Updated Oct 2026 · Prices and times checked Oct 2026
A Magdalena Island penguin tour takes about 5 hours from Punta Arenas, costs from $155–180 per person and gives you 1 hour on foot along a marked trail through a Magellanic penguin colony, October to March.
Our pick · most reviewedOur pickSpeedboat tour with Marta Island
2 mwalk among them · sea lions at Marta from the boatEvery tour gets the same 1 hour ashore, the CONAF limit; they differ in boat, departure time and pickup.
You walk among the penguins on a marked trail; the rule is to keep at least 2 m away.
Monument entry is included in all four tour prices, unlike the king penguin park.
Wind can close the port, so book Magdalena early in your stay in Punta Arenas.
December–January brings chicks; by March only a few penguins remain on the island.
Four tours · one island
Book the speedboat tour with Marta Island if you want one answer: it has the most reviews (★4.6 from 709), costs from $160 per person and adds sea lions at Marta Island from the boat. All four tours give you 1 hour walking the trail on Magdalena Island, so the real choices are departure time, pickup and price.
Pick by your situation
Your match: Speedboat tour with Marta Island · ★4.6 (709) · 6:30 check-in
Book · from $160Four Magdalena Island penguin tours sell on GetYourGuide, all 5 hours long and all with Los Pingüinos Natural Monument entry included. Prices run from $155 to $180 per person. How close you get is the same on all of them: on foot, along a marked trail through the colony, keeping at least 2 m from the birds, which often cross the path. What changes is the boat, the start time and whether you are collected from your hotel.
1 / 4Best-reviewed · our pickBest-reviewedThe default pick, and the only one in this selection that adds Marta Island.
2 mwalk among them+ sea lions at Marta Island from the boat, no landing
No hotel pickup: you meet at Solo Expediciones, José Nogueira 1255, and finish at Plaza de Armas.
1 / 4Highest ratedHighest ratedFor travelers who value the top rating and a transfer back to the hotel.
2 mwalk among themThe listing includes the office-to-pier transfer and a transfer to your hotel; meeting point José Nogueira 1255.
1 / 3Afternoon & cruise dayAfternoon & cruise dayThe slot you need if your morning is taken or your ship is in port.
2 mwalk among themGuests warn about motion in waves; the operator lists the tour as wheelchair accessible.
1 / 2Lowest price · newLowest price · newThe cheapest seat, or the only listing that sells hotel pickup as an option.
2 mwalk among themNot suitable for people prone to seasickness.
$195 per person with hotel pickup and a snack
BookSource · GetYourGuide listings, prices and times checked Oct 2026. Exact dates live in the booking widget.
Live dates and prices for the speedboat tour with Marta Island
A speedboat gets you to Magdalena Island in about 45–50 minutes; the large ferry takes about 2 hours each way. Both give you the same 1 hour on the island, because CONAF limits every visit to one hour. So the choice is time on the water against boat size: the ferry is bigger and has indoor seating and a cafeteria, the speedboat leaves you more of your day. Wind can lengthen either crossing.
One blogger's speedboat crossing took 45 minutes out and about 1.5 hours back in rough seas, and her time on the island was cut short. Ferry departure times are not confirmed for 2026–27; the times that apply to your date live in the booking widget.
“Just a heads-up: if you get seasick easily, the ferry's movement in the waves could be an issue.”
Guest of the two-departure ferry tour · January 2026
On GetYourGuide: the two-departure ferry tour
On GetYourGuide: the speedboat tour with Marta Island
Source · Meteored (Oct 2026), operator pages (Nomades, Tur.com, Solo Expediciones, undated), GetYourGuide listings Oct 2026. ≈ conversions at about CLP 950 per $1, indicative.
A morning Magdalena Island tour from Punta Arenas starts with a 6:00–6:30 check-in and has you back in town around noon. Roughly half the 5 hours is transport: the bus to the pier and the crossing each way. The hour on the island goes to a guided walk along the trail to the lighthouse and back.
At the operator's office, José Nogueira 1255 (speedboat and catamaran tours); 6:00 at the pier for the ferry-type and new tours.
After check-in, a bus of about 30 minutes to the pier at Bahía Laredo.
The crossing takes about 45–50 minutes by speedboat. Guests report dolphins on the way.
The walk on the marked trail through the burrows, with rangers on the island.
On the speedboat tour, about 30 minutes alongside the sea lion colony from the boat, no landing.
The speedboat tour ends at Plaza de Armas.
