Six sailings leaving from the Ushuaia tourist port, from a 3-hour run out to Les Eclaireurs at US$70 to a 5-6 hour catamaran day that reaches the Isla Martillo penguins at US$240.
Updated 29 October 2026
For a first channel trip with time on land: 4 hours on a 15-metre yacht with up to 25 passengers, Spanish and English speaking guides, a walk on Isla Bridges and cafeteria service with coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
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For travellers whose priority is the colony: 5 hours of navigation towards Martillo Island with a local professional guide, the boarding tax and an air-conditioned vehicle included, hotel pick-up and food left out.
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The longest day on the water at 5-6 hours, on catamarans built in 2018 and 2019, with all fees and taxes, a restroom on board and a route past Isla de los Pájaros, Les Eclaireurs, Gable Island and Martillo Island.
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The shortest run at 3 hours, for a half-day slot: Bird Island, a short walk on Karelo Island and the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, with all fees and taxes included and no cafeteria service on board.
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For travellers staying away from the port: a 4-hour tour with hotel pick-up and drop-off, coach or minivan transport, a professional guide and 3 hours of navigation past Les Eclaireurs, Isla de Lobos and Isla de Pájaros.
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The lowest-priced way to see Martillo Island from the water: 5.5 hours on a catamaran with heating and bathrooms, a bilingual Spanish and English guide and the port fee included, hotel transfer not.
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All six sailings on this page leave from the port area on Avenida Prefectura Naval Argentina and stay on sheltered water. Darwin described the channel as roughly 120 miles long with an average breadth of about two miles, which is why these are inland-waterway trips rather than open-sea crossings. The common part of the route takes in Isla de los Pájaros, with Magellanic and Imperial cormorants, Isla de los Lobos for the sea lions, and the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse about 20 km from town, where the boats turn.
Two lighthouses get mixed up constantly. Les Eclaireurs is the small red and white tower the boats circle, and the 4-hour minitrekking itinerary dates it to 1919. The Faro del Fin del Mundo stands on Isla de los Estados, more than 200 km away and out of reach on a day trip; the replica at the Museo Maritimo in Ushuaia is as close as a day visitor gets.
Setting foot on land is the main difference between the short options. The 4-hour Navigation with Minitrekking disembarks at Isla Bridges, where an interpretation trail covers flora and birds and passes the largest Yamana shell middens in the region, plus a viewpoint looking back at the city. The 3-hour lighthouse sailing includes a short walk on Karelo Island. On the other four you stay on board throughout.
Penguins mean a longer day on the water. Isla Martillo, about 90 km from Ushuaia on the eastern channel, holds the penguin colony the boats from town visit, with Magellanic and Gentoo birds present from October to April and fewer of them at the very start and end of that window. Three sailings here reach it: the 5-hour Martillo Island boat trip at US$230, the 5-6 hour catamaran at US$240 and the 5.5-hour islands and penguins cruise at US$167. The island is a protected reserve, and on these sailings the birds are watched from the water rather than on foot.
Boats sail year round and the weather changes faster than the schedule does. Cold and wind are constant, summer averages run about 10-15°C with up to 18 hours of daylight, winter sits between 1°C and 6°C, and sun, rain and snow can all turn up in one day. Cancellations of channel sailings are announced officially by the Prefectura Naval Argentina, so plan the navigation early in your stay and you still have another day to sail if the first one is called off.
First time in Ushuaia with one slot free: take the 4-hour Navigation with Minitrekking, US$100, 4.8 ★ (724 reviews). Groups are capped at 25 passengers on two 15-metre yachts, which lets the boats approach the islands closely, and the trip finishes on foot on Isla Bridges. The guides work in Spanish and English, and the only catering is cafeteria service with coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
Half a day and nothing more: the 3-hour Navigation Beagle Canal to the Lighthouse, US$70, 4.6 ★ (42 reviews), covers Bird Island, a short walk on Karelo Island and Les Eclaireurs, with all fees and taxes included. Cafeteria service is not part of it, so eat before you board.
Wildlife first, October to April: the 5.5-hour cruise at US$167, 4.0 ★ (85 reviews), reaches Martillo Island with a bilingual Spanish and English guide, port fee included and a catamaran with heating and bathrooms. If you would rather have all fees and taxes covered and a longer route taking in Gable Island and the view across to Puerto Williams, the 5-6 hour catamaran at US$240, 4.2 ★ (127 reviews), does that, with private transportation left out.
Guided colony visit with the paperwork handled: the 5-hour Martillo Island boat trip at US$230, 4.3 ★ (115 reviews), includes a local professional guide, the boarding tax and an air-conditioned vehicle. Hotel pick-up and drop-off, gratuities, food and drinks are not included, and you exchange your tickets at the Canoero box office 30 minutes before the scheduled time.
No transport sorted and a hotel away from the waterfront: the 4-hour Navigation to Beagle Channel and Sea Lions Island at US$141, 4.2 ★ (65 reviews), includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, a professional guide and transport by coach or minivan, with 3 hours of that on the water. The boarding fee is paid separately.
| Tour | Length | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigation with Minitrekking | 4 h | US$100 | ★ 4.8 (724) |
| Martillo Island Penguin Colony Boat Trip | 5 h | US$230 | ★ 4.3 (115) |
| Catamaran with Penguins in Isla Martillo | 5–6 h | US$240 | ★ 4.2 (127) |
| Navigation to the Lighthouse | 3 h | US$70 | ★ 4.6 (42) |
| Sea Lions Island Cruise with Transfers | 4 h | US$141 | ★ 4.2 (65) |
| Islands and Penguins Catamaran Cruise | 5.5 h | US$167 | ★ 4.0 (85) |
Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 29 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.
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Departure times and current prices sit on the operator's page for each sailing; most travellers do well starting with the 4-hour navigation with minitrekking at US$100.
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