There are not many places in the world you can just casually roam around a land filled with tens of thousands of penguins. That’s what makes a trip to Magdalena Island so special. I’ve been a huge penguin lover for years, but seeing penguins at a zoo or aquarium and seeing them in their natural habitat. This island is so special because you don’t just watch the penguins from a distance — you actually get out and walk around, exploring them up close. I will continue to nerd out about this experience for the rest of my life.
Getting to Magdalena Island
Want to roam about Magdalena Island to see these adorable birds? Firstly, let’s start with a bit of basic geography. Magdalena Island (also known as Isla Magdalena) is a small island in the Strait of Magellan, Chile. It’s not somewhere where anyone lives — so don’t expect to fly into Magdalena Island.
Instead, most visitors access this island by visiting the nearby town of Punta Arenas. The only way to access this tiny “penguin island” is via boat. Let me explain, but first lets start with how you’ll even get to Punta Arenas.
To get to Punta Arenas, you’ll need to fly into PUQ, Presidente Carlos Ibáñez International Airport. Currently, there are no direct flights from the U.S. into this town. That being said, the easiest route is to fly through Santiago, Chile and then take a short domestic flight to Punta Arenas. This is the option we choose for our adventure using LATAM Airlines.
Getting to Magdalena Island from Punta Arenas
Once you’ve made it to Punta Arenas, the hard work is done. From here, getting to Magdalena Island is pretty easy. From your hotel in Punta Arenas, you’ve got two options to get up close and personal with these adorable Magellanic penguins.
You can take an organized group boat tour that will pick you up and drop you off from a meeting point in the town of Punta Arenas or you can take the public ferry. I recommend choosing a trusted tour operator to make things much easier for yourself. The ferry is cheaper but requires navigation that can be difficult if you are not a Spanish speaker.
Booking a Punta Arenas penguin tour is pretty straightforward. Options like this tour from Get Your Guide make the whole experience seamless so you can spend more time geeking out over these little birds and less time stressing. An example of how this experience unfolds:
- Meet at a central location in Punta Arenas (a very walkable town)
- Take a bus ride to the boat pier (30 to 40 minutes, approximately)
- Take a 45 min to one hour speed boat ride to Magdalena Island
- Enjoy free time to walk around, view the penguins, and visit the lighthouse
Magdalena Island Penguin Tour: What to consider
For those of you that are as obsessed with penguins as I am… skipping this Magdalena Island penguin tour is simply not an option. With that in mind, there are some very important things to know as you plan when and where to add this tour into your trip.
Timing your trip
Firstly, know that this boat tour experience to see the penguins on Isla Magdalena only takes place October through March. This is because of the penguin breeding season. If you visit the Patagonia outside of these months, this island has no penguins to be found. During this time period, the penguins are busy migrating north into deeper waters and cold, short, and ultra-windy days make this boat tour impossible.
The wind factor
Most people who travel to Punta Arenas do so as part of a larger Patagonia trip. Perhaps you’re on your way to El Calafate or maybe you want to do some hiking in Torres del Paine Park. But if seeing these tiny flightless birds is on your bucket list, it’s key to allow a buffer in your schedule in case of high winds. This tour sometimes will get cancelled if winds are too high to get the boat out there safely.
Personally, I would’ve cried if I went all this way to travel to the Patagonia and not see these little guys. That being said, one day in Punta Arenas isn’t going to cut it. Again, boat tours are the only way you can see these penguins and get to this island. If your tour is cancelled, at least you’ll have a second day to hope that the winds die down.
Tip: Get the best view of these penguins by packing binoculars. I packed these binoculars for my trip and they made a huge difference in getting to see the penguins from a distance (from the boat).
Magdalena Island Penguins FAQs
Q: How intense is the boat ride?
A: The boat ride intensity depends on how windy and choppy the waters are the day of your tour. For those who are even mildly prone to motion sickness, I would 100% recommend taking dramamine. The boat ride can get intense at times, but it was mostly tolerable (and I am very prone to motion sickness).
The boat ride had an option an enclosed space or to go to the top deck to view the island from a distance. I do recommend the motion sickness patches (you’ll need to get this from a doctor before travel) which made my experience much more enjoyable. You might also want to pack some snacks to munch on so your stomach isn’t empty.
Q: Can you touch the penguins?
A: No, you can’t touch the penguins on Isla Magdalena. The walkway on this island is clearly marked to ensure penguins and people keep a distance. Even though you can’t touch these birds, they still come up pretty close to you (within feet). It’s truly magical to see them roam about in their natural habitat.
Q: How many penguins are on Magdalena Island?
A: There’s about 120,000 Magellanic penguins on the island. I went in January and was able to see a great mixture of babies and adult penguins. I recommend timing your trip during molting season if you want to see this.