Boat Navigation to Magdalena Island Penguin Reserve from Punta Arenas

This trip gets underway at the Tres Puentes terminal just north of Punta Arenas, where we board a fery to Magdalena Island. This includes two hours of sailing on the wolr-famous Straits of Magellan, where we expect to encounter the magnificent black-browed albatross along with skuas, South American terns, cormorants, kelp gulls, and others in the skies around us. In the waters we should find the Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) and Commerson's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii). Magdalena Island is a protected area known as Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos of 97 hectares, which also includes the tiny Marta Island nearby.

After disembarking at Magdalena Island we will encounter not just a visual marvel but one involving a world of sounds and odors as well. The Magellanic penguins (up to about 40,000 pairs) build their nests on the island, and their number increase during the months of January and February after the chicks hatch. And this is in addition to the juveniles along the shore. Along the trail to the lighthouse there are hundreds of penguins burrows and we will have the opportunities to observe these flightless birds up close. The lighthouse is an attraction on its own since it is a national historical monument. It has its own small museum and a commnding view of the island and its surroundings. We will spend just about one hour on this island.

Meeting Point:

Tres Puentes Terminal