Step by step along the Magdalena Island penguin trail
Every Magdalena crossing leads to the same hour on the island, on a marked trail of about 800 m (half a mile) from the landing to the lighthouse on the hill. Penguins nest on both sides and often cross in front of you. This is how the walk unfolds, from the first step off the boat to the last one back on.
Landing on a protected island
Magdalena Island is protected as the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument, and the visit follows set rules. The boat pulls up at the shore, the guide gathers the group, and you get a short briefing before anyone walks off.
The briefing covers distance and behavior around the birds. Caminos Tours' rules forbid drones, and every guide will ask you not to touch or feed the penguins.
Solo Expediciones' listing calls the island home to the second-largest Magellanic penguin colony in South America, with over 60,000 by its count. Whatever the exact figure, tens of thousands of birds nest here in the breeding season.
The roped path through the burrows
The trail runs about 800 m (half a mile) by Caminos' listing, marked out with ropes on both sides. You walk inside them, and the penguins live outside them, in burrows dug into the soft ground.
The burrows start within a few steps of the landing. Many sit close enough to the rope that you can see a bird in the entrance, or a pair taking turns at the nest, which Magellanic penguins do through the season.
The ground is dirt and grass. It is uneven in places and turns slippery after rain. Shoes with grip matter more than anything else you wear, and our packing guide for the island covers the rest.
When a penguin wants to cross
Sooner or later a penguin will decide the path is the shortest way to where it is going. When that happens, the guides ask you to stop and let it pass.
The birds are used to the trail and rarely hurry. Stay still, keep a few steps back and let it waddle across at its own pace, then carry on once it is clear of the rope.
Leaning over the rope or crouching beside a burrow entrance stresses the birds and gets a word from the guide. You can photograph a burrow well from the path, and our photo tips for the colony show how.
The climb to the 1902 lighthouse
The trail rises gently toward the red-and-white lighthouse at the top of the island, built in 1902. The slope is short, and anyone comfortable on a slightly uneven walk will manage it without trouble.
Solo's listing marks its tour as unsuitable for people with mobility impairments or heart problems, and for wheelchair users. If walking uphill on dirt is hard for you, ask the operator before booking.
Up here the wind tends to be strongest, since nothing stands between you and the strait. A hat that stays on and a windproof layer make the top far more pleasant than the photos suggest.
Walk the trail with a guide
Solo Expediciones' trip lands you on Magdalena for about an hour with a bilingual guide, then loops past the sea lions on Marta Island on the way home.
The view from the top
From the lighthouse you look back down the trail over the colony to the landing and the boat waiting below. Beyond lies the open water of the strait, with the mainland on the horizon on a clear day.
It is the one place on the walk where you see the scale of the colony at once. Burrows dot the slope all the way down, and on a busy day penguins stand on almost every patch of grass.
Look up as well as down. Gulls and skuas circle over the colony, and skuas watch the nests closely for an unguarded egg or chick, which the guides may point out.
What the guide adds on the way
The guides stop at points along the path to explain what you are looking at. Expect to hear how a pair returns to the same burrow each spring, and how both parents share the work at the nest.
They also keep the group moving so that people at the back get the same views as those at the front. If you want a quieter moment with a burrow, let the group walk on ahead. You can rejoin it a few steps later, still inside the ropes.
Ask questions freely. Guides on both boats are bilingual, and most enjoy a visitor who has noticed something in the colony.
Back down to the boat
The return follows the path back to the landing, usually at a more relaxed pace. Many people take their best photos on the way down, once the first rush of seeing penguins has passed.
The guide keeps an eye on the time, because the boat's schedule depends on the wind and the hour ashore is fixed. With Solo the boat then heads for Marta Island, while Caminos' catamaran turns back for Punta Arenas.
The Marta Island guide covers what the sea lion loop adds. Our speedboat and catamaran comparison sets the two crossings side by side.
Before you step ashore
None of the listings promises food on the island, so eat before you leave town and carry water. A small snack in your pocket helps on the early boats, when breakfast came hours ago.
- Keep your hands free on the slope; a small backpack beats a tote
- Bring a cloth for spray on glasses and lenses
- Leave the drone at the hotel
- Visit in the breeding season, roughly October to March, when the colony is home
Penguins are reliable on Magdalena only in the breeding season, and chicks appear around midsummer. The best time to book guide covers the weeks, and what a Magdalena trip costs compares the three boats that get you here.