Penguins plus Marta Island
Magdalena and Marta islands penguin trip from Punta Arenas
★ 4.6 · 694 written reviews
- Fromfrom $160
- Length5 hrs
- CancellationIncluded
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Details to note
Included items, things to bring, exclusions
Included4
- Boat crossing to Magdalena and Marta islands
- A live guide in English and Spanish
- Coach between the office and the boat
- 1 hour ashore among the penguins
Bring3
- Warm layers and a windproof jacket
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Some pesos for small costs
Extras not covered2
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Meals
5hours
from the office to the main square
694reviews
from guests on GetYourGuide
35km
up the strait from Punta Arenas
1966protected
the year the islands became a park
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A guide to the columns
The trip sold here beside three other Magdalena sailings from Punta Arenas, with live ratings and prices.
Starting price per person; the booking site shows it live.
In their words
Words from travelers
4.6
★★★★★694 checked guest reviews
Watching the sun come up from the deck was as memorable for me as the penguins themselves, and we saw sea lions and a whale too. I only wished for a bit more island history.
TaylorMarch 2026, with friends
From the office to the coach to the boat, everything ran without a hitch. The crew were superb, and spotting penguins and sea lions in one morning was amazing.
LeahMarch 2026, traveling solo
The coach was comfortable, boarding the catamaran went smoothly and the crew put safety first. Walking among the penguins felt special, and respect for the birds clearly came first.
PaulaFebruary 2026
After a stormy night I feared a cancellation, yet we sailed at dawn. The guides explained the island rules carefully, the birds stayed calm and it beat my dream of wild penguins.
SarahFebruary 2026, as a couple
We left on time from the advertised meeting point. I loved the penguin walk and the sea lions off Marta, and our captain even paused for a whale on the return. We felt like children again.
RomanFebruary 2026, with friends
For us this was the best part of our stay in the city: crowds of penguins, plenty of sea lions and even a whale.
EthanFebruary 2026, as a couple
the morning out
What a Magdalena Island tour feels like
A Magdalena Island tour is a short sea voyage with a crowded nursery at the end of it. You gather at an office in Punta Arenas, ride a coach to the pier, cross a stretch of the Strait of Magellan and step ashore on a low, grassy island where Magellanic penguins nest in burrows all around the path. Ours lasts 5 hours door to square, and its guide switches between English and Spanish.
The labelled legs show the shape of the morning: 30 minutes on the coach, 50 minutes on the water, an hour ashore, a hop of 25 minutes, half an hour off Marta Island and the run home. The hour on land is the heart of it, and it passes faster than you expect, with birds calling, waddling and standing guard at their holes a few paces away.
Then the boat slips round to Marta, where nobody lands and the sea lions own the rocks, and turns for the city. You are dropped in the main square, wind-burnt and a little amazed that a colony this lively sits so close to a regional capital. It is a compact adventure that still leaves the afternoon for the city.
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Penguins, a lighthouse and the open strait
Photos from trips to Magdalena and Marta
the islands
Islands guarded as a natural monument
The 2 islands share one protection order, Los Pinguinos Natural Monument, which covers just 97 hectares under the care of CONAF. They lie 35 km northeast of Punta Arenas, off the Cabo Negro shore of the strait, and the only way to reach them is by boat. There is no road, no bridge and no ferry for the public, so every visitor arrives with a licensed operator.
Protection here goes back a long way. Their protection dates from 22 August 1966, when a decree made them a national tourism park; the status of natural monument followed in 1982. When CONAF opened the celebrations of the monument's anniversary, it honoured Roberto Fernandez, a ranger on the islands who was about to retire after 47 years of service.
The rules you meet on the trail are the product of that long watch. Visits are capped, guided and short, and they keep a strict distance from the birds, so the colony stays a colony rather than a stage set. Walk the trail and you see the result: penguins going about their day while people pass at a respectful distance.
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Sea lions and cormorants on Marta Island
Marta Island is the wilder half of the monument. Nobody sets foot on it: the park agency reserves the island for breeding seabirds and sea lions alone. On our trip the boat spends 30 minutes off its shore so you can watch from the deck. Landing would disturb the breeding animals, and the rule is enforced.
What you see depends on the day, but the cast is impressive. Imperial cormorants nest on the island, and South American sea lions and fur seals breed on the rocks at its southwest end, while Magdalena serves them only as a resting place. Keep an eye on the bow wave too, where Commerson's dolphins like to surface, according to the tourism board.
Bring binoculars or a camera with a long lens for this part of the trip, and a firm grip on the rail. The animals are close enough to hear and smell on a calm day, but the boat keeps its distance, as it should. Patience on deck pays off: the longer you watch, the more behaviour you notice, from squabbles to sleepy pups in the sun.
