Phew...boy those penguins stink! Up close & personal in Magdalena Island - Punta Arenas, Chile

Stats:

Destination: Punta Arena, Chile

Number of Days: 1

Times we took the: Boat/Ferry - 2 Bus/Minivan - 2 Train/Subway - 0 taxi/car - 0

Where we stayed: Star Princess

Favorite Restaurant: n/a

Best of: We were able to get up close to 60,000-75,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins on Magdalena Island!

Worst of: You don't want to get down wind of a bunch of penguins (or sea lions)...they STINK!

Tracy:

It's not every day you get the chance to walk next to 100,000 penguins and when you get an opportunity like that you should jump at it! We did and I'm really glad because it was incredible to see so many of these creatures up close and personal. We were invited onto a small tour by some acquaintances from cruise critic and this allowed us to spend more time at the site and for less money than the ship was charging.

They are fascinating creatures, we both love to watch them in their burrows, waddling out to greet their friends, diving into the water or taking a stroll down the beach!

Of all 130,000-150,000 penguins, this was was my absolute favorite!

After our penguin adventure we stopped at a local sea lion colony as well! Naturally, their favorite meal is penguin so when you see one, the other is sure to be around.

As a final treat we were given coffee with pisco (the local grape brandy) to help warm us up on the long boat ride back! After chatting for a bit with the crew they asked me if I wanted to sit with the captain and drive the boat! Luckily, we made it back safely!

To see more photos of Punta Arenas please click here!