Magdalena Island Penguin Tour: Boats and Landing Options

Compare three island packages

The Magdalena and Marta navigation includes a bilingual guide, coffee service and island entrance. Its meeting point is José Nogueira 1255 in Punta Arenas; hotel pickup and drop-off are excluded. This package combines a Magdalena landing with boat-based observation around Marta when conditions allow. Choose it for the combined navigation rather than expecting a second island walk.

The round-trip Magdalena sailing starts at Arturo Prat Pier and includes English- and Spanish-speaking guides, port fees, admission to Los Pingüinos Natural Monument and approximately one hour on Magdalena. Plus Service adds hotel pickup and drop-off and a snack per person. Those additions belong to the selected option; Tourist Service keeps the pier journey separate from the boat package.

The catamaran sailing from Muelle Prat includes a bilingual guide, boarding instructions and a guided walk described for this product as an 800-metre trail. Hotel transfer is available as an add-on, while meals and drinks are excluded. Possible dolphins and seabirds on the crossing are additional wildlife opportunities, not guaranteed encounters. The product’s walking distance should not be used as the length of every island visit.

Marta Island: observation from the boat

Magdalena and Marta belong to Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos, but their access rules differ. Landing on Marta is prohibited to protect the breeding area for seabirds and sea lions. The combined navigation observes it from the water. The route order can change, and weather can remove this section from the day; a name containing both islands is not a promise of two landings.

On Magdalena, access is with CONAF-certified guides and walking stays on the designated route. Keep at least two metres from animals, allow penguins to cross and avoid their nests or burrows. Do not feed, crowd or chase them, run along the path or use flash. Read more about the local colony in the Magellanic penguin guide.

Ferry or catamaran?

The separately operated Magdalena Island ferry leaves and returns at Tres Puentes in northern Punta Arenas. Its published package includes a guide, protected-area admission and port fees. This ferry service is separate from the three selected island packages here. Tres Puentes and Muelle Prat are different terminals; use the location attached to the sailing you actually book rather than a general map search for the island ferry.

The catamaran package is specifically described as a catamaran sailing. Other navigation packages should be compared through their inclusions and meeting arrangements, without assuming a particular vessel or group size. For a downtown office start, continue with the arranged pier transfer instead of going straight to Bahía Laredo on your own. The arrival page separates the airport journey from each boat meeting point.

Punta Arenas penguin tour planning

Bring warm layers, a waterproof outer layer, a hat, gloves and sturdy shoes. The strait can feel cold and windy, with quick weather changes during the excursion. Isla Magdalena has no accommodation or food service, electricity or telecommunications. Plan what you need before departure, and distinguish a coffee service or Plus snack from a meal.

Keep the return flexible, especially when the boat day sits between a flight and onward transport. A sailing description is not a flight-to-boat connection. For a different penguin species, the king penguin excursion goes to Bahía Inútil on Tierra del Fuego as a separate long day. It is not an extension of the Magdalena walking route.