We were a bit disappointed that we didn't see very many penguins. In fairness, we went on the earlier tour of the evening and we were advised that we'd probably see more penguins on the second tour, but we were very tired and didn't want to wait another hour. Also, although our group was very small (most others elected to wait for the later tour), there were a couple of very noisy kids and the few penguins we did see ducked back into their burrows as our group approached. I felt the guide should have made some effort to shush the children (who were not accompanied by their parents). The other issue is that the number of penguins in the colony appears to be declining, which is not the fault of the tour operators but due to a range of other issues. So perhaps we should be grateful we saw some as perhaps there will be none to see in years to come.

[Unfortunately TripAdvisor won't create separate reviews for the Pelicans vs the Penguins, so I'm combining two reviews into one.]

Pelicans: Most entertaining 15 minutes you can have while dressed

***** (5 stars!)

I never realized how goofy pelicans look up-close. They are really goofy. Put 30 of them together in one place and they look goofier still. Add a guy throwing handfuls of fish at them, and goofy goes off the scale. Highly recommended if you're near Kingscote around 5:00.

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Penguins: Pretty disappointing

** (2 stars)

I was expecting much more than this. Basically, you wander around at night trying to see Penguins in their burrow. If you're lucky, you might see 5 or so penguins. You do NOT see them walking ashore, as you do at other places, they are just standing there. Cute, yes, but certainly not worth $17.

The group size was too large as well. We had well over a dozen people, so most people couldn't hear the guide or see the penguins. Unacceptable.

If you've seen penguins anywhere else, skip this.

Also, their web site says "Our red lights however are bright enough for modern digital and video photography to be possible. " This is true only if you have a higher-end camera and lens. At F2.8, 1/10 of a second, and ISO 1600 I was able to take some decent pictures, but most cameras can't do that, or at least can't do that well.

The penguin centre building is very small and a bit depressing when you look it from the outside. inside there are some fishes, but you not even try to compare it with a regular acquarium! the penguin tour they propose though is really something woth it's 17$!!!! they bring you aroung a penguin nesting colony at night pointing with this red light to these little birds so funny and cute!!! the red ligh is just because in this way their eyes are not hurt and you must keep in silence as well. i think that some people are to exaggerated and keep taking pictures of every bird, i know they are so cute!!! but just enjoy the trip, snap some pic, but look around you they are so nice. besides their parents call from the sea and is really a beautiful wildlife experience! the two girls that took us down to the colony were great! and very informative too! it's so important to help these people who CARE i think this is a must do if you go on KI!

For $17 a person, you'd think they could keep the group sizes smaller, but it was about 20 people per guide. Considering you are supposed to stay very quiet when on the nocturnal penguin walk, that made it virtually impossible for 2/3rd of the group to even hear anything the guide was saying. When we would spot a rare penguin (it was an off night, so we didnt see many, due to seasonal breeding/habits), 20 people crammed up front trying to take pictures. The aquarium inside the info center is nice. And it's worth a visit of course, just lower those expectations! :)