Antarctic cruises & wildlife holidays to see penguins

Falkland-Islands-King-Penguins-at-Volunteer-Point

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Penguins of Antarctica, South America and South Africa

One of the star attractions of the Polar regions are the Penguin family.  Above all, they are a unique group of aquatic, flightless birds who live in the southern hemisphere.  Consequently, they are found mainly around Antarctica.

Penguins are not only confined to polar regions, some are found further north in South America. Moreover, in the warm waters of the Galapagos Islands near the equator.  In addition there are penguins around the southern shores of South Africa near to Cape Town.  

South-Africa-penguin-colony-at-Betty's-Bay

Penguin characteristics

Their 'wings' have evolved into flippers, therefore making them wonderfully skillful swimmers and fishers.  As a result, this gives them a somewhat comical 'waddle' when they are on land!

Most importantly, penguins feed mainly on fish, krill and squid which they catch underwater.  Consequently, they spend their time pretty much half and half on land and in the oceans. 

In short, the exact number of species of Penguin is always in debate but seems to be around 17 - 20 species.

Antarctica-migration-of-Adelie-penguin-in-South-Orkney-Islands

The King, Chinstrap and Macaroni Penguins can breed in colonies with several hundred thousand birds on one site!  Most importantly, there is a high level of social interaction between birds and they usually form monogamous pairs for the breeding season.  As a result, most penguins lay two eggs in a clutch although the largest, the Emperor and Kings, lay only one.

Want to know where to see penguins?

Here is a list of some of the most well known species of penguin and where are the best places to see them in the wild. Certainly, the largest species live in colder climates and frozen worlds and the smaller species are found in temperate climates.

Gentoo penguins (our client Christine in the Falklands)

Penguins are also found on beaches of Southern South America, Australasia and the Western Cape in South Africa (pic below).  Consequently, you can encounter these black and white characters in many locations - ask us to include their home locations when planning a self drive holiday!

Emperor Penguins

This is the biggest of the penguins at an average of 1.1m tall and can weigh 35kg or more. Above all, massive breeding colonies can be seen of this impressive bird and large groups of young gather in creches.  In addition temperatures during winter can reach -60c.  Consequently, Emperors will balance their egg on the feet of the males to incubate, while the female goes to sea, leaving the groups of males huddled together.

Furthermore, their main colony is on Snow Hill in Antarctica.  As a result it's so remote, there are only a few options to get here.  Alternatively, there may be other options from Ushuaia in Argentina to get to the Emperor colonies.  

Antarctica-Emperor-Penguin-colony-Snow-Hill

King Penguins

These are often confused with their bigger cousin the Emperor and are the second largest penguin species.  Importantly, they differ in that King Penguins share egg incubation. Furthermore, they breed and live in the northern Antarctic waters, such as South Georgia.   Consequently, this is the best place to see King Penguins. There are no airstrips on South Georgia so access is by boat, mainly by icebreaker. There is a large colony on The Falklands.  

Antarctica-juvenile-king-penguins

Little Blue Penguins

Sometimes called the Fairy Penguin, this is the smallest at around 40cm tall and weighing around 1kg.  Certainly, these small birds are easily seen on Phillip Island in Australia where there is a viewing platform where yo can watch them return to their colonies at night.  Furthermore, they can also be seen on nearby Kangaroo Island. This species is found on southern shores of both Australia and New Zealand (there have been occasional sightings in Chile too).

Rockhopper Penguins

Easily identified by their huge eyebrows, red eyes and pink feet, these penguins. Above all, they have a strange method of 'hopping' rather than waddling!  Moreover, they are at home in north Antarctica.  In addition, they can be found from Chile to New Zealand. Certainly, they are very sociable and are a small species at about 50cm high. Similarly, one of the best Rockhopper colonies is found on the north coast of the Falkland Islands at Cape Bougainville.

Argentina-Rockhopper-Penguins

Wildlife cruises to Antarctica

We work with a range of specialist Polar expedition companies and offer many different wildlife cruises.  Consequently, there is a huge choice of wildlife cruises to see penguins. 

In conclusion, ask us about any species of penguin you particularly are keen to see and we will find the best wildlife holiday for you to the right part of the world at the right time of year, be it by tailor made itinerary or on an Antarctic Cruise.