Magdalena Island Penguin Tour by Boat from Punta Arenas
Description
Experience your own ‘March of the Penguins’ on Magdalena Island during a morning tour by boat from Punta Arenas. After cruising across the Strait of Magellan, land on this protected nature reserve and marvel at the thousands of Magellanic penguins milling about on the pebbly terrain that serves as their breeding grounds. Follow your guide along a cordoned-off path leading up to a lighthouse, where you'll learn about the island’s ecosystem. Weather permitting, cruise by Isla Marta to observe sea lions and elephant seals.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Dress warmly and get ready to join this tour which will start at a meeting point in Punta Arenas and then travel with the rest of the group to the pier. Remember that you have to be at 06:30am at the meeting point located in José Nogueira #1255, Punta Arenas. Climb aboard a large powerboat and head north for about 40 minutes on the Strait of Magellan. If you’re lucky, you may glimpse panda dolphins leaping out of the choppy grey waters.
Arrive at the small and rocky Magdalena Island, also called Los Pinguinos Natural Monument, a protected nature reserve and park since 1982, and a breeding site for Magellanic penguins. Even before the boat docks, you’ll see thousands of penguins crowding the shores and hear their squawking. During the summer, approximately 120,000 penguins occupy the island. Disembark and spend about an hour here with your guide, keeping to the designated trail roped off for visitors. These curious birds, about 2 feet (61 cm) tall, will cross your path and may approach you, but you'll be instructed not to touch or feed them. On either side of the trail, see hundreds of burrows in the ground, about a foot (30 cm) in diameter, each populated by a pair of penguins. Watch penguins pop in and out of the holes, where eggs are laid, and others excavate new burrows by flinging aside heaps of dirt with their webbed feet. Your guide may point out cormorants and Andean seagulls on the island as well. Reach the highest point on the island and enter a lighthouse, which houses exhibits explaining the penguins’ habitat and breeding cycles, the history of the strait and the rich ecosystems of nearby islands.
Then warm up with coffee and snack on biscuits (provided) before leaving the island. On your way back, if the weather permits, your captain may pass by Isla Marta, where you can snap shots of sea lions and elephant seals lounging on the rocky outcrop.
After a marvelous morning with penguins, your tour will end in Punta Arenas at the same meeting point in the morning (José Nogueira #1255, Punta Arenas).
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- It is recommended that you wear comfortable, warm clothes and trekking shoes or boots
- Please bring a jacket or sweater, a scarf, hat, sunglasses and water
- Important: Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- Seasonal product operating October to March
- IMPORTANT INFORMATION: On peak season (Christmas, Holidays, Cruise dates, November to March) the departure time of your tour is at 06:30 am, In case that we don't have more availability, we will be letting you know if we have to reschedule your departure time due availability.
- In case that you are a cruise passenger, once you booked the tour, please contact us to confirm departure availability at 10:00 am.
Reviews(111)
Fantastic trip, brilliant service and really knowledgeable guide. Boat staff were incredibly helpful. Penquins, sea lions, birds, dolphins and whales- brilliant time. Can highly recommend
Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We are happy to hear you had a fantastic trip and enjoyed the service, the guide, and the boat crew. It’s great to know you were able to see penguins, sea lions, birds, dolphins and even whales — truly a special experience. Thank you for your recommendation.
An amazing experience and a joy to see the penguins on the island.
Thank you for your review. We are very happy to hear you had an amazing experience and enjoyed seeing the penguins on the island. It is truly a special visit, and we are glad you had a great time.
Great tour from start to finish. Boat ride out to the island was smooth, guide was very informative. After we reached the island we had plenty of time to observe the penguins and other native birds.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour from start to finish and that the boat ride and guiding made the experience even more enjoyable. It’s wonderful that you had plenty of time to observe the penguins and native birds on the island. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon!
