Isla Magdalena Penguin Colony Ferry from Punta Arenas

Isla Magdalena is one of the best-known wildlife islands in the Strait of Magellan, famous for its large colony of Magellanic penguins and exposed Patagonian scenery. The island lies north-east of Punta Arenas and forms part of the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument, a protected area created to conserve the region’s important seabird colonies.

During the breeding season, thousands of Magellanic penguins return to the island to nest in burrows scattered across the dry grassland and sandy soil. Wooden walkways allow visitors to move through the colony while minimising disturbance, offering close views of penguins as they move between their nests and the shoreline. Alongside the penguins, the island is also home to cormorants, gulls and other seabirds adapted to the cold, windswept conditions of southern Patagonia.

The journey across the Strait of Magellan is part of the experience itself, with wide views over the cold grey-blue waters that once formed an important route for ships navigating between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The island’s lighthouse, standing above the colony, adds to the sense of isolation and history that defines this part of southern Chile.

Notes

https://www.tabsa.cl/rutas/parenas-imagdalena

Photo Diary

We travelled from Punta Arenas across the Strait of Magellan to visit the large Magellanic penguin colony on Isla Magdalena. The crossing was on a regular vehicle ferry, although the interior was surprisingly comfortable and far more luxurious than expected. With clear skies and calm weather, it felt like the holiday was properly beginning.

Vehicle ferry deck in Punta Arenas before departing across the Strait of Magellan towards Isla Magdalena. — Boarding the ferry in Punta Arenas for the trip across the Strait of Magellan to Isla Magdalena. With blue skies and calm weather, it felt like the holiday was properly beginning.

Journey / ferry

Punta Arenas to Isla Magdalena

Route prepared with FOSSGIS OSRM. Report a map issue.

For most visitors, Isla Magdalena is reached by boat from Punta Arenas, crossing the Strait of Magellan to the low, exposed island north-east of the city. The journey is part of the experience, especially on a clear day when the coastline gradually falls away and the island’s lighthouse begins to appear on the horizon.

Once ashore, visitors follow a marked route through the colony rather than wandering freely across the island. This keeps the nesting areas protected while still allowing very close views of Magellanic penguins as they stand beside their burrows, cross the path, or move down towards the rocky shoreline. It is a simple excursion, but the combination of ferry crossing, remote scenery and close wildlife encounters makes it one of the most memorable day trips from Punta Arenas.

Isla Magdalena seen from the ferry across the Strait of Magellan, with sunlight on the water and the island lighthouse in the distance. — Our first view of Isla Magdalena across the sparkling waters of the Strait of Magellan, with the lighthouse visible on the low island ahead.

Low, windswept islands rise from the waters of the Strait of Magellan, surrounded by the cold seas of southern Patagonia. The constantly changing light and dramatic cloud formations gave the crossing a remote and atmospheric feel, with open water stretching in every direction.

The lighthouse gives Isla Magdalena a distinctive sense of place. Seen from the ferry, it rises above the bare hillside and rocky shoreline, surrounded by open water, dry grassland and the nesting grounds of the island’s seabird colony.

Ferry arriving at Isla Magdalena with a landing jetty in the foreground and Magellanic penguins scattered across the dry grassland behind. — Arriving at Isla Magdalena, with the ferry approaching the landing jetty and the first groups of Magellanic penguins visible on the hillside beyond.

Magellanic penguin standing on grass near the rocky shoreline of Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan. — A Magellanic penguin standing near the shoreline on Isla Magdalena, with the rocks and waves of the Strait of Magellan softly blurred behind it.

Two young gulls standing on dry ground and grass on Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan. — Two young gulls standing among the dry grass and rocky soil on Isla Magdalena, a reminder that the island supports more wildlife than just its famous Magellanic penguins.

Wide view of Isla Magdalena’s rocky shoreline with seabirds and Magellanic penguins along the beach. — The rocky shoreline of Isla Magdalena, with seabirds and Magellanic penguins scattered along the beach beneath the dry cliffs.

Group of Magellanic penguins and a young gull on the stony shoreline of Isla Magdalena. — Magellanic penguins gathered on the beach at Isla Magdalena, with a young gull standing among them on the stony shore.

Although Isla Magdalena is famous for its Magellanic penguin colony, the island also supports other seabirds. Gulls nest among the stones and dry grass, while other birds move along the shoreline and cliffs. These smaller details made the island feel like a complete seabird colony rather than a single-species attraction.

Two young gulls interacting on Isla Magdalena, one jumping into the air with wings spread above the other, with the sea behind them. — Two young gulls squabbling on the edge of Isla Magdalena, with one bird leaping into the air against the blue backdrop of the Strait of Magellan.

Adult gull sitting on a nest among stones and dry grass on Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan. — A gull sitting on its nest among the stones and dry grass of Isla Magdalena, one of the many seabirds sharing the island with the Magellanic penguin colony.