This was truly an incredible day and another one of my favorites. There were a few different ports in which there were tours that included penguin sightings, but of all the ports and tours, the tour to Magdalena Island to see over 70,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins was the most appealing. Some of the other tours said that it would take 3 hours each way, then a mile and a half of walking, then MAYBE you would see 10-20 penguins.
After a short bus ride through the center of Punta Arenas, the actual port city, we boarded a ferry to head over to Magdalena Island.
The ferry was pretty packed both upstairs and downstairs, and so Jim (who tends to be more claustrophobic and less sensitive to cold weather than I) spent a lot of time outside on deck.
It was really cold at this point, but I went outside on deck a few times.
When we arrived at the island two hours later, the penguins were standing on the shore waiting to greet