Rockhopper Penguin Breeding Colony — Saint Paul Island

About this spectacle

Saint Paul Island, a remote volcanic outcrop in the southern Indian Ocean, hosts one of the world's most isolated rockhopper penguin breeding colonies. Visitors fortunate enough to reach this rarely visited island encounter dense clusters of these small, crested penguins occupying clifftop and rocky slope nesting sites, filling the air with their distinctive braying calls. During breeding season, pairs tend eggs and then chicks amid a constant bustle of arrivals and departures from the sea. The surrounding waters teem with activity as adults commute to feeding grounds, occasionally leaping ashore through surging swells. The sheer remoteness guarantees an absence of crowds, and the seabird diversity — skuas, petrels, and albatrosses sharing the same rugged terrain — adds to a raw, untamed atmosphere found at very few accessible places on Earth.

When to go

Nov — Feb

Getting there

Nearest airport: RUN. Nearest city: Saint-Denis.

Booking options

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