Leave Valparaíso behind for a day and visit one of the main Humbolt penguin colonies on the Chilean coast on our Cachagua Island Penguin Watching activity. It'll be one to remember!
Cachagua Island Penguin Watching
At 9 am, we'll pick you up from your hotel in Valparaíso and hit the road. We'll drive north through Viña del Mar, Reñaca, Concón and the mouth of the Aconcagua River.
After a 1-hour 30-minute drive along the Pacific coast, we'll arrive in Zapallar. In this beautiful town, located in the province of Petroca, we'll board a fishermen's boat. The boat will take us to Cachagua Island, where we'll find one of the main Chilean colonies of Humboldt penguins.
During the 1-hour boat trip, we'll see the penguins and other coastal birds that nest here up close, such as pelicans, seagulls and neotropic cormorants. You'll be surprised to hear how many different species have been catalogued here!
Once our boat trip has come to an end, we'll return to the dock in Zapallar. When we're back on dry land, we'll go to a local empanada place to try this delicious Chilean delicacy. We'll also have a drink, which will be a choice between soda or mineral water.
We'll then head back to your hotel in Valparaíso, where we'll arrive at 3 pm.
Animal Sightings
Cachagua Island is one of the best places on the Chilean coast to see Humboldt penguins. However, animals are unpredictable. The sighting of a greater or lesser number of penguins will depend on various factors. These range from the weather at the time to the breeding and rearing seasons of the different species.
