Clickable chart
Morning or afternoon Magdalena Island penguin tour?
Magdalena and Marta islands penguin trip from Punta Arenas
★ 4.6 · 694 written reviews
Daylight through the season
Sunset over Magdalena Island, month by month
Choose a month to see when the sun sets on Chilean time and what that month means for a penguin sailing.
Sunset
Feb
- Sun sets around 21:13
Sunrise moves to 06:41 by mid-February, a comfortable hour for early boats.12
Sunset is worked out for the 15th of each month on Chilean time in Magallanes, which stays on UTC-3 all year. No weather station sits close enough for a climate chart, so the month notes come from CONAF and the US Naval Observatory.
When the boats leave, when CONAF lets them land, what the wind does to your plans and how the light changes from October to March, so you can pick your sailing with open eyes.
Editorial team, magdalenaislandtour.com · Updated November 12, 2026 · Reading: 7 min
Key facts
- Landing hoursCONAF lets boats land between 9:00 and 18:00.1
- SlotsOne listing names 7AM and 1:30PM meetings at Muelle Prat, or 6AM and 12:30PM in another field.
- WindWeather here can change in minutes, so trips depend on it.2
- LightIn mid-December the sun rises at 05:11 and sets at 22:04.3
- Book firstTake the earliest slot of an early day of your stay.
The departure slots from Punta Arenas
Penguin boats to Magdalena run through the day in summer, and the operator of our trip advertises daily departures in season.4 Our listing does not fix one start time: it asks you to check availability to see the starting times for your date. In practice that means a choice between an early sailing and a later one, and the choice is worth a moment of thought.
Other listings show how the day is divided. One navigation and penguin walk names meetings at 7AM and 1:30PM at Muelle Prat (another field of the same listing says 6AM and 12:30PM) and a 10AM departure from the Tres Puentes terminal, and notes that meeting times can move with the weather. A further listing earmarks its 10:00 am boat for people off the cruise ships and cautions that the holiday weeks and ship days can shuffle its schedule.
For an afternoon Magdalena Island penguin tour, then, you will usually be choosing a slot after midday, and for a morning trip one that leaves early enough to land before mid-morning. Whichever you pick, you meet at the office 10 minutes before the start and the trip runs for about 5 hours from there.
Sun at the island
Sunrise and sunset through the season
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Twilight starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October | 06:36 | 20:21 | 06:00 |
| 15 November | 05:35 | 21:20 | 04:52 |
| 15 December | 05:11 | 22:04 | 04:20 |
| 15 January | 05:42 | 22:01 | 04:55 |
| 15 February | 06:41 | 21:10 | 06:03 |
| 15 March | 07:34 | 20:07 | 07:00 |
Times for Magdalena Island on Chilean time (UTC-3) from the US Naval Observatory.9,10,3,11,12,13
Landing hours are set around the penguins
The boats do not land whenever they like. CONAF, which runs the protected area, schedules landings between 9:00 and 18:00 and spreads them through the day according to the activity patterns of the penguins, and it tells visitors to ask their tour operator for the details.1 The same CONAF page also describes a single daily visiting window on the island between 8:00 and 18:00.5
The reason behind the timetable is the colony itself. Close to the jetty, along roughly 300 metres of path, parents hurry inland from the water with meals for their young, and the rangers want visitors to tread carefully and never make a bird give up its catch.6 A landing slot is part of a rota that keeps people and feeding birds from crowding each other.
That is also why every visit is capped at 1 hour, whatever time you land: CONAF sets the limit to reduce interference with feeding and breeding.7 A morning boat and an afternoon boat give you the same hour ashore, the same 1.4 km trail and the same rules.8 What changes between them is the sea, the light and the shape of the rest of your day.
Wind, waves and the chance of a cancelled sailing
Wind is the factor that decides most plans in Magallanes. Chile Travel calls it a constant in the region and warns that the weather can change in minutes, and it describes the climate of Punta Arenas as cold all year with strong winds.2,15 On the open water of the strait those gusts become waves, and the boats sail only when the crew judges it safe.
