Whilst planning our big trip around South America, there are certain species that we thought we would only get to see through splashing out on a cruise to the Antarctic. King penguin was certainly one of them. However, it turns out that we were very wrong! Reserva Natural Pingüino Rey, a private reserve located in Bahia Inútil, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, is in fact home to a breeding population of approximately 200 king penguins – the only colony in South America, outside of the Sub-Antarctic islands!1
We arrived at the reserve the evening before our scheduled visit in early February 2025, and spent a blustery night parked just outside the entrance gates. From our campervan, we spotted a few of the penguins through binoculars, and we could just about hear them squawking over the noise of the wind!
The next morning we were booked on the first tour of the day at 10 am. We opted to join the English speaking tour group – we decided that rather then practice our Spanish, this was a situation where we’d like to understand everything that was being said! Our guide was super friendly and knowledgeable, and told us all about the history of the reserve and the ecology of king penguins (see below). Then it was time to go and see them for ourselves!
The guide stayed with us throughout the tour to ensure that all visitors maintained a respectful distance and did not disturb the animals. We were taken to two different lookout points, both of which were around 50 m from the penguins (the guide told us that, by law, this is the minimum distance that you must be from king penguins in Chile!). From this distance we got a great view of the penguins, and could observe their natural behaviours. We were even lucky enough to see four young chicks! One of the first things we noticed was how much bigger the king penguins were compared with the Magellanic penguins that we had recently seen in Argentina (see our blogs on Punta Tombo and Pingüinera Punta Entrada). King penguins are the second largest penguin species on the planet and stand at around 1 m in height. We remarked at just how elegant and regal they looked, unlike their clumsier, smaller (but extremely cute and funny) cousins!
We had just under an hour to observe the penguins, take photos and ask the guide any questions we had. This felt like the perfect amount of time, as although we felt incredibly lucky to spend time watching these beautiful animals, it was very cold and windy so we were also ready to return to shelter!
About the reserve
The reserve has a really interesting history which I thought was worth summarising here. If you are interested then you can read about it in much more detail on their website2.
Historically, king penguins were present on Tierra del Fuego but became extinct in part due to the introduction of invasive land predators, such as the grey fox and American mink3. They remained extinct on Tierra de Fuego until 2010, when around 90 individuals found their way to the coast at Bahia Inútil. The landowner, Cecilia, noticed that inappropriate interactions from visitors keen to get up close to the penguins was having a significant negative impact on the survival of the king penguins. This prompted her to help protect the animals, setting up the reserve under its original name, Parque Pingüino Rey, in 2011.
The population has been steadily growing since then, thanks in part to the protection measures put in place, which have resulted in the penguins successfully reproducing. However, our guide told us that the majority of the population increase is actually down to the arrival of individuals from colonies elsewhere. Apparently, these arrivals have occured ‘accidentally’ as a result of penguins following other penguins back there from their Antarctic feeding grounds!
How to get there
It is possible to reach the reserve by car. The reserve is located around 15 km down Ruta Y-85, a gravel road that comes from Ruta 257.
When to visit
It is necessary to book your visit online a few days in advance, as they have a limited number of visitors each day. The reserve is open to visitors every day, except Monday.
Sources
- SWOOP Patagonia: https://www.swoop-patagonia.com/visit/wildlife/penguins#:~:text=A%20new%20colony%20of%20King,from%20getting%20disturbed%20or%20distressed.
- Pingüino Rey: https://www.pinguinorey.com/
- Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374288095_King_penguin_chick_mortality_related_to_predator_presence_in_Tierra_del_Fuego_Chile