Petermann Island Gentoo and Adélie Penguin Colony

Petermann Island sits at roughly 65°S in the Wilhelm Archipelago along the Antarctic Peninsula’s west coast — small enough to walk across in twenty minutes, dense enough in wildlife to keep you there for hours. Gentoo and Adélie penguins both nest here, and blue-eyed shags work the shoreline rocks. On a clear day the Penola Strait frames the scene with jagged peaks and glacier tongues. It’s a favourite zodiac landing for expedition ships working the peninsula circuit, and deservedly so — this is the Peninsula at its photogenic best.

Access is exclusively by ship from Ushuaia or Punta Arenas, generally November through March. Zodiac landings are weather-dependent. IAATO guidelines limit group sizes on shore to protect the rookeries — you’ll be briefed before landing. No facilities, no permanent infrastructure. Bring waterproof boots; the beach rocks are slick with guano and kelp.

Penguins, peaks, and no crowds — almost.