Updated Oct 2026 · Prices and times checked Oct 2026
The Humboldt Penguin National Reserve lies 115–120 km north of La Serena. Boats from Punta de Choros circle Isla Choros, where Humboldt penguins nest, and land for 1 hour on Isla Damas; day tours from La Serena take 10–12 h, from $155 per person at 2 travelers.
Our pick · the reviewed dayOur pickWhale-and-penguin day, Damas or Chañaral
50 mfrom a boat · or a 1 h walk on Isla DamasFour options: three full days from La Serena and one whale-first boat ticket at Chañaral.
You see the penguins from the boat around Isla Choros; boats keep 50 m away.
Isla Damas landings are capped at 1 hour and do not run every day.
Penguins live here all year and are most active from October to April.
On your own: bus to Punta de Choros, then a boat from CLP 17,000 (≈$18) and a cash landing fee.
Four options · one reviewed
For most travelers the reviewed whale-and-penguin day from La Serena is the safest Humboldt Penguin National Reserve tour: 10 hours, rated 4.2 from 12 reviews, from $280 per person at 2 travelers, with a choice of Isla Damas or Chañaral. Pairs on a budget can take the Spanish-only Isla Damas day from $155; a solo traveler pays least on the 12-hour Choros and Damas day, at $204.
Pick by your situation
Your match: Whale-and-penguin day · ★4.2 (12) · per person at 2
Book · from $2801 / 4The reviewed pickReviewed pickThe safest choice for most travelers, with a choice of Isla Damas or Chañaral.
50 mfrom a boator a 1 h walk on Isla Damas
1 / 3Solo traveler's priceSolo traveler's priceThe lowest price for one traveler: the same for a solo booking.
50 mfrom a boatboat around Isla Choros; landing on Isla Damas
1 / 4Lowest price for twoLowest for twoFor pairs on a budget who are fine with a Spanish-speaking guide.
50 mboats keep 50 mIsla Damas visit
1 / 4Whales firstWhales firstWhales first, penguins a side sight — about 145 km from La Serena.
50 mfrom a boatboat only around Isla Chañaral · 100–300 m from whales
Source · GetYourGuide listings, prices for a November 2026 trip date, checked Oct 2026. Exact dates live in the booking widget.
Live dates for the two Isla Damas days from La Serena
Visiting the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve on your own costs a fraction of a tour but takes planning. A bus runs from La Serena to Punta de Choros at 9:00 and 17:00 (one source; verify locally), boats circling Isla Choros and Isla Damas cost CLP 17,000 Monday to Wednesday and CLP 23,000 Thursday to Sunday (Jan 2026), and the Isla Damas landing fee is extra, in cash.
The bus return times are not in our sources; confirm them before you travel.
Rather not juggle buses and piers? The Choros and Damas day
Carry Chilean pesos in cash: the Isla Damas landing fee is paid in cash, and so are the boats if you go on your own.
Source · Meteored and Nomades (undated), Los Andes (Jan 2026), chile.travel (Sep 2023); CLP at ≈945 per USD, Oct 2026.
La Serena → Punta de Choros → the islands
Road lines from OpenStreetMap routing · boat and ferry legs are straight lines, not the exact course · the inset shows Punta de Choros and the islands · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Open in Google Maps
Isla Damas is the only island in the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve where visitors may land: one hour on a 1,800 m trail with lookouts. Landings depend on sea conditions and the day of the week, and a daily quota applies, so book ahead. Humboldt penguins nest on Isla Choros, which you see from the boat; Isla Chañaral is also boat-only.
A Punta de Choros tour from La Serena is a 10–12 hour day built around 2.5–3 hours on the water. Tours leave La Serena between 6:00 and 9:00 and drive 115–120 km north on Ruta 5 and the D-110. At Punta de Choros the boat circles Isla Choros for the penguins and, on landing days, stops for an hour on Isla Damas.
Depending on the tour.
The whale-and-penguin day passes Punta Teatinos, the old Juan Soldado bridge, Caleta Los Hornos, La Higuera and Quebrada de los Choros.
Humboldt penguins, sea lions and some of the about 25 bottlenose dolphins resident here.
On the trail, when conditions allow.
The drive back, for a total of 10–12 hours.
Start times differ by tour: 7:30 on the whale-and-penguin day, 6:00 on the Choros and Damas day, hotel pickup at 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 on the Spanish-only day.