Afternoon departures at 12:30 follow the same pattern later in the day — on the two-departure ferry tour and the new pier-or-pickup tour.
Book the speedboat tour · from $160Source · Solo Expediciones via WeTravel (undated), GetYourGuide listings Oct 2026.
On a Magdalena Island penguin tour you get closer than anywhere else in Chile: you walk a marked trail through the colony and the minimum distance is 2 m. Penguins cross the path in front of you. The trail is about 850 m to 1.4 km depending on the source, low difficulty, and leads to the lighthouse.
Source · Folleto MNLP (Jan 2026), Meteored (Oct 2026), CONAF drone rule (2023).
Source · Folleto MNLP (Jan 2026), Meteored (Oct 2026), CONAF drone rule (2023).
Magdalena Island penguins are Magellanic penguins nesting in burrows across an 85-hectare island inside the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument, protected since 1966. How many nest there is disputed: CONAF's latest estimate is nearly 7,000 pairs (Oct 2026), while older sources give about 60,000 pairs. Either way, you walk through a working colony with birds on both sides of the trail.
How many nest there is disputed; the monument's own brochure is internally inconsistent.
Breeding calendar
Source · Folleto MNLP (CONAF-style brochure, Jan 2026), Meteored (Oct 2026), chile.travel (Sernatur).
The best time for a Magdalena Island penguin tour is December to January, when chicks are out of the burrows and the colony is at its fullest. Visits run October to March; one chile.travel page extends this to mid-April, but by March only a few penguins remain, and a cruise line warns the March–April departure can affect the tour.
Your travel month
Exact departure dates live in the booking widget · Source · Folleto MNLP (Jan 2026), chile.travel (Dec 2025), Holland America port page, GetYourGuide reviews.
Before you go
Wind is the main risk to a Magdalena Island penguin tour: the Chilean Navy can close the port in strong wind or bad weather, and boats then do not sail. No source gives a cancellation rate, but bloggers and forum travelers report canceled days. The practical answer is to book Magdalena early in your stay in Punta Arenas, so a canceled day can move to the next one.
Local operators' published weather policies (Nomades, Solo Expediciones)
The terms of your GetYourGuide booking are shown at checkout for each tour.
Check dates · catamaran tourSource · Meteored (Oct 2026), Nomades and Solo Expediciones pages (undated).
Dress for wind, not for the thermometer: during the tour season Punta Arenas averages 11–16 °C (52–61 °F) by day and 3–7 °C (37–45 °F) at night, with average winds of 23–28 km/h and gusts that can pass 100 km/h. Layers under a windproof, waterproof jacket matter more than one heavy coat.
Source · chile.travel (Dec 2025), Climates to Travel 1991–2020 averages.
Book the speedboat tourChildren can join a Magdalena Island penguin tour: on the ferry, children 5–13 pay half (CLP 48,000, ≈$51) and under-5s travel free, and one speedboat operator sets a minimum age of 1. For limited mobility, the first 250 m of the island trail are wheelchair accessible, and one tour is listed by its operator as wheelchair accessible.
Child prices on GetYourGuide are shown in the booking widget · Source · Meteored (Oct 2026), Tur.com (undated), GetYourGuide listings Oct 2026.
Book the ferry tour · $180Magdalena Island is in the Strait of Magellan, about 35 km northeast of Punta Arenas, Chile, and the only way there is by boat with a registered operator. Tours start in the city: most meet at José Nogueira 1255, others at Arturo Prat Pier or the Tres Puentes ferry terminal. Punta Arenas airport is about 22 km from the center, 30–35 minutes by taxi.
Meeting points and the island
Road lines from OpenStreetMap routing · boat and ferry legs are straight lines, not the exact course · the inset shows City center · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Open in Google Maps
The speedboat and catamaran tours.
Speedboat tour with Marta IslandCatamaran tourThe ferry-type and new tours; also where cruise ships usually dock.
Two-departure ferry tourPier-or-pickup tourThe large ferry and the 10:00 cruise-passenger start.
About 22 km from the center: taxi 30–35 min (about $45–50), shuttle 30–40 min (about $10–15).
A guest on the ferry-type tour reports that the meeting point is by the water where the ferries are, not in the city center, so check the address in your booking.
Source · chile.travel (Dec 2025), Viatovia and Cruisesheet (undated), GetYourGuide listings and reviews Oct 2026.
Yes, for most visitors to Punta Arenas: the only place in Chile where you walk among penguins, half a day, entry included.
