Information
Landmark: Isla MartilloCity: Ushuaia
Country: Argentina
Continent: South America
Isla Martillo, Ushuaia, Argentina, South America
Overview
Isla Martillo, a tiny island just off Tierra del Fuego near Ushuaia-the world’s southernmost city-rests where cold winds whip across gray waters.The island’s famous for its remarkable wildlife, with huge colonies of penguins shuffling along the rocky shore.The channel forms part of the Beagle Channel, giving visitors a rare chance to watch these remarkable birds wheel overhead in their wild home, alongside seals, sea lions, and other creatures.Isla Martillo sits in the Beagle Channel, the strip of cold blue water that divides Argentina from Chile at South America’s southern tip.The island sits roughly 9 kilometers, or about 5.6 miles, east of Ushuaia, close enough that a small boat can reach it from the city in under an hour.The island’s tiny-just 1.5 hectares, about the size of a couple of soccer fields-and its jagged shoreline meets patches of scrubby green.Bright blue waters teem with fish and coral, making the island a vital haven for wildlife.One of Isla Martillo’s biggest attractions is its bustling penguin colonies, where Magellanic and gentoo penguins waddle across the rocky shore.On this island, you can stand just a few feet from these remarkable birds, watching them move through their wild, untouched home.One.Magellanic penguins are the main residents of Isla Martillo, often seen shuffling across the pebbly shore.These penguins are about knee-high, dressed in crisp black and white feathers, with a sharp black band circling their necks.They’re famous for digging into the island’s rocky ground, tucking their nests into small holes or narrow cracks where the air smells faintly of salt.From October to March, the island’s penguin colony swells to its height, the air filled with their briny calls as the birds waddle ashore to breed and tend their fluffy chicks.Visitors can watch them flirt and flutter through courtship, tuck grass into neat little nests, and drop morsels into the open beaks of their chicks.Number two sat there, neat and simple, like a small mark in the margin.You can also spot Gentoo penguins on Isla Martillo, their bright orange beaks flashing against the pale stones.You can spot these penguins right away-their beaks blaze orange, and a crisp white stripe runs clean across their heads.They’re a bit bigger than Magellanic penguins, and they bustle with energy when hunting for food or arranging their nests.Gentoo penguins aren’t as plentiful as Magellanic penguins, yet you’ll still spot them often on the island, especially when nests dot the rocky shore in breeding season.Number three sat scrawled in the corner, a small mark pressed deep into the paper.Besides penguins, Isla Martillo also teems with life-cormorants drying their wings in the wind, seals basking on the rocks, and sea lions sprawled along the shore.The waters around the Beagle Channel bustle with life-sea lions bark from rocky shores, and seabirds wheel overhead-drawing birdwatchers and nature lovers alike.You’ll often see sea lions sprawled across the jagged shore, soaking up the sun or gliding through the bright blue water around the island.Cormorants, along with several other seabirds, nest on the island, tucking their eggs into scrapes on the rocky ground.Most visitors reach Isla Martillo by hopping on a boat tour from Ushuaia, where the wind carries the scent of salt and seaweed.Several local tour operators run guided trips to Isla Martillo, where you can watch penguin colonies just a few feet away and take in sweeping views of the Beagle Channel and the rugged hills of Tierra del Fuego.Most tours leave from Ushuaia Harbor, their boats rocking gently against the dock, and run anywhere from three to five hours, depending on the route and stops along the way.You can step off the boat at a marked spot to watch the penguins from a safe distance, and on some tours, you might even set foot on a small stretch of the island, where strict limits keep the wildlife undisturbed.On Isla Martillo, photographers and wildlife lovers find a true haven, where penguins shuffle along the shore and seabirds wheel overhead.Being so close to the penguins makes it easy to snap incredible shots of them in the wild, especially in breeding season when they bustle around the nests and call across the wind.With jagged cliffs, sweeping valleys, and wildlife from penguins to guanacos, the island draws travelers seeking Tierra del Fuego’s wild beauty.To help protect Isla Martillo’s penguins and their nesting grounds, visitors must follow strict guidelines-no straying from the marked paths or disturbing the birds.That means keeping a safe distance from the penguins, steering clear of their nests, and resisting the urge to walk closer, even when they waddle right up to the water’s edge.Access is tightly controlled: only a set number of visitors can step onto the island each day, and tours stick to a few marked paths to protect its fragile wildlife.Professional guides walk alongside visitors, making sure every rule is followed and even a startled bird stays undisturbed.The best time to visit Isla Martillo is in spring and summer, from October to March, when the penguins waddle along the shore and bustle with activity.Penguins reach the height of their breeding season between November and February, the best months to watch them fuss over nests and slip tiny fish into their chicks’ beaks.From April to September, the penguin colonies leave the island, slipping into the cold gray waters of the Beagle Channel to hunt, so you won’t see a single one here in winter.Still, visitors can soak in Tierra del Fuego’s sweeping views, from wind‑carved cliffs to glimmering blue bays.In the end, Isla Martillo delivers a truly unique adventure for anyone who loves nature or wildlife, from the chatter of penguins to the sweep of icy blue waves.Home to Magellanic and gentoo penguin colonies, along with other native wildlife, the island draws visitors to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego-especially when the beach is dotted with black‑and‑white shapes waddling to the water.You might come to watch penguins shuffle across the shore, snap dramatic shots of wind-carved cliffs, or just breathe in the raw, untamed beauty of Patagonia-but however you spend your time, Isla Martillo leaves you with a memory that feels like it was made at the edge of the world.
