We booked an afternoon trip to Isla Magdalena to see the Penguins as we had a day in Punta Arenas after our W Trek. By the time we boarded the water was beginning to get a bit choppy. We made it to Isla Magdalena in 1:15. During the ride we saw some dolphins and penguins swimming close to the boat. Spent an hour on the island and really enjoyed seeing the penguins in their natural habitat. They do a good job keeping visitors to a roped trail so as to not interfere with the penguins. The return however was another story. By this time, the Strait of Magellan had gotten very rough and the boat return was v choppy. The weather was clear and not much wind either but the crew explained that as the Strait is the confluence of the Atlantic and Pacific, colliding currents can cause the water to become choppy without much warning. Several passengers got sick and most of the passengers in the front moved to the back. Finally the crew made the decision to arrive at a closer dock where they had shuttles waiting to take us back to the boarding dock - a 20 min ride. All in all an enjoyable trip to see the penguins but be prepared for choppy waters especially if you are prone to seasickness. I thought the Strait is always calm but clearly not!

It's a beautiful experience. We ended December and there are already many chicks to see. The penguins are all over the island and suddenly cross the road. Sailing from Punta Arenas is 2h each way. TABSA has the excursion and is a little cheaper than other agencies.

The trip out to the island takes about 90 minutes and while we had good seas I can imagine it would be challenging for those with motion sickness if the weather wasn't great. to get off the boat on the island you walk down a steep metal gangway from the boat directly onto the shore. the path is packed direct and has stones throughout so you need to be mindful of this when walking the path. the route is one way about a mile and requires you to climb a hill that gets quite steep towards the middle near the lighthouse. The volume of penguins is significant and you can see that they are comfortable with people as they will walk right across your path without hesitation. You can see them in the water, on land and in their burrows easily. It's well worth the visit and I recommend this to any penguin lover.