Navigation to South Fjords & Magdalena Island
Description
Join us on an unforgettable journey across the legendary Strait of Magellan to Magdalena Island, a natural sanctuary home to thousands of Magellanic penguins, cormorants, seagulls, and other seabirds. Operating between October and March, this excursion offers a unique opportunity to observe the penguins during their breeding and molting season before their annual migration north. Walk along designated trails just meters from their nests and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of this remarkable ecosystem. This half-day adventure provides an intimate glimpse into Patagonia’s wildlife and is a must for nature lovers and photographers alike. Please note that departures are subject to weather and sea conditions and may be cancelled if conditions are not suitable for navigation.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The pick up transfer is only from selected centrally located hotels. If your hotel is outside the geographic area, we will confirm the closest meeting point. Once you make your reservation please indicate the name and address of your accommodation.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This service is not available for cruise ship passengers. Due to the timing of the excursion, there is a risk of missing your cruise check-in upon return.
- Cruise-related excursions and transfers operate under a different schedule and rate. Please contact us for specific options tailored to cruise itineraries.
Reviews(13)
The organizer cancelled the excursion: bad weather!! We would have liked to visit the penguins!
Thank you for your feedback. We are very sorry that weather conditions prevented the excursion from operating on the day of your visit. Unfortunately, navigation in this region depends on weather and sea conditions for safety reasons. We understand how disappointing this must have been and hope you have the opportunity to visit the King Penguins on a future trip to Patagonia.
The crew was great! Very friendly and answered all questions. The island is beautiful and so interesting to see how the penguins live.
I can definitely recommend the trip. We have seen a lot of penguins and different birds. The guides take their time and explain a lot about the region and the animals. We found the tour relatively expensive.
Cancelled and lied about the reason - basically cruise ship came in and sold out and dumped us all off for the cruise line!!!
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations. We would like to assure you that cancellations are not made to accommodate other passengers or cruise ships. Any operational changes or cancellations are based on factors outside our control and are communicated as accurately as possible. We understand your frustration and regret the disappointment this situation caused.
Very efficient operation. No time wasted. The crew was very professional and knowledgeable. Learned a lot about Patagonia, the Pinguins and the Magellan passage. Strongly recommend.
Great tour, the staff of the boat very friendly and explain very well from geographical and historical data, warned us that there was bad weather but still the tour was achieved, because it improved, we saw many magellanic penguins nesting.
The tour was well organized and friendly helpful excursion. Avoid a windy day if possible. Great to see the unique pilgrims!
After reading the reviews, we were hesitant in booking and worried that we would miss the checkin point; however the checkin details were correct with a giant sign indicating isle Magdalena penguins. One thing I will note is that it’s not a specific tour noted on the sign, but there are many guides able to help out. The tour guides themselves were amazing and very knowledgeable.
I was assured that I could go on this tour off the ship and return in time for boarding. After 5 different answers in port, it was concluded that we would not be back in time. I tried to cancel on that day and was told to call back because they could not bring up our booking. We contacted tour operator the day prior and was told where to meet and that everything was fine. Your policy says non-refundable, but we were told wrong information from your team and would like $330.76 refunded, and were extremely upset because this was to be the highlight of our trip.
As others said, it is very confusing to find this tour. Google directs you to one part of the port, but the pedestrian entrance is a block over. At that location, the only signs are for Fiordos del Sur, which is not a name that appears on the ticket (you just see Viator and Tangol) but it is actually correct, since FdS are the actual operator of the boat. The people who met us at the entrance to the port were unsure if we were in the right place. But once they were starting to check people in for the boat, our ticket worked just fine. The trip itself was great - an hour and a half ride through the desolate Strait of Magellan, where we got to see some seals and dolphins beside the boat, and then an hour on the island. There were penguins and other sea birds everywhere there. Since it was early summer (late December) all the different types of birds had their babies with them, and a few of the penguins were doing an amazing honking display. Even when it’s summer, be prepared for it to be chilly and rainy, but what do you expect when you are seeing penguins?
