent from the behaviour of the penguins. They barely noticed the humans, crossing the lined path on their way to the sea to hunt fish without any concerns regarding humans. Nor was there any behaviour expressing fear or agression visible.

A question at least I asked myself is, why this isolated colony is not declared as natural reserve. According to our guides the island has belonged to the same family for more than 150 years, way before the penguins arrived, and because the island is private property, it cannot be declared as natural reserve. In proximity of the ranch of the family that owns the islands is also located a marine laboratory, one of the leading places to study naval life in the world. During the trip, we also visited the museum in where the scientists provided us with stunning amount of information about the South American marine life.

All in all, despite my obvious concerns the safari managed both to provide an amazing experience for the visitors as well as to protect the unique, vulnerable marine environment in a way rarely combined in wildlife safaris.

I don't claim to be an expert in ethical wildlife tourism, so everything i witnessed express only my personal opinions. I am glad to receive both feedback and commentaries regarding what I told. For me the number one priority will always be the safety and convenience of the wildlife observed.