The Falkland Islands' Five Penguins, and Where to See Each
The short answer. Five penguin species breed in the Falklands: gentoo, king, Magellanic, rockhopper and macaroni. On a day from Stanley you can see three. Gentoos and Magellanic penguins nest at Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove near town, and at Bertha's Beach on Fitzroy Farm. For king penguins you need Volunteer Point, a full day away. Rockhoppers and macaronis breed on outer islands no port tour reaches.
Every penguin tour title from Stanley hides the same question: which penguins, and where? Once you know which species you want, choosing between the Falkland Islands day tours gets much easier. Here is each bird, its beach and its season.
The five species at a glance
About one million penguins nest across the islands every summer. This is where you find each species, and whether you can reach it in a day ashore.
| Species | Ashore | Where to see it | From Stanley in a day? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentoo | All year | Yorke Bay, Gypsy Cove, Bertha's Beach, Kelp Point | Yes, on almost every tour |
| Magellanic | Summer only | Gypsy Cove, Yorke Bay, Bertha's Beach | Yes; best in the early evening |
| King | All year | Volunteer Point | Yes, on a six-hour 4x4 day |
| Rockhopper | Summer only | Largest colonies on the Jason Islands | No |
| Macaroni | Summer only | Among the rockhoppers | No |
Gentoo penguins: the ones you will almost certainly see
If you see one penguin in the Falklands, it will probably be a gentoo. They live here all year, and the islands hold the largest gentoo population on the planet. Look for the bright orange bill.
Gentoos walk penguin “highways” from the sea to their colonies, up to three miles inland. If you see a line of birds heading up the beach, that is their road home. Stand to one side and let them pass.
You find them at Yorke Bay, Gypsy Cove, Port Harriet and many other colonies. The farm beaches have them too. The Kelp Point 4x4 day pairs a gentoo colony with elephant seals, and Penguin Paradise gives you an hour each at two gentoo beaches.
💡 Did You Know? The Falklands hold more gentoo penguins than anywhere else on Earth, and they stay all year. So even outside the summer, a gentoo colony near Stanley is still a safe bet.
Magellanic penguins: listen for the bray
You often hear a Magellanic penguin before you see one. Their braying call earned them the name “Jackass” penguins. They nest in burrows dug into the ground, so a colony can look empty until a head pops up.
They are summer residents only, and they are easiest to see in the early evening. Your best places are Yorke Bay, Gypsy Cove and Paloma Beach. At Gypsy Cove you look down on the burrows from a path, which suits them and you.
Keep to the marked paths. A burrow is a nest, and the ground around it is soft. The shared Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove tour gives you half an hour above the burrows and forty minutes with the gentoos, in two hours forty.
King penguins: Volunteer Point
Kings are the one reason many people cross the South Atlantic. The largest king colony in the islands is at Volunteer Point, part of Johnson's Harbour Farm in the northeast of East Falkland. It sits at the northern edge of the species' range worldwide.
Kings live at the point all year, and around 500 to 700 chicks are raised each season. You will see adults in sleek colour beside chicks in woolly brown down.
Volunteer Point is a private nature reserve. You need the landowner's permission, and a ring of white rocks marks the viewing distance around the colony. The last part of the trip runs off-road. The Volunteer Point day costs $398 a person, spends two hours at the colony, includes lunch and runs about six hours twenty. You must cancel at least four days ahead for a refund.
If kings are why you came, plan around this one day. A beach near Stanley is a gentoo and Magellanic trip. One traveller wrote that friends on other tours needed binoculars, and they did not.
Check your call day. For 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027 the landowner lists Volunteer Point as open 10:00 to 15:00 on Mondays and Thursday to Sunday, and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The same page also says “open at all times”. Ask the operator before you book. If your ship calls on a closed day, a Bertha's Beach day is the fullest gentoo alternative.
The farm beaches: Bertha's Beach and Kelp Point
Two private beaches on Fitzroy Farm, near Mount Pleasant Airport, add more gentoos to your choice. Bertha's Beach has gentoo and Magellanic penguins on a white-sand Ramsar site. Kelp Point, also called Whale Point for the whale bones on its beach, has gentoos, Magellanic penguins and many Southern elephant seals.
Both charge for access, and the tours include the charge in the fare. Both take you away from the ship for four hours or more. Pick Kelp Point if you want seals with your penguins, and Bertha's Beach if you want long, quiet time with a gentoo colony.
When each species is ashore
Timing matters as much as place. Kings and gentoos stay all year, so you can see them in any month. Magellanic penguins, rockhoppers and macaronis breed only in the southern summer. If your ship calls in winter, plan on gentoos and kings alone.
Most cruise calls fall in the summer anyway, when all five species are ashore. The long daylight helps too: in December and January you have around 16 to 17 hours of it.
Rockhoppers and macaronis: the two you will not reach from Stanley
Rockhoppers breed here in summer, and the Falklands hold a significant share of the world population. Their largest colonies are on the Jason Islands. Macaronis nest in summer too, scattered among the rockhoppers.
Neither is within a day of Stanley. If you are on an expedition ship with landings on the outer islands, ask your ship which colonies it visits. Otherwise, take the three species you can reach and enjoy them.
How close you can get
The rule is simple: keep 6 metres, or 20 feet, from any wildlife. Penguins often walk closer to you than that, and that is their choice. Stay still and let them.
- At Volunteer Point, stay outside the ring of white rocks.
- At Gypsy Cove, keep to the paths above the burrows.
- Between sites, scrub your boots. Falklands Conservation asks every visitor to clean footwear between wildlife sites.
- On a beach, never block a penguin highway to the sea.
Which tour reaches which penguins
Put the species first and the tour follows. For gentoos and Magellanic penguins on a short call, the shared tour at $137 or the one-hour gentoo colony tour at $40 is enough. For gentoos on a quieter white beach, look at the Bertha's Beach tours. For elephant seals as well, see the elephant seal tours. For kings, it is Volunteer Point.
Deciding between the two nearest beaches? Read Gypsy Cove or Bertha’s Beach. Travelling with children? The Falklands with kids matches each tour to young legs. For the wider story of the islands, try the Falkland Islands facts post and the 1982 memorials guide. The full species page is penguins, and the weather page sets out what each month brings.
When the species list is settled, the next choice is how long you can be away from the ship. That is the question the beach comparison answers in hours.
Know which penguins you want? The kings, gentoos with elephant seals, and two gentoo colonies in one day are below, and every species is matched to a tour on Falkland Islands Tours.
Tours to the king, gentoo and Magellanic colonies
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
The king colony at Volunteer Point by 4x4, two hours with the kings, lunch included.
From $398 per person
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Kelp Point 4x4 Elephant Seals and Gentoos Falklands Tour
Kelp Point's elephant seals and gentoos by 4x4, lunch and fees included.
From $482 per person
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Private Penguin Paradise Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley
Bertha's Beach and Yorke Bay by private 4x4, lunch and drinks included.
From $565 per person
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