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Magdalena Island: Witness Thousands of Magellanic Penguins on a Boat Tour from Punta Arenas
3.9
70 Ratings
Punta Arenas
Embark on a boat tour from Punta Arenas to Magdalena Island and witness thousands of Magellanic penguins in their natural habitat. Explore the protected nature reserve, learn about the island's ecosystem, and spot sea lions and elephant seals. Book your 'March of the Penguins' experience now!
Duration:
4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
2 days
learn more
Highlights
- José Nogueira 1255 - 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.
- Isla Magdalena - 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.
- Isla Marta - 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.
- Punta Arenas - 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).
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Snacks
- Transfer from the meeting point to the pier
- Boat tour
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Airport pickup and drop-off
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Embark on a personal adventure akin to the ‘March of the Penguins’ on Magdalena Island with a morning boat tour from Punta Arenas. After sailing across the Strait of Magellan, you’ll land on this safeguarded nature reserve and get the chance to see the multitudes of Magellanic penguins gathered on the rocky landscape that forms their breeding ground. Join your guide along a designated path leading to a lighthouse, where you get to learn about the island’s ecology. Should weather conditions be favorable, enjoy a cruise by Isla Marta to witness sea lions and elephant seals.
- 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 may vary depending on availability, there are three possible departure times, which are 6:30/10:00/15:00hrs, the regular one is 6:30am BUT we will be letting you know if we have to reschedule your departure time due availability.
Location
José Nogueira 1255
José Nogueira
Your incredible experience will begin directly at the meeting point, located in Jose Nogueira #1255, Punta Arenas, at the office of the local provider. Remember that you have to be at 06:30am at the meeting point.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 3 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Customer Ratings
3.9
(70 Ratings)
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George_b
Mar 21, 2024
A great trip. - Great sunrise and both islands were very interesting. The penguins and the seals were impeccably behaved.
Boat crew was great. The tour guide was excellent with a mix of good information and humour.
Review provided by Viator
R1175lslindseym
Feb 11, 2024
Great tour, longer than anticipated - This was a great tour, we were so lucky with the weather and the ride was very smooth. We got to see dolphins and whales on the way to the island and then penguins and birds when we arrived. Next we went to another island and listened and watched the sea lions (very noisy) and saw tons of cormorons! The only thing to be careful about is the time, we expected to be done around 11 am since the meeting point was 6:30 am and the estimate was 4.5 hours, but we didn’t get done until 12:30 pm. It was great to have the extra time, but just plan carefully if you are on a tight schedule.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_c
Feb 7, 2024
Penguins are so fun to watch! - While the ticking off of individuals, most had paid but some had reservations only then had to negotiate currency and form of payment, by one person with a pen and multipage list inside the office before boarding 3 busses took way longer than expected, the trip was totally worth it! The guide was excellent: extremely knowledgeable and did not just rattle off some memorized script but instead tailored descriptions to what was available and questions of passengers, in both English and Spanish. The boat crew was considerate, helpful and good humored. The island is fascinating and the nesting penguins and gulls did not disappoint- the penguin parents and their young were fun and fascinating. The walk is gentle and the view fantastic. An abrupt change in weather made for a rough return but my pressure wristbands warded off sea sickness. I have great pictures and wonderful memories and highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Daniel_m
Jan 13, 2024
A must for Punta Arenas/penguin fans! - This is a must if visiting Punta Arenas. We found everything well organized and clear. Our drivers and guides were excellent and we found the pace and amount of time for each stop was appropriate. The scenery is amazing - we had great weather - and the penguins are super cute and entertaining.
Review provided by Viator
Georgy_c
Dec 9, 2023
Incredible experience - I highly recommend this tour. We were really lucky with the weather. We could see sea whales and dolphins from the deck of the boat on our way to Magdalena island. Penguins are absolutely incredible. You can watch them very close. We also saw sea lions on the island of St Martha. It was an incredible experience that i highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
433jingc
Mar 10, 2020
Amazing tour! - The tour was super fun and well-planned. Everything went according to schedule - we got to see dolphins on the boat ride, spent the perfect amount of time on the penguin island, and drove by an island with sea lions. We even got to see more penguins on the ride back! The tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable about the animals which made it even more fun. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Polis61
Jun 19, 2020
Humbling exu - Good day...The guy on the boat took the time to explain...The captain took us near to see the sea lions and on the way back we offered a drink and biscuits, which was nice. With a better, more comfortable boat, the experience will be even better. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_z
Mar 9, 2020
Nice trip, shop for the best price - Interesting trip. saw lots of penguins close-up on the short island walk. Watched sea lions on shore from the boat for about 15 minutes, also interesting. Our seating area was somewhat cramped but tolerable. We heard some people on the trip paid about $40.00 less per person than we did. Not sure how we could have gotten that price. Overall, worth doing.
Review provided by Viator
Sergii_l
Apr 2, 2024
Very bad experience with this SCAM tour operator and Viator - Penguin are ok, tour operator is MUST AVOID ON ALL COSTS!
First of all they changed our tour time last minute and stated that because of the weather. All our future plans was broken because of that. What was the surprise when we find out that there was actually a tour on time we booked, so this tour operator just decided to move our time for their needs and lie to us
Organization is awful - you will constantly wait for something and loose your time because of their disorganization
At the end they stoped responding to our messages and refused to refund our tour.
Moreover we found out that tour is OVERPRICED and Viator refused to pay the difference with their "Lowest price guarantee" program even when I gave them all the details and proofs of lower price on other website.
So dont book this tour unless you want to be scammed and do not book high priced tours via Viator because they will not help you with refund if anything is wrong and their Lowest price guarantee program do not work at all
Review provided by Viator
Williamgd6439ed
Mar 9, 2020
Tripadvisor rip off. - The trip to Magdalena Island in the Straits of Magellan was cancelled do to weather. Those thinks happen, but imagine my surprise when I discovered the cost of this tour was 100 USD when I paid 160 USD booking through Tripadvisor. I will never use your service again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
