Shore Excursion: Magellan Penguins Natural Reserve in Magdalena Island from Punta Arenas
Overview
Available languages
5 hours
Mobile ticket
Sail through the Magellan Strait to Isla Magdalena, Natural Monument Los Pinguinos, which protects more than 120,000 penguins and also a small colony of sea lions.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for ALL participants.
Subject to favorable weather conditions, if canceled due to poor weather, you will be given a full refund.
This trip can be canceled due to few passengers or poor weather by Punta Arenas Administration even one hour before starting.
This tour will finish around 3 PM, if you have to return to your ship 3 PM or earlier this is not the tour for you. Please note that by joining this tour, you do so at your own responsibility.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
What To Expect
Punta Arenas
Pick up point
Isla Marta
Usually we circumnavigate Marta island. We do not disembark.
What‘s Included
One hour with the Penguins in Magdalena Island.
Marta island (without disembark) where you can see sea lions.
Transfer from our office to boat depart point.
Gratuities
Transfer to our office (only 8 minutes walking from PRAT cruise port).
Options
Penguins
Meeting point at boat office: Meeting point at boat office (very near cruise port). Drop off at cruise port.
Reviews
107 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Birds galore
dhium,,Dec 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Outstanding stroll among the penguins. Saw a penguin chick emerge of the burrow. Really glad we did this trip.
Bad day with Viator !
Thomas S,,Mar 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00The boat ride there was long and rough ! We were only allowed to spend 15 minutes on the island because the weather was so bad that the Captain was worried about getting back to port ! The first mate told me they should have never brought us there ?
Sketchy business?
Timothy S,,Mar 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00We were instructed to go to their office, upon arrival we entered to find a young woman and young man seated behind a desk. The young woman proceeded to inform us the tour was cancelled due to 35 persons from our ship cancelling the previous evening. Although suspicious sounding it was obvious we weren't going on this tour. I asked if any of their competitors had similar offerings. The woman wrote a name on a paper and handed it to me. I asked if she would contact them and she tried to call but did not get through. As we headed out another couple from our ship came in. We were about 100 meters down the road when we heard the door slam as the couple left the office. The man from the office ran out yelling. When we returned to the ship I checked my email and had 2 messages from viator. One was the cancelation notice: "Sorry. We're sorry to inform you that the 10 AM sailing on January 30 has been canceled due to expected weather conditions. Thank you for your understanding! We will full refund you." The date was March 16, not January 30, and it the weather was clear with almost no wind. This completely contradicted their explanation for the cancelation. The second email stated: "Mr. $%@&^!, the boat office administrators are going to the Police to make a complaint for assault and attack on the office structure. Please be aware that they will contact you. Sometimes people can’t continue with the cruise ship." I replied that it was the couple that entered the office after us that slammed the door. I heard nothing else from either viator or the operator aside from the solicitation for this review. We did received a prompt refund, however I was haunted by thoughts of Chilean authorities apprehending me at a future port of call or at the airport.
Read the negative reviews!
M7123VBmarg,,Mar 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Alert alert don't make any plan with this horrible company, it always confirmed the excursion, we went to the meeting point super excited and when we arrived at the office they tell us that they have canceled the excursion, left us without any plan. This company is a scam. I should have read the negative comments because they are very true and accurate. I'm furious and fighting over my refund. Stay away from this company.
I was lucky NOT to go on this trip
LoveTravel488454,,Mar 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00I've got a fever and a cough this morning, so I decided to stay on the cruise ship, however my wife went there. When she came back, she was angry as hell! 1. The boat is much smaller than a catamaran, and weather this afternoon was extremely windy - gusts with speed more than 60 km/h. So, the way back to the Punta Arenas was a nightmare, many people were seasick. The operators knew about this afternoon's wind intensification - it's so easy to see that in applications like "windy .com", nevertheless they decided not to cancel this trip. 2. It was promised to us to spend 60 minutes on the Magdalena island, but in fact this time was compressed to just 15 minutes - because boat operators thought the wind would get stronger, so they wanted to leave as quickly as possible. What about penguins? Very few of them... 3. The tour is overpriced - $175 pp for a bumpy ride plus 15 minutes on the island with a few penguins?
Windy but great.
Timothy B,,Feb 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It will depend quite a bit on the weather, of course, and you might not be able to go. When we got to the office, they at first said that it wasn't looking so good and might be cancelled. However, we did go and it turned out to be a great experience, though the wind was quite strong. At the top of the hill, it was so strong as to make it difficult to negotiate, but wasn't so bad elsewhere. We got great views.
Sébastien was a fantastic...
Peggi W,,Feb 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Sébastien was a fantastic guide. Not only did we see the penguins but other wildlife as well. And after having cookies and hot chocolate we made it to Marta Island to see the seals!
Timing is everything
Shaun C,,Feb 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00Not alot of penguins to see as all the baby's have gone so check before you book! Also we didn't get to see any sealions as the sea was too rough and we had to divert so be prepared for disappointment if weather not great
Magdalena island penguins and more !
Michele P,,Feb 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Very interesting outing to the Magdalena islands lots of Magellan penguins albatros and other birds We saw a few whales along the way ! Very worthwhile also visited Martha Island and the sea lions from the boat great pictures ! Sébastian was a great skipper !
Nesting Penguins & Seagulls
Donald S,,Feb 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00We checked in at 10:00am but didn’t actually board our boat until after 11:00am because we had to wait for our boat carrying a morning tour to dock & disembark. The crew was very friendly and safety conscious throughout the tour. We were shown pictures of a wide variety of birds we may see. In fact it was seagulls & penguins. We thought the tour would be a longer walk when in fact, it was basically walking up to the lighthouse & back down the hill to our boat. I don’t know if the Park officials limit the tour to one hour but with the time wasted before we actually got aboard- we could have spent more time on the island to enjoy the birds. We did enjoy seeing a pod of dolphins on the way to Magdalena island & a colony of Sea lions on a different Island before heading back to Punta Arenas.
From US$190.00
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