Lobos Island (Isla de Lobos)

Lobos Island — Isla de Lobos — is a small uninhabited island approximately 11 kilometres off the coast of Punta del Este in the South Atlantic, protected as a natural reserve and most remarkable as the site of one of the largest South American sea lion colonies in the world. The island supports a permanent population of between 150,000 and 200,000 Otaria flavescens — the South American sea lion — as well as a significant South American fur seal colony, making it one of the most important marine mammal breeding sites on the continent's Atlantic coast. A lighthouse built in 1860, now automated, is the island's only structure, rising from the flat rocky surface amid the extraordinary density of sea lions hauled out across every available surface. Boat tours from Punta del Este approach the island closely enough for excellent photography and allow passengers to experience the remarkable sound and smell of the colony at scale. Landing is not permitted to non-authorised visitors in order to protect the breeding cycles. Whale sightings are possible on the crossing between May and November when southern right whales move through the area. The sheer biomass of the Lobos Island colony — thousands of animals, constant movement, deafening vocalisations — creates one of the most viscerally impressive wildlife experiences available anywhere on the South American Atlantic coast.