Walk with Penguins at Isla Magdalena (Natural Monument Los Pingüinos)

In the Magellan Strait is Isla Magdalena, a small island which has the largest colony of penguins in south Chile. The island is a protected area (Natural Monument) hosting more than 60000 pairs of magellanic penguins and numerous seabirds.

Being a protected area, it is uninhabited by humans and therefore it can be visited only with an appointed guide. There is a limited duration of about one hour that one may be on the island and you are only allowed to walk in a marked trail on the island.

Despite this fact, the penguins are all over the place and you may come to very close encounter with many of them, as well as walk nearby their nests. It is an amazing experience to be around these creatures, though one should be really respectful of all the guidelines and never touch or bother the small penguins.

To visit Isla Magdalena you need to arrange with an authorised tour operator. All trips to the island start from Punta Arenas. The specific tour that we had took us to a nearby pier and we set off with speedboats to the strait to reach the island after approximately 45min. Be aware that the weather conditions are almost always harsh and therefore you need to dress heavily. Apart from the penguins expect to see other wildlife in the sea including sea lions and maybe dolphins or whales.