Magdalena Island — Local services in Punta Arenas

A must if you're in Punta Arenas or the surrounding area - it's an unique experience that you can't see anywhere else in the world (at least this easily). The boat ride from Punta Arenas was fairly short, probably around 45 minutes or so and was packed with people.

We had an opportunity to visit a smaller island and take photos of a group of walruses which was also worth checking out. From there we headed to Magdalena and docked. The place was littered with birds and a massive colony of penguins. There's a large amount of them scattered around between the dock and the lighthouse, many of which will walk right up to you, but the true sight is on the other side of the island.

Be sure to bring a good camera and/or binoculars to see the huge colonies of them - im talking hundreds, if not thousands of them bunched together.

The penguins are full of personality and are extremely welcoming. I hands down recommend checking it out if you...

A DEFUNCT LIGHTHOUSE, ominous even on a sunny day, sits on the island’s high point and reminds visitors to what is a Chilean national monument that the resident penguins are the VIPs. Guests, like us, get timed visits, instructions to keep to the roped-off pathways and plenty of move-along guidance from staff. There’re also relentless winds and limits on camera tripods. But what guests, often arriving by the hundreds in gang boats, do get are thousands of flightless penguins and other birds fabulously indifferent to human presence. They waddle over rocks for fishing, go about nurturing their young, and fight off predatory skua birds looking to steal the chicks. Quite memorable....

(English below) Um lugar incrível! Na cidade existem várias agências em que é possível contratar o passeio. O grupo vai bem cedo num micro ônibus até um pequeno mole, onde pegam um barco. O barco é pequeno e todo fechado. Como as água estavam um pouco agitadas, algumas pessoas passaram mal. A viagem dura aproximadamente 40 minutos. Chegando na ilha, tem uma caminho a ser percorrido e delimitado. Não podemos ultrapassar essas delimitações, muito menos encostar nos animais! Os pinguins estão por toda parte!! Eles fazem muito barulho, ficam andando por todo canto, passam pelo caminho, vão nadar, constroem ninhos... É demais! No alto da ilha tem um farol, que as vezes está aberto e pode-se entrar para conhecer lá dentro. Um passeio que vale muito a pena! No caminho, ou na ida ou na volta, também passamos por uma ilhota de leões marinhos, mas não descemos, só observamos de longe. O passeio dura mais ou menos meio dia.

It's amazing! You can easily found an agency at Puerto Natales to purchase the tour. The group leaves early in the morning in a mini bus until a small mole, where you hop in a boat. The boat is small and all closed. When I went, the water wasnt calm, so a few people got sick. It takes around 40 minutes to arrive. Once you are at the island, there are paths to follow and we may not cross it or touch any animal. The penguins are everywhere ! They are a bit noisy, and walk everywhere, building their nests, going swimming, crossing our ways...it's really amazing !!! On the top of the island there is a lighthouse, which is open sometimes and you can go inside to check it out. On the way back, we also passed by an small island of sea lions, but we didnt hop off, we only watched them from the boat. It really worthy !!! It takes...