Iconic Wildlife Tour with Yellow Eyed Penguins & Royal Albatross

Overview

Available languages

English

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.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

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.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Iconic Wildlife Tour

Reviews

4.69

29 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Seals, penguins and albatross -oh my!
Jeanne L,
Mar 11, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Tour 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!!!!
Very well organised and...
lanzawda,
Feb 19, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Very 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
- Viator
5.00
A 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
Dunedin, penguins and albatross
Kathy K,
Mar 14, 2020
- Viator
5.00
Loved this tour! Our guide Jo was friendly and knowledgeable, and made sure we got to see the highlights of Dunedin as well as the 2 bird reserves. We were lucky to see the yellow eyed penguins as well as albatross flying and nesting with their chicks! Perfect tour from our cruise ship
Good friendly tour
John T,
Feb 16, 2020
- Viator
5.00
Excellent trip enjoyed the penguin sanctuary and we saw a young chick yellow eyed Penguin in the wild. The albatross sanctuary was good we saw adults on the nest and saw them soaring. There was a problem with our ticket but the company sorted in quickly without fuss so very pleased with the tour.