Magdalena Island: Witness Thousands of Magellanic Penguins on a Boat Tour from 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: 5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 48 hours
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…
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….

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 2 full 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
4.1
(91 Ratings)
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Saul
Mar 25, 2025
Penguins!! - Amazing experience staff was great, I would recommend this guide group, it’s intimate yet very social the guides are amazing and very fun and personable people.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stacie_d
Mar 24, 2025
Amazing penguin viewing.... - Amazing penguin viewing. Great trip out to the island. Had to skip the second island and cut things short for weather, but so glad we went anyway. Memorable trip! Get the hot chocolate and drink it BEFORE the boat starts moving again!
Review provided by Viator
Prudenvilledavid
Mar 18, 2025
Lots of Penguins, Long Boat Ride, Dress Warm - This was a 6:30 AM shore excursion with Holland America from Punta Arenas. The Catamaran ride was 2+ hours each way in moderate sea conditions. There was lots of sea motion, but nobody suffered motion sickness. This is a very popular tour and the boat was very crowded. There are two restrooms onboard for 250 passengers.sated on two levels. There is not much to see on the way to the island so pick a seat in the middle of the boat on the lower deck if you are sea motion sensitive. A snack bar is available and an adequate box lunch is provided for the return trip. There are lots of Magellanic penguins on the island, but the chicks had all departed by late February when I did this tour. We had about an hour on the island and that was quite enough. Dress warm in layers, wear gloves and head protections. The winds are quite strong most of the time and this tour is frequently cancelled due to weather. The temperature was in the upper 40's Fahrenheit, but if felt much colder due to the wind.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deborah
Mar 10, 2025
We had an amazing experience seeing the beautiful penguins and birds of Magdalena! - We lucked out with good weather on our tour, a gentle sea and beautiful sunrise on the way to the two islands. On Magdalena the penguins were everywhere, around their burrows, at watch, grooming or resting. They are enchanting to see, and we had plenty of time to enjoy them. Sebastian, our guide on the Tierra del Fuego, has a deep knowledge of the many birds and animals of Magdalena, to give us insight into what we were seeing. On the return trip he pointed out a surfacing sei whale, which was exciting! The crew was very friendly and helpful as we entered and exited the boat, and altogether the experience was a highlight of our visit to the amazing country of Chile.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cedric_b
Feb 28, 2025
Waters can be extremely... - Waters can be extremely rough, expect lots of wind. Path on island is rocky, uneven and steep. Not for people with wheel chairs or walkers. Rodrigo, our guide, was very friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and his English was very good
Review provided by Viator
Aej822
Feb 19, 2025
Excellent morning tour to see a ton of penguins! - This morning trip was an excellent addition to our Punta Arenas stay. We met at the Solo Expeditions house (seemed part of a hotel?) a few blocks from the main square in Punta Arenas. This was at 6:15am. A bus took us to the ferry to get to Magdalena Island. We got an hour to spend on Magdalena Island to walk the roped off path for the tourist. You do need to stay five meters away from the penguins. It was absolutely awesome! They were all doing their penguin business - best building, lounging, fighting, howling - and weren’t at all concerned we were there. After the island the ferry goes by another island to look at the seals there. You can’t get off but there are a ton of seals and birds. The boat was super rocky there so be prepared for that. We were back around 10:45am. Great little add-on to our Punta Arenas trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bonnie_m
Jan 23, 2025
Magellanic Penguins up close and personal! - Everything about this experience was top notch. We were transported in a bus to the boat site. . We got on the boat and had a pleasant ride out to the island. The hour and 1/2 was plenary to make the hike around the penguin area and up to the historic lighthouse. The penguins are very close and there are plenty of them. The sounds and sights of them and the other nesting birds on the island was great. After that we were able to go see the Sea Lions at the other island. Here you are able to go up on top of the boat to view the animals while stationed next to the island. They gave us adequate time to take pictures and then we went back inside for the ride home. Everything was as promised in the description.
Review provided by Viator
Mattlindyhatch
Jan 14, 2025
Lifetime experience! - This was such a great excursion! The weather had canceled the trips the day before so we were so lucky to be able to go. They spent time on the boat ride over giving us lots of information about the penguins and their nests. What a cool lifetime experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
445vanessaa
Jan 26, 2025
Picturesque, organized, not as many penguins as expected - It was a nice little trip although I expected to see more penguins. The boat ride was super warm and had hot drinks available to drink. When we disembarked my husband and I tried to stay at the back of the crowd and walk really slow to hopefully maximize our time on the Island and be less intimidating to the penguins away from the crowd. This worked somewhat. Once you make the loop you can't start over and are herded back onto the boat so you may as well make the most of it. There were more cormorants than penguins, however we were there at a time that the penguins were still sitting on their eggs. I had binoculars and was able to see a huge group of penguins on a far off beach on the island so we're definitely just seeing a small sample of the cute little guys.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_s
Jan 17, 2025
Magdalena and Marta Islands - Good excursion on Magdelena Island. Plenty of time for pics. Marta island is really a bust as you are too far from the island to get an idea of the size of the sea lions. Plus between the boat rocking, and everyone jockeying for position, pics are dismal. Strongly suggest you ask people to stay in their first seat throughout the boat excursion. I don't want to fight for my place to sit everytime on the boat....some people lack basic courtesy.
Review provided by Viator