Book the whale-and-penguin day · $280Humboldt penguins live only on the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. In Chile they nest from the Atacama coast south to Chiloé, and four sites are visited: the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, Pan de Azúcar, Isla Cachagua and Puñihuil. They do not migrate, so the reserve has penguins in every month, and the IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable.
Threats — fishing bycatch and competition for food, pollution, nest disturbance, loose pets, El Niño and invasive species.
Source · chile.travel (2023), 24horas (2024), Greenpeace Chile, Actualidad Ambiental (2025).
The Humboldt Penguin National Reserve has penguins all year, but October to April is the best window: one operator sees groups of up to about 20 then, against 5–10 birds farther offshore from May to September. Whales are most likely from December to March, so that stretch combines penguins, dolphins and the best chance of whales.
Your travel month
Exact departure dates live in the booking widget · Source · Nomades, Meteored and calendariochile (undated), Los Andes (Jan 2026).
Reviews of Humboldt Penguin National Reserve tours are thin. The whale-and-penguin day has 12 reviews averaging 4.2, two of the La Serena days are new, and the Chañaral boat ticket has 4 reviews averaging 4.6. We have no review text for the reserve days, so we quote none; the one quotable review is from the Chañaral boat, and it lists penguins among the wildlife.
12 reviews · the one reviewed reserve day
“Great. We saw fin whales, a sperm whale, dolphins, penguins, and sea lions.”
Source · verified GetYourGuide reviews and listing ratings, Oct 2026
Chañaral de Aceituno is the whale-first choice: a fishing cove about 145 km from La Serena and about 25 km from Punta de Choros, facing Isla Chañaral, the reserve's third island, seen from the boat only. Whale sightings are more frequent here than at Punta de Choros. Pan de Azúcar, farther north in Atacama, also has nesting Humboldt penguins, but no GetYourGuide tour and no verified boat price.
Bring binoculars, a windbreaker, a sun hat and a camera with a spare battery to the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, plus comfortable shoes for the 1,800 m Isla Damas trail. Carry Chilean pesos in cash: the Isla Damas landing fee is paid in cash, and so are the boats if you go on your own. Children up to 11 land on Isla Damas free.
Boats can be stopped by weather or a port closure by the maritime authority; ask about rebooking or a refund. No official minimum age for the Punta de Choros boats is published.
Book the whale-and-penguin dayWorth it if you are in La Serena and want penguins, dolphins and, from December to March, a good chance of whales in a single day.
It is a long day, 10–12 hours for 2.5–3 hours on the water, and the penguins are seen from about 50 m. If walking among penguins matters most, Magdalena Island near Punta Arenas is the place.
Isla Choros · 50 m from the boatTen short answers, all open — tap a question to fold it.
Book our pick · from $280It lies off Punta de Choros, 115–120 km north of La Serena, across the Coquimbo and Atacama regions. In Spanish it is the Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt, created on 3 January 1990 and covering 888.68 ha over three islands.
A penguin species of the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile, recognized by the black band that forms an inverted U across its white chest. It lives in its colonies all year and does not migrate.
The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable because numbers are falling: fishing bycatch and competition for food, pollution, nest disturbance, loose pets, El Niño and invasive species all play a part.
On islands along the coast from Atacama to Chiloé: the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, Pan de Azúcar, Isla Cachagua near Santiago and Puñihuil on Chiloé.
No. Landings are limited to 1 hour, depend on the sea and the maritime authority, and run on fewer days outside the 15 December–15 March high season; sources differ on the exact days.
Day tours from La Serena cost from $155 per person at 2 travelers to $280; on your own the boat is CLP 17,000–23,000 (≈$18–24) plus a landing fee of about CLP 10,000–11,000 (≈$11–12).
Yes. Take the bus from La Serena to Punta de Choros, buy a boat trip at the Los Corrales or San Agustín pier, and pay the Isla Damas landing fee in cash.
October to April for active penguins, and December to March if you also want whales; the penguins themselves are there all year.
Yes; children up to 11 land on Isla Damas free. No official minimum age is published for the Punta de Choros boats, while one Chañaral operator does not take children under 8.
The Spanish-only Isla Damas day and the Chañaral boat state Spanish-speaking guides. The language of the other two days is not stated in our data, so check the listing.
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Our pick · Whale-and-penguin day, Damas or Chañaral · live dates and prices
Our pick · Whale-and-penguin dayfrom $280 · ★ 4.2 (12)
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