Magdalena Island Penguin Tour: 60,000 Magellanic Penguins

Thousands of Magellanic penguins nesting in the same burrows their ancestors used.

A guided boat tour from Punta Arenas that crosses the Strait of Magellan to Magdalena Island, where you walk among more than 60,000 Magellanic penguins in their breeding grounds. You can choose to add Marta Island to observe sea lions and seabirds in their natural habitat, or return after Magdalena Island alone. The tour runs 4 to 5 hours and includes entry to both islands (if selected), a live guide in English or Spanish, and hot coffee with cookies on the return journey.

Step-by-step itinerary

Magdalena and optional Marta Island tour

• Check in early morning
• Board boat and sail Strait of Magellan
• Arrive and explore Magdalena Island penguin colony
• Optionally visit Marta Island to observe sea lions
• Enjoy coffee and cookies on return boat
• Return to Punta Arenas main square

The experience

Your first morning in Punta Arenas starts early: you board at Prat Pier and sail into the Strait of Magellan, one of the world's most storied sea passages. The crossing takes roughly 45 minutes, and the water itself is the draw: sei whales, Peale's dolphins, and Commerson's dolphins move through these channels on their own migrations, and you watch for them as the boat cuts south.

Magdalena Island appears as a low, windswept refuge, and you disembark to walk the colony on foot with your guide. The scale hits you first: more than 60,000 Magellanic penguins nest here each year, returning to the same burrows their parents and grandparents used, generation after generation. You move among them at ground level, close enough to photograph and observe their behavior without the distance a viewing platform would impose. This is the largest Magellanic penguin colony in Chile, and it is also a working breeding ground. The birds are raising chicks, not performing for an audience.

After Magdalena Island, the tour splits. If you booked Magdalena only, you return to Prat Pier and the tour ends. If you chose the complete tour, the boat continues to Marta Island, a sea lion refuge in the strait with over 1,500 individuals hauled out on the rocks. You observe from the boat, weather permitting, watching the animals rest and move in the water, surrounded by imperial cormorants and kelp gulls that nest on the same rocks. The return includes hot coffee and sweet cookies, and if the light holds, you may photograph elephant seals along the shoreline before reaching Punta Arenas' main square.

What’s included

• Entry to Magdalena Island and its Magellanic penguin colony.
• a live guide in English or Spanish.
• hot coffee or tea with sweet cookies on the return.
• entry to Marta Island if you choose the complete tour option.

Options for this experience

2 options

Only Magdalena IslandGuide in English or Spanish · 06:00 and 12:30Important: meeting point is Prat Pier. Only Magdalena Island: tour from Muelle Prat in Punta Arenas to Magdalena Island. Duration: 5 hours. Not included: meals and drinks are not included. Note, this meeting point: Muelle Prat, Mlle. Prat, Punta Arenas, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Chile

Magdalena and Marta, full tourGuide in English or Spanish · 06:30 and 10:00Important: meeting point is José Nogueira 1255. Full tour: complete tour from Punta Arenas, including Magdalena Island and Marta Island. Duration: 5 hours. Includes only: coffee service on board. Note, this meeting point: José Nogueira 1255, 6201110 Punta Arenas, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Chile

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 06:00, 06:30, 10:00 and 12:30

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 55

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomeNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ni Lo Pienses Tour

Is this one for you?Book the Magdalena-only option if you want to focus on the penguin colony and return early. Choose the complete tour to add the sea lion colony on Marta Island and extend your time on the water by roughly an hour.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the Strait of Magellan and what wildlife will I see crossing it?

The Strait of Magellan is a legendary sea passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and it is a migratory route for sei whales, Peale's dolphins, and Commerson's dolphins. You watch for these animals during the roughly 45-minute crossing from Punta Arenas to Magdalena Island.

How many penguins live on Magdalena Island and what are they doing there?

More than 60,000 Magellanic penguins nest on Magdalena Island each year, the largest colony in Chile. They return to breed and raise chicks in the same burrows generation after generation, and you walk among them on the island to observe this behavior up close.

Can I see sea lions on this tour, or is that a separate trip?

Sea lions are included only if you book the complete tour option, which adds Marta Island as a second stop. Marta Island hosts over 1,500 sea lions, and you observe them from the boat in their natural habitat. The Magdalena-only option returns after the penguin colony without visiting Marta Island.

How long does the whole tour take and what's included to eat or drink?

The tour runs 4 to 5 hours from start to finish. Entry to Magdalena Island is included, and if you choose the complete tour, entry to Marta Island is also included. Hot coffee or tea and sweet cookies are served on the return journey to Punta Arenas.

What's the meeting point, and do I need to arrange my own transport to the pier?

You meet at Prat Pier in Punta Arenas, where you board the boat. Transfers and pickup are not included, so you will need to arrange your own transport to the pier before the tour begins.