A Magdalena Island penguin tour costs from $155–180 per person with entry included and only half a day spent. Seno Otway, the old mainland colony, has been closed for years and is not offered, so Magdalena is the Magellanic penguin visit near the city.
“Walking around with the penguins was worth every penny!”
Guest of the speedboat tour with Marta Island · October 2026
Magdalena · 2 m on the trailThe three reviewed Magdalena Island penguin tours hold ★4.4 to ★4.7 across 853 reviews. Guests praise walking among the penguins, the guides and the extra wildlife on the crossing. The recurring criticisms are the price, the large groups, the long time on the water for one hour ashore, and fewer birds late in the season.
Three reviewed tours · 709 speedboat · 78 ferry · 66 catamaran · the new tour has none yet
Verified GetYourGuide bookings · tap a card to open that tour
The organisation was excellent, we transferred to the catamaran in a very comfortable coach and embarkation was smooth. Once onboard the guidance from Jocelyn and her crew was excellent. They were friendly and informative and I felt that safety was of the highest priority, especially when we went up to the top deck. Walking with the penguins was a wonderful experience. It is managed very well with respect for the penguins and the natural environment being paramount.
We loved the trip to see the magdalena penguins! Yes it is expensive, but so worth it. You can walk around and admire these cuties and on the boat trip we saw about 10 dolphins jumping alongside us! Would definitely recommend.
The time on the island was about right but perhaps could have been 30 minutes longer but this woudl have been cutting it too close for the cruise ship schedule. 4 hours of riding on the ferry is s stiff price to pay for 1 hour on the land but there is no other way to do it. Ferry ride was much more luxurious than expected with airline type seats and interesting content on video monitors.
It was a perfect experience of seeing pinguins up close. We were there in the middle of February and there were not so many of them compared to the numbers could be seen in December - January. Still it was very interesting.
A unique experience, and it was so impressive to see the animals in the wild. Despite the large groups, great care was taken to ensure the animals' welfare. Everything went smoothly, the guides were very friendly, and there were free drinks (coffee, hot chocolate, tea) and snacks on the boat. I can recommend the tour to anyone.
The trip was a great experience. We got to see the penguins from wery close, we also saw many sea lions from the boat on Isla Marta. The guides were kind and knowledgeable and answered all the questions. It was an unforgettable experience for us!
Source · verified GetYourGuide reviews, Oct 2026 · in the reviewers' own words, cut only at a sentence end
Eleven short answers, all open — tap a question to fold it.
Book our pick · from $160The large ferry takes about 2 hours each way from the Tres Puentes terminal, and the whole trip lasts about 5 hours with 1 hour on the island. Speedboats cross in about 45–50 minutes, and rough seas can stretch either crossing.
Only by boat with a registered operator, either the large ferry from Tres Puentes or a speedboat from Bahía Laredo. Independent landings are not possible because every visit needs a certified guide.
Magdalena Island lies in the Strait of Magellan, about 35 km northeast of Punta Arenas in southern Chile. It is part of the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument together with the smaller Marta Island.
A Magdalena Island tour from Punta Arenas lasts about 5 hours door to door, with 1 hour on the island. Morning departures check in at 6:00–6:30 and are back around noon.
You get 1 hour, the maximum CONAF authorises per visit, on every tour and on both the ferry and the speedboat. The time can be shorter if rough seas slow the crossing.
Yes, all four tours on GetYourGuide include entry to the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument. That differs from the king penguin park in Tierra del Fuego, where entry is paid on site.
Yes, two tours have a 12:30 departure as well as 6:00: the two-departure ferry tour and the new pier-or-pickup tour. The speedboat and catamaran tours check in at 6:30 only.
Only some do: the new pier-or-pickup tour sells hotel pickup as an option at $195 per person, and the catamaran tour includes a transfer to your hotel. The speedboat tour with Marta Island starts at the José Nogueira 1255 office.
Local operators refund 100% when they suspend a tour for weather, but some give no refund when the captain or maritime authority stops it. Book Magdalena early in your stay so you can move to another day.
No, touching, feeding and following penguins is forbidden, and you must keep at least 2 m away. Penguins still cross the trail close to visitors.
No, the Seno Otway colony has been closed for years and local operators no longer run it. Magdalena Island is the Magellanic penguin colony you can visit from Punta Arenas.
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Our pick · Speedboat tour with Marta Island · live dates and prices
Our pick · Magdalena walkfrom $160 · ★ 4.6 (709)
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