We are on a Holland America cruise but this trip was not available from the ship tour offers. Booked thru aviator but run thru Solo Expeditions in Punta Arenas. They were aware of our time in port and easily got us back to the ship in time. Checking process was chaotic- they wouldn’t check k anyone in until start time of tour and then it was a bit unorganized. Once that was figured out, we were on buses and on our way to the boat that took us out to the island. Weather was perfect. Team on the boat were wonderful - took good care of us. Walk thru the island was wonderful - penguins were ready to show up for us! On the ride back we stopped to see the sea lions. Worth the trip, be patient with the check in process…
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the excursion and that everything worked well with your cruise schedule. We appreciate your comments about the check-in process and will work on improving the organization to make the start of the tour smoother. Thank you for your patience, and we are happy you had a great experience with the penguins and sea lions.
Amazing guide, very knowledgeable and spoke English very well. Tons of penguins out and about. Also, had the chance to see the sea lions on Marta Island.
Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the experience and that our guide made the tour even more memorable. Seeing the penguins in their natural habitat is always something special, and we’re glad you also had the opportunity to observe the sea lions on Marta Island. We truly appreciate you sharing your experience.
Watch penguins up close. The walk on the island is a walking tour including a lighthouse. We could observe penguins, seagull geese and an ibis up close. The guide of Joselin was super bilingual, the crew on the catamaran very nice and attentive. We drove even further to a sea lion colony. We had enough time to watch the animals.
Thank you very much for your lovely review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed observing the penguins and other wildlife up close. Isla Magdalena is truly a unique place, and we’re glad you were able to fully experience the walk around the island and its lighthouse. It is wonderful to know that Joselin’s guidance and the crew’s service made your trip even more enjoyable. We are also pleased that you appreciated the visit to the sea lion colony and the time dedicated to wildlife observation. Thank you again for sharing your experience, we truly value your feedback.
We really enjoyed this tour! It was very organized and punctual. They were accommodating and allowed us to leave our luggage at the office meeting point. We took a bus from the office to the dock, and then a 35 minute boat ride to Isla Magdalena (we did stop along the way to watch a whale!). We then got off the boat and spent an hour walking on the island. Be prepared for cold, very windy conditions. The boat cabin is warm and comfortable, but prepared to get wet if you want to stand outside on the boat (life jacket required). They gave us hot drinks and cookies on the ride back which was a nice touch to warm up our hands! Great for individuals, groups of friends, and families. FYI there are no stops for souvenir shopping, but there are multiple shops near the office meeting point in Punta Arenas that you can go to after.
Thank you very much for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the experience and appreciated the organization, punctuality, and comfort of the excursion. We’re especially glad the whale sighting made your journey even more memorable, those moments are always truly special. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we sincerely appreciate your helpful tips for future travelers.
The service was 5 stars, the experience invaluable, recommend 100! Thank you guys, chocolate and cookies the extra point!!
¡Muchas gracias por tu maravilloso comentario! Nos alegra enormemente saber que disfrutaste la experiencia y que nuestro servicio estuvo a la altura de tus expectativas. Son justamente esos pequeños detalles, como el chocolate y las galletas, los que buscamos ofrecer para hacer cada momento aún más especial. Será un placer acompañarte nuevamente en una próxima aventura.
Spectacular and unmissable, I liked that there are many rules to protect animals. There are many penguins and other birds, these super close to them. The guides are very friendly and know the subject well. The boat is small and very safe, they know the deck ready to admire the landscape of the Magellanic canal
¡Muchas gracias por compartir tu experiencia! Nos encanta saber que consideraste la excursión espectacular e imperdible, y que valoraste especialmente las normas de protección para los animales. Es maravilloso que hayas podido observar de cerca a los pingüinos y otras aves, siempre de manera responsable. También nos alegra mucho que destaques la amabilidad y el conocimiento de nuestros guías, así como la seguridad y comodidad del barco para disfrutar del paisaje del Estrecho de Magallanes. ¡Esperamos verte nuevamente en una próxima aventura!
The best tour operator in the area, quality busses and boats, a great team of staff, and a great excursion! We repeat this one every visit down here!
Thank you so much for your kind words and continued trust in us! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoy the quality of our buses and boats, as well as the dedication of our team. It truly means a lot to know this excursion is one you choose to repeat on every visit. We look forward to welcoming you again very soon!