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Your penguin morning
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the season
A summer-only trip on the strait
The island is only open while the penguins are breeding. For the 2026-2027 season CONAF admits visitors every day from 15 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, and there are no landings outside that window. Chile Travel names October to March as the best penguin months, matching the birds' breeding cycle. Plan inside those dates and the only open question is the weather.
Within the season the scenes change. Early on, adults are busy at the burrows; later the grey, fluffy chicks appear, and the colony fills with hungry calls. CONAF notes that more than 7 bird species share the islands between September and March, so gulls, skuas and cormorants are part of the show. Each visit catches the colony at a slightly different chapter of its year.
Plan your Patagonia trip with those dates in mind. A visit in April or in the southern winter cannot include Magdalena, while a summer trip built around Torres del Paine or a flight to Antarctica can add it with a single morning. The season and the trekking months overlap, which makes the detour an easy one to justify.
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694 people reviewed this
4.6
Excellent★★★★★
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Sample shown: the 10 newest reviews we hold. The booking platform lists the strongest reviews first. Across all 694 reviews, the score comes to 4.6.
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what guests say
What travellers single out after the trip
Read the newest reviews and a few themes keep returning. Guests praise the guides and the crew as friendly and well informed, and one notes how they answered every question on the walk. Others praise the logistics: a punctual start, a comfortable coach and an easy walk up the gangway. A good briefing sets the tone for the whole walk, and reviewers notice it.
The closeness of the penguins comes up again and again, with travellers delighted at how near the birds came while staying relaxed. Several also mention the sea lions off Marta, and a few were lucky enough to spot a whale on the way back. One guest even rated the sunrise from the deck as a highlight of its own.
The critical notes are useful too. One guest wished for more history of the island and its birds, and another noticed fewer penguins in mid-February than earlier in the summer. Our pages on the colony and the season are written partly to fill those gaps before you sail. Treat them as honest pointers rather than complaints: expectations set well make for a better morning.
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FAQ
Ask us,read here.
How long is the Magdalena Island tour?
5 hours.
The trip runs 5 hours from the office in Punta Arenas, with 1 hour ashore among the penguins.
Where does the trip start and end?
In Punta Arenas.
You meet at Jose Nogueira 1255 and finish at the Plaza de Armas; hotel pickup is not included.
Do you land on both islands?
Only on Magdalena.
Landing on Marta is forbidden, so its sea lions and cormorants are watched from the boat.
When can I visit Magdalena Island?
Mid-October to the end of March.
This season CONAF admits visitors from 15 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
How close do you get to the penguins?
2 metres away, no closer.
Rangers ask every visitor to stay 2 metres or more from the birds to keep them calm.
Which languages does the guide speak?
English and Spanish.
A live guide leads the trip in both languages.
Is the Magdalena Island penguin tour suitable for children?
Yes, with the rules explained.
Little legs cope well with the easy path; the only conditions are walking calmly and keeping voices down.
Is food included?
Hot drinks and biscuits only.
The operator serves coffee, tea and cookies on board; the island has no food service.
What should I wear?
Warm layers and a windbreaker.
Dress for a raw spring morning: thermals, a wind-stopping jacket and boots with grip.
What if the strait is too rough to sail?
The sailing can change or be cancelled.
Sailings hinge on the conditions; drop the booking free until a day ahead, or ask for a later boat if yours stays tied up.
wind and water
The wind decides when the boats sail
The Strait of Magellan has a reputation, and it is deserved. The tourism board files Punta Arenas under a subpolar oceanic climate: cool in every month, and windy with it. On the water that wind becomes swell, and every Magdalena sailing is subject to the weather of the day. Expect a breeze on the calmest day and a gale on the worst.
When the crew judges the sea too rough, the boat stays in port or shortens the route. The operator says the visit to Marta and the order of the islands depend on the conditions, which is why some mornings skip the sea lions but still land on Magdalena. Skipping Marta is a safety decision taken on the water, and the penguins remain the main event.
The answer is a flexible booking and a flexible calendar. Our trip lets you cancel free up to 24 hours before, so book an early day of your stay, keep an eye on the forecast and leave yourself another morning in case the first one blows away. A booking that can move costs nothing and saves a ruined plan.
Reserve it, cancellation is free7,000pairs
A busy nursery
CONAF counts about this many breeding pairs on Magdalena.
The tourism board puts the island's penguins at upwards of 120,000, and a short loop of 1.4 km takes you right through them.
photography
Taking good photos without disturbing the birds
Magdalena is generous to photographers, but it has rules. You must stay at least 2 metres from every penguin, and flash photography is not allowed. Drones are banned in the protected area unless CONAF authorises professional or research filming in advance. Rangers on the island make sure these rules are kept.
