Iconic Wildlife Tour with Yellow Eyed Penguins & Royal Albatross
Overview
Available languages
7 hours
Mobile ticket
Visit the habitat of the world's rarest penguin. Walk through a private nature reserve on this guided tour for a chance to see the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguin, Little Blue Penguins and NZ Fur seals in the wild. Specially designed hides allow for close viewing of Yellow Eyed Penguins in their nesting habitat *please note the penguins are not kept in captivity in the reserve and they may not always be visible from the hides. A visit to the penguin rehabilitation hospital is also included in this tour.
This tour also visits the Royal Albatross Colony for a guided tour of the nesting area.
Lookouts, photo stops and full commentary provided throughout. Also included is a brief tour of Dunedin's main city sights.
Additional Info
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Children must be accompanied by an adult
This tour involves short walks on unsealed tracks and there are a number of easy steps to negotiate in the reserve. Please bring suitable footwear.
Wildlife are free to come and go as they please. While we make every effort to maximise the opportunities to see wildlife, we cannot guarrantee exactly what you will see on the day
Not recommended for people with mobility aids
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What‘s Included
Entry fees to Royal Albatross guided tour
Entry fees to The OPERA (Yellow Eyed Penguin guided tour)
Lunch
What To Expect
The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance
A chance to see Penguins, NZ Furseals and other wildlife in a private nature reserve. Access is by small group tour with a specialist wildlife guide only. Wildlife are free to come and go to and from the sea. The rare Yellow Eyed Penguin nests here but they are very shy and it is not always possible to see them. You will get a close up look at Little Blue Penguins nesting on the reserve. The walking is easy, less than 1 km, but there are a number of steps in and out of the reserve area. reasonable level of mobility is required for this tour.
The Royal Albatross Centre
On this tour we include a visit to the Royal Albatross Centre. It is free entry to the info gallery, cafe and gift shop. Some people opt to do the Albatross Tour add-on (*additional fee applies) where you will go on a special 1 hour guided tour of the nesting area. Viewing is from behind glass but the view itself, seeing the nesting area up close, and informative guide make for an unforgettable experience.
Options
Iconic Wildlife Tour
Reviews
31 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Yellow eyed penguin and Albatrosses
Lovetotravel7559,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Roger was our guide. He was very self deprecating, funny. a wonderful driver and full of history etc. We were happy to be in his care. Kim as the owner fell down on communicating with me several times by email. especially in the beginning. I was almost ready to move on to someone else but I kept trying and he finally responded. If anything could be improved that would be it. The Penguin tour and Albatross tour were as I expected them to be. We saw 2 pair of Albatrosses and saw one flying. They are very ungainly. We saw a yellow eyed penguin in the hospital. We saw a blue penguin in its box. With all wild animals you never know what you might see but I recommend the Bicheno penguins in Tasmania.
Wonderful day in Dunedin and on the Peninsula with ICONIC Tours
GayleneNZ1,
Sep 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our Iconic tour was a Wildlife tour which included Yellow Eyed Penguins, Royal Albatross and an introduction to the City of Dunedin. As there were only 2 of us, we were treated to the equivalent of a private tour. Lucky us! Kim was outstanding! Caring, thoughtful and helpful. My husband uses a stick and Kim always made sure he was never left behind. Kim's friendly shared knowledge of the area and its history made the trip enjoyable and relaxing. And we saw Albatross (starting to fledge) and Yellow Eyed Penguins (albeit recuperating ones) at OPERA (The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance). A great day! Highly Recommend ICONIC Tours - you couldn't do better
The Best Tour Guides Ever!
G763QYdebrac,
Apr 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Words cannot describe how happy we were to do this tour with Iconic. By no fault of their own, due to a change in cruise itinerary, we were inadvertently dropped from this schedule. Ann and Kim scrambled to be sure the tour we selected would happen--we cannot thank them enough for their accommodations, to be sure that we got the trip we wanted and expected! The penguin sanctuary, nature walk, and Royal Albatross center were one-of-a-kind places and should not be missed. We were lucky to be given a private tour by Kim, who drove us completely around Otago Harbor, took us to lunch at the delightful Cove Cafe in Portobello, and peppered us with lots of local insights and color! We felt so loved and well taken care of -- please send your business to Iconic Tours, you will not be disappointed!
Memorable journey around the Otago Peninsula
Robin1122,
Mar 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I cannot say enough good things about this tour. Kim picked us up from our hotel in Dunedin and took us on an amazing journey through the Otago Peninsula. He is extremely knowledgeable about the birds and we got to see stilts, oystercatchers, herons and so many others. In addition, we saw sea lions, yellow eyed penguins, crested penguins and albatross. The weather was perfect and we learned so much about the area. In addition we toured the Larnach Castle gardens and some of Dunedin, included the university and the steepest street in the world. All in all it was a very memorable day.
Seals, penguins and albatross -oh my!
Jeanne L,
Mar 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Tour guide was very informative and fun describing countryside as they delivered us to the two amazing sanctuaries. Both sanctuaries had incredible staff that guided us on the trails where beautiful wildlife showed up to “wow” us. It was a breath-taking trip!!!!
Another Fantastic Tour with Iconic Tours!
moritti23,
Feb 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is my 2nd tour with Iconic tours and they never disappoint. I took a tour with my parents in 2013 with Kim and it was fantastic. This time I booked a tour and Kim was great to fit us in even though they were really busy. I was traveling with the rest of my family including two children. We booked a private tour for 8 of us. Alan, our driver and guide was a joy to spend the day with. He took us to the penguins, the albatross center and many city sites. It was a wonderful day. Thank you Ann and Kim for the snacks - the boys really enjoyed everything 😀. If you’re kin the Dunedin area I wouldn’t hesitate to book with Iconic Tours! See you next time!
Very well organised and...
lanzawda,
Feb 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Very well organised and got a lot in a day without feeling rushed. We saw the many varieties of penguin and at the Albatross centre saw three nesting pairs with their young from the comfort of the viewing area. Excellent tour, would definitely recommend
A very relaxing tour,...
Tiffany S,
Feb 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A very relaxing tour, beautiful scenery, and we loved seeing and learning about the albatross and penguins. Our guide Greg was informative and did a great job. Definitely recommend
A Great Day Seeing Wildlife
U7617PQsarahd,
Feb 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Kim was an excellent tour guide. We had a wonderful day. The walking was a bit strenuous at the Albatross and Penguin parts of the trip, but it was well worth the effort. We also saw beautiful Dunedin and plenty of birds and fur seals.
Awesome tour company!
Kim S,
Jan 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a great tour with Kim. He showed us around Dunedin and he was great at stopping at spots for pictures. His lunch was perfect. We would definitely do another excursion with him.
Related Experiences
Operated by Iconic Tours NZ Ltd