Falkland Islands Penguins: Five Species, Where and When to See Them

Five penguin species breed in the Falklands, and about a million penguins nest here every summer. Three of them are within a day of the Stanley jetty. Here is which species lives where and when you can see it, from the king penguin tours in the Falklands to an hour with the gentoos near Stanley.

Five species, one million birds a summer

The islands have five breeding species: king, gentoo, Magellanic, rockhopper and macaroni. Kings and gentoos live here all year. The other three come ashore in summer to breed. On a day from Stanley you can realistically see three: kings, gentoos and Magellanic penguins.

Your choice of tour is really a choice of beach. Pick the species you want most, then read across to the place that has it.

King penguins: Volunteer Point

If king penguins are why you came, you are going to Volunteer Point. It holds the largest king colony in the islands, and it lies at the northern edge of the species’ range worldwide. Kings live there all year. Around 500 to 700 chicks are raised there each year.

Volunteer Point is part of Johnson's Harbour Farm, in the northeast of East Falkland. It is a privately owned nature reserve and an Important Bird Area, with gentoo and Magellanic colonies beside the kings. You need the landowner’s permission to go, and part of the journey runs off-road. A tour arranges both for you.

A ring of white rocks marks the viewing distance around the king colony. Stay outside it, and the birds carry on as if you were not there. There is a roped car park and information boards on site.

Volunteer Point's visiting days for 2026–27

The landowner publishes visiting hours for the season from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. You can visit on Mondays and from Thursday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 15:00. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are closed.

The same page also carries a line reading open at all times for 2026. Check your call day with the operator before you book, especially if your ship arrives on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. The tourist board’s own blog names January to March as the best months to go.

Gentoos: the year-round residents

Gentoos are the penguins you are most likely to see, whichever tour you take. They live in the islands all year, and the Falklands hold the largest gentoo population on the planet. You will find colonies at Yorke Bay, Gypsy Cove, Port Harriet and many other places.

Watch for their penguin highways. Gentoos walk worn tracks between the sea and their colonies, sometimes up to three miles inland. At Bertha's Beach you see them on white sand, and at Kelp Point you share the beach with elephant seals too.

Magellanic penguins: burrows at Gypsy Cove

Magellanic penguins are summer residents only. They nest in burrows rather than in the open, so you often see a head at a hole in the ground. Their braying call is why people call them Jackass penguins.

Gypsy Cove, Yorke Bay and Paloma Beach are their best-known sites. Gypsy Cove is only 6.5 km from Stanley and open at all times. The tourist board says Magellanic penguins are best seen in the early evening, so a late-afternoon visit gives you the better chance.

Stay on the marked paths. A burrow collapses if you step on it, so watch where you put your feet on the slopes.

Rockhoppers and macaronis: the ones the port tours do not reach

Rockhoppers breed here in summer, and a significant share of the world’s population nests in the Falklands. Their largest colonies are on the Jason Islands. Macaroni penguins breed among the rockhoppers, also in summer.

No tour from the Stanley jetty reaches those colonies. If rockhoppers matter to you, you need a longer stay or an expedition ship. On a port day, set your sights on kings, gentoos and Magellanic penguins.

Chicks and the breeding summer

Summer is the breeding season, and it is when you see the most birds. About a million penguins nest in the islands each summer, and the three summer species are only here then. At Volunteer Point, the king colony raises around 500 to 700 chicks a year.

If chicks are on your list, come in the southern summer and aim for the colonies with the most activity. The weather page sets out each month in turn.

The rules at a colony

You keep 6 metres, or 20 feet, from any wildlife. That applies on every beach, whether you walk there alone or with a guide. Your guide knows each colony’s own rules, so follow their lead on the beach.

• At Volunteer Point, stay outside the ring of white rocks around the king colony.
• At Gypsy Cove, keep to the paths so the Magellanic burrows stay intact.
• Do not smoke or camp at Volunteer Point, and fly a drone only with the owner’s written permission.
• Scrub your boots between wildlife sites, so you do not carry seeds or soil from one to the next.

Which tour reaches which penguins

Here is every penguin tour from the jetty, cheapest first, with the colonies each one visits. Magellanic penguins appear in summer only.

Only the Volunteer Point day reaches the king colony. If you are torn, the question is simple: do you have six hours to spare, or three?

Penguin questions, answered

Official sources:

• Penguins
• Volunteer Point
• Gypsy Cove