How exactly do penguins find food at sea, and how does it impact their young? Be among the first to investigate.

Researchers don’t know exactly how or where penguins get their food, because it happens beneath the ocean. Join a team of scientists making cutting-edge use of technology to solve this mystery, which could have important implications how we work to conserve this beloved bird.

Travel to the rookeries—nesting colonies—on the dramatic rocky shores of Argentina’s Golfo San Jorge to investigate. Spend your days in a national park, getting up close and personal with penguins in a colony with about 9,000 breeding pairs.

While the land within the national park has government protection, most of the waters off its coast don’t—which is why researchers need to document where these charming birds go and what they do out at sea. With that knowledge, they can understand which parts of the ocean most need protection to keep penguin populations strong.

Earthwatchers will help tag penguins and map the location of each nest in the colony. They will also select 50 or so sets of penguin parents to track with sophisticated underwater cameras and GPS devices. Volunteers will help mount these devices, which will capture every move the penguins make. For the first time, researchers will get a detailed picture of how and where this bird population forage and feed their young.

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Location

Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina

Cost

$3295

Includes all accommodation, meals, insurance and research activities

Duration

7 days

Dates

Update October 15 2021: As overseas travel restrictions and covid requirements are not fully finalised, our overseas expeditions are not yet back on sale from Australia. We appreciate that people are as keen as we are to travel and we will facilitate these amazing experiences again as soon as possible. In the meantime, please refer to our Australian experiences.

Activity Level

Moderate

Lead Scientist

Flavio Quintana