King penguins - the true penguins

I have seen some penguins on my journey, but they were not real penguins. They were always small and didn't look like what one imagines a penguin to be. But here in Tierra del Fuego, that was about to change.

We found out about the king penguins by chance. Originally, our plan was to visit the Magellanic penguins who live on an island near Punta Arenas. There are plenty of tours to go there, and it's mentioned in every travel guide. However, while staying at a hostel in Puerto Natales, we saw a picture of the king penguins and we knew those were the penguins we wanted to see. So we researched how and where to find them. There is a small colony of them in Tierra del Fuego. Off we went!

The only penguins that surpass the king penguins are the emperor penguins. However, they live in the South Pole and are even larger. Well, that's a project for another time. Unfortunately, we don't have enough money for that on this trip.

When we arrived at Parque Pingüino Rey, it was still early and we were informed that the penguins would be out hunting in the morning. We asked at the entrance and were told that only 5 of them were out. A team of biologists observes the animals and can provide explanations if you have any questions.

Then we started walking and could already see them from afar. To protect the penguins, a wooden wall was built so that the penguins would not be disturbed by humans. But there is a large gap through which you can see. We observed their activities for a while.

When we left the park, a few people were already waiting for us to leave so that they could go in. Only a certain number of people are allowed inside to protect the penguins.

The brown ones are the "adolescent" penguins. They eventually lose their brown feathers and become more penguin-like.