Mag(ellan)ic Penguins!

May 28

Punta Arenas is less than 500 miles from the southernmost land mass on the planet -- Cape Horn. You’re REALLY far south! And when you’re really far south, there are …

PINGUINOS!!!

In case your Spanish is *really* bad, that's penguins. I just think the Spanish word captures their spirit better.

So, let’s get to what you’re wondering: is it worth it? As in, are they really as cute and funny in person as they are in my dreams?

YES, DEFINITELY.

Okay, now you’re excited about penguins. Awesome! Welcome to Punta Arenas.

Punta Arenas: Gateway to Patagonia

It’s **really** far south - that white stuff is Antarctica!

The capital city of and gateway to Patagonia, Punta Arenas is a place you go to get to other places “nearby.” What you’ll find driving from the airport to the city is a wind-battered landscape that supports only low brush and the bravest animals (Guanacos, apparently). We were shocked to learn that the temperature in Punta Arenas rarely drops below freezing, even in the Chilean winter. But its location on the Straight of Magellan makes for brutal summer winds, whose ferocity is reflected in the low-rise buildings and their dulled paint.

Like my wind-swept beach hair, Punta Arenas is not without its charm. There is a lovely town square, ringed by historic colonial buildings. There is great seafood and warm comfort food. And there is a beautiful if bleak waterfront, where you can see birds that resemble penguins, but are not penguins.

Recommended Itinerary

Don’t make a special trip to Punta Arenas just for the penguins. There are other places to see penguins in Patagonia, if you have no other business here. This itinerary assumes that you are on your way to see something else in the remote wilderness of Patagonia.

Spend 1 night in Punta Arenas
See the Penguins on Isla Magdalena (and the sea lions on Isla Marta)
Get lunch
Buy hiking supplies you panic and realize you really need
Get on a bus or ferry somewhere else!

You do need to spend at least a night in Punta Arenas before your penguin visit. If you don’t trust me, here’s why:

There are only a couple of companies doing tours to see the penguins. At first glance, it seems like you have tons of tour options, but the big secret is that they are all referring you back to the same tour, with Solo Expediciones. This means that you can pay a variety of different prices for the EXACT (literally! Same boat, same bus!) tour of Isla Magdalena. I found the best rate (~$100USD) through Denomades, but things change, so google around. I just checked, and right now Solo Expediciones is also quoting $100USD.
ALL of the tours leave around 5am from the Solo Expediciones office in downtown Punta Arenas. If you’re anything like me and Ian, I suggest finding accommodations as close to this office as possible. We stayed at this simple but wonderful AirBnB, and I would totally recommend it for a couple!
Tip: try to make sure you have somewhere to store your luggage while you’re on your penguin tour. You’ll get back around 12 or 1pm.

The Penguin Tour

The Boat

I have one BIG tip for you. Sit in the front of the bus. When the bus stops at the boat launch, get off quickly! Get to the front of the life vest line. And then see which boat they’re boarding first. You want the RED boat. NOT the yellow boat.

We went in the yellow boat.

Here’s the review we read about the yellow boat before this tour, in which the reviewer refers to the yellow boat as “the yellow capsule of death.” I’m here to tell you two things:

You don’t WANT to go in the yellow boat.
Our experience in the yellow boat was somewhat uncomfortable, but I would totally repeat it to see the penguins. No one vomited. However, my body is suddenly feeling waves as I am writing this post.

The yellow boat smells strongly of gasoline inside. However, there is a very small area in the back that could loosely be called a deck where you can stand and watch for birds and dolphins. DOLPHINS! We saw dolphins. Our photos of them are terrible, but we promise we saw them.

There is tea and coffee on the boat, and the guide gave us helpful information about this particular penguin species. There’s also an actually usable bathroom (I do not consider port-a-potties to be usable), and the seating was fairly comfortable.

Isla Magdalena

Isla Magdalena is actually designated as un Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos.

There are strict rules about visiting the island, which your guide will ensure that you know and abide by:

You may only walk on the footpath, an easy loop trail that’s about a mile or so long.
You must stay 3m away from any penguin. This will involve moving out of the way of penguins crossing the footpath.
Visits must be conducted during certain hours, so the penguins are not excessively disturbed by humans.
Any given visitor can only stay for 1 hour on the island.

The island is pretty stinky because it is coated in copious amount of penguin poop. But fortunately, it’s super windy, which alleviates the smell a bit.

Trust us, it’s worth it. Penguins are heckin cute.

Isla Marta

Unfortunately, you don’t get off the boat at Isla Marta. The island sports sheer cliffs, and there is no path for humans. However, there is a sea lion colony that loves its beaches. The birds dotting the cliffs look like penguins, but are actually imperial cormorants. Sea lions are cute! However, you can get much closer to them at Pier 39 in San Francisco.

What to Bring/Wear

Camera
Waterproof shoes that are good for walking. Hiking boots are not necessary but definitely do the job.
Rain jacket
Rain pants, if you have them. (Going to Torres after Punta Arenas? You should have them!)
Layers! I wore leggings under jeans under rain pants on the bottom, and a long sleeve wool under-layer under a fleece under a rain layer under a puffer on top. No regrets. PATAGONIA IS WINDY!!! And you will be indoors on the boat.
Sunglasses
Sunscreen! There is virtually no ozone in Patagonia. Look up the hole in the ozone layer. The radiation index is regularly above 10. Protect ALL of your exposed skin!
Snacks + a water bottle
Cash to tip your guides!

I hope this embarrassing photo sufficiently demonstrates that Patagonia is cold.

Shopping for Gear in Punta Arenas

I had success at Mountain House grabbing some wool long underwear/leggings.

Overall

Enjoy this quick stop en route to (or back from) your big Patagonian adventure! Despite being pretty much the only attraction in Punta Arenas, our visit to Isla Magdalena was one of the most memorable parts of our trip.

Ariel Mitnick