A short zoom is all you need for portraits along the path, and a wider lens captures the colony with the lighthouse on its hill. Shoot from a low angle where the rope allows it, and wait for birds to walk into your frame instead of chasing them. Let the birds come to you, and keep the rope between you and them at all times. The best shots usually come from standing still for a while.
Daylight is no constraint in high summer: by the middle of December the sun is up at 05:11 and down only at 22:04, and a late landing still has hours of light. Keep a cloth for salt spray, and spare batteries in an inside pocket, where the cold cannot sap them. Morning and evening light flatters the white chests of the birds.
Reserve it, cancellation is freeThe trip in brief
Cross the strait.Walk the colony.Watch the sea lions.
Count on 5 hours for this Isla Magdalena penguin tour, starting at an office in Punta Arenas and led live in English and Spanish. A coach takes you to the boat, the crossing leads to an hour among the burrows on Magdalena, and the return passes Marta Island for 30 minutes of wildlife watching from the deck. Seats start from $160, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before.
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what to wear
Dressing for a cold morning at sea
Even in January this is a cold trip. For this outing the official advice is thermals, a wind shell and solid boots, with the reminder that the strait is cold and gusty. The park rangers add a parka and a warm hat to that list. Dress as if it were a cold spring day in the mountains and you will not be far off.
Choose clothes you can add and remove quickly: a snug thermal top, an insulating middle layer and an outer jacket that blocks wind and spray. Add gloves, a beanie and a buff for the deck, where the wind cuts hardest. Waterproof trousers are a sensible extra if the forecast mentions rain, because a wet seat makes the ride back feel twice as long. Closed shoes with grip handle the landing and the dusty trail.
Do not forget the sun. Sunburn is a real risk this far south, where the tourism board says ultraviolet levels often run very high, so pack sunglasses and cream beside the gloves. Lip balm protects against the wind, and a small bag keeps your hands free on the trail. Pack it all the night before, so an early start does not leave anything behind.
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the guides
Certified guides in English and Spanish
Nobody walks on Magdalena alone. CONAF only allows visits with tourism guides it has certified, trained in the behaviour of the penguins and in the visiting protocol. On our trip the guiding is live, in English and Spanish. The certification means your guide knows where the birds feed and nest, and how to keep a group moving without disturbing them.
The guide briefs the group before landing, keeps the walk moving inside the hour and answers questions on the trail. Rangers live on the island through the season, and their word is final inside the park. Follow the guide’s signals on the trail, especially near the landing, where adults carry food to their chicks. A group that moves calmly gets the best views.
Use the guide well. Ask about the burrows, the chicks and the history of the lighthouse, and about the animals you see from the boat. Guides who cross the strait every day have stories that no sign can tell. A good question often turns into the best story of the day, and the guides are happy to share what they know.
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back in town
Punta Arenas before and after the boat
The trip begins and ends in the city, which makes it easy to pair with other plans. You check in at the office at Jose Nogueira 1255 and finish in the Plaza de Armas, the main square. From there the centre is yours for lunch and a walk. Cafes, museums and the seafront promenade lie a few blocks from where the coach stops.
Punta Arenas airport is 20 km north of town, with daily flights from Santiago. Heading on to the Torres del Paine side of Patagonia, you face 250 km of road to Puerto Natales, roughly 3 hours on the intercity bus. Those links make the penguin morning easy to slot between flights and buses. Plan a cushion of time around them, since the weather on the strait can shift the return.
That makes Magdalena a natural first or last morning in Patagonia. Sail the day after you land, or on the morning of an evening flight, and the penguins cost you no extra travel day at all. It is a wildlife encounter that slots neatly into a Patagonia itinerary, and one that tends to stay in the memory long after the mountains have blurred together.
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Who this trip suits, and who should think twice
The trip suits almost any curious traveller: families with children old enough to follow the rules, photographers, birders and anyone with a free morning in Punta Arenas. The trail is short and rated easy, and the visit is limited to 1 hour. Children enjoy it most when they know beforehand what the rules are and why they matter.
It suits less well those with limited mobility, for whom our listing does not recommend it, and anyone who dreads small boats in a swell. There is no hotel pickup, no meal and no shop or phone signal on the island, so come fed and prepared. Anyone unsure about the boat should talk to the operator before booking, and bring a remedy for seasickness.
Finally, remember that it is a wild place on a windy sea. Sailings can change or be cancelled, Marta can be skipped and the hour ashore is fixed. Accept those terms, and the reward is a close and calm encounter with thousands of penguins in their own home. It is a trade worth making for a morning you will talk about for years.
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