Every Magdalena listing reflects that. Our own listing makes every sailing subject to the weather, and the Muelle Prat catamaran cites gales and low water as grounds to reschedule or scrap a trip, in which case it offers another day or an instant refund. Marta Island is the leg most exposed to the sea, and the operator says visits there depend on the conditions of the day.16
Nobody can promise that one slot will be calmer than another. The part you can steer is the slack in your itinerary. A Magdalena Island penguin tour from Punta Arenas booked for an early day of your stay leaves later mornings and afternoons free for a second attempt, while a sailing on your last morning before a flight leaves you nothing to fall back on.
Your day
Which sailing suits you
Pick the slot from what else your day holds.
If I fly out the same evening
An early slot
The terminal lies 20 km out of town, so leave generous time.14
If I arrive in town that morning
An afternoon slot
Meet at the office 10 minutes before your start.
If I want the softest light
Early or late
In mid-November the sun rises at 05:35 and sets at 21:20.10
If My dates cannot move
The earliest slot
A cancelled early boat may still leave a later chance that day.
If I come off a cruise ship
The cruise slot
A 10:00 am departure is kept for ship passengers on one listing.
Light for photographs from spring to autumn
The season runs through the long days of the southern summer. On 15 December the sun rises over the island at 05:11 and sets at 22:04, according to the US Naval Observatory, and civil twilight starts as early as 04:20.3 Even at the start of the season, on 15 October, sunrise is at 06:36 and sunset at 20:21.9
Those long days mean that both a morning and an afternoon landing take place in full daylight, often with the sun well clear of the horizon. The softest light falls early and late. A boat that lands soon after the island opens catches the low morning sun across the grass and the burrows, and an afternoon landing late in the window can give warm side light on the white fronts of the birds.
By March the days shorten noticeably: on 15 March the sun rises at 07:34 and sets at 20:07.13 Late in the season an early sailing may cross the strait in the blue hour before sunrise, which is a beautiful ride if you are dressed for it. Keep a lens cloth handy for the spray and drizzle that settle on the front of a lens during the crossing.
A dawn sailing
An early boat in midsummer
Before dawn
Twilight begins
On 15 December civil twilight starts at 04:20.3
Sunrise
Leave the hotel
The sun rises at 05:11 in mid-December.3
At the office
Check in early
Arrive 10 minutes before the start.
On the island
An hour ashore
Landings run between 9:00 and 18:00.1
Midday
Back in the square
The coach drops everyone at the Plaza de Armas.
Late evening
Sunset at last
The sun sets at 22:04 in mid-December.3
What the colony is doing through the day
Magdalena is a nursery first and foremost, home to some 7,000 breeding pairs by the park agency's count.17 Chile Travel says the best months to see penguins run from October to March, the span of their breeding cycle.18 Whatever the hour, you walk through a busy neighbourhood of burrows, with birds standing guard, resting and walking to and from the sea.
CONAF does not publish an hour-by-hour activity chart for visitors, and it keeps the detail of the landing rota with the operators.1 What it does publish is the most useful clue: adults carry food to their chicks along the trail nearest the landing.6 Whether you come in the morning or the afternoon, that stretch is where you should slow down and watch.
Rather than chasing a perfect hour, choose the slot that suits your day and spend your hour well. Stop at a quiet spot along the ropes, stay still, and let the penguins go about their business at 2 metres or more from you.19 The Magdalena Island penguins near Punta Arenas, Chile, are used to the trail, and patience pays off.
Video
Isla Magdalena, the penguin paradise of Patagonia
Anything Outdoors with Steve on YouTube · Video data is requested only when you tap play.
Landings take place between 9:00 and 18:00, with the timetable set according to the activity patterns of the penguins. Ask your tour operator.
Timing checklist
Before you pick a slot
Plan3
- Pick an early day of your stay
- Check the starting times for your date
- Reserve now, pay later, cancel up to 24 hours before
Light3
- Sunglasses and sunscreen for long summer days
- Lens cloth for spray and drizzle
- A head torch for a pre-dawn walk to the office
Weather3
- Warm layers for an early start
- Waterproof jacket for the crossing
- A spare morning in case of wind
Comparing the morning and the afternoon
A morning sailing suits early risers, photographers who love low light and anyone with plans later in the day. The coach leaves you in the main square in time for lunch, and a cancelled boat is known about early enough to try again later. The price is a dark, cold start, so breakfast at the hotel may be a quick one, or a pastry carried in a coat pocket.
An afternoon sailing suits travellers arriving the same morning, families with children who sleep late and anyone who wants a slow start. Coffee, tea and cookies on board help bridge the gap to dinner.4 The risk is that a cancelled afternoon boat leaves no later slot that day, so you need another day in reserve.
Our verdict: if you have just a single free day in Punta Arenas, take the earliest slot available and keep the afternoon as a fallback. If you have several days, pick the slot that fits your energy and your camera, and use the free cancellation up to 24 hours before to move if the forecast turns. Whichever you choose, dress for the coldest part of it, the crossing.
Which slot to book first when your dates are tight
Start with the season. The 2026-2027 visiting period runs 15 October 2026 through 31 March 2027, and outside it the island stays closed to boats.20 Within them, look for a date early in your stay and the earliest slot that the availability calendar offers for it. If the dates look equal, take the one with more days after it before you have to leave the city.
Next, lock in a seat that costs nothing yet: payment can wait, and releasing the booking a day ahead or earlier is free. Hold that seat, then watch the forecast for wind over the strait in the days before. If the outlook worsens, ask the operator about a later slot or another day before you cancel the booking.
Finally, let the boat set the agenda for that day, and fit everything else around it. With a flight or a long bus ride the same day, the morning slot is the only sensible one, and even then keep a wide margin. Remember the 3-hour bus ride if Natales is next, or the 20 km drive out to the airport.21,14 Leave the stress on the shore and enjoy the boat.
FAQ
Questions answered quickly.
Are there afternoon tours to Magdalena Island?
Listings name afternoon meetings at Muelle Prat at 12:30PM or 1:30PM; check availability for our trip's times on your date.
What time do boats land on the island?
CONAF spreads landings through that window according to the penguins' activity.1
Is the morning less windy?
Weather in Magallanes can change in minutes; an early slot simply leaves time to retry.2
How long do you get on the island?
CONAF caps every visit at 1 hour to limit disturbance to feeding and breeding.7
When is sunrise in December?
Mid-December sunrise over the island is at 05:11, and darkness waits until after the 22:04 sunset.3
What if my sailing is cancelled?
Before the deadline a day ahead you can cancel at no cost; on the morning itself, ask whether a later boat has room.
Which slot is better for photos?
Low sun suits penguins best; in mid-January the sun rises at 05:42 and sets at 22:01.11
Sources
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- Sernatur, Chile National Tourism Service (chile.travel) · Guide for a trip to the home of the King Penguin ↩
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department · Sun and Moon data for one day, Magdalena Island, 2026-12-15 ↩
- Solo Expediciones (operator page for its own tour) · Magdalena and Marta Island ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department · Sun and Moon data for one day, Magdalena Island, 2026-10-15 ↩
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department · Sun and Moon data for one day, Magdalena Island, 2026-11-15 ↩
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department · Sun and Moon data for one day, Magdalena Island, 2027-01-15 ↩
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department · Sun and Moon data for one day, Magdalena Island, 2027-02-15 ↩
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department · Sun and Moon data for one day, Magdalena Island, 2027-03-15 ↩
- Sernatur, Chile National Tourism Service (chile.travel) · History and Culture in Punta Arenas ↩
- Sernatur, Chile National Tourism Service (chile.travel) · Punta Arenas and Strait of Magellan ↩
- Solo Expediciones (operator page for its own tour) · Magdalena and Marta Island ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- Sernatur, Chile National Tourism Service (chile.travel) · Five places to watch whales and penguins in the south of Chile ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- CONAF, Chile National Forest Corporation (conaf.cl) · Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos ↩
- Sernatur, Chile National Tourism Service (chile.travel) · Punta Arenas and Strait of Magellan ↩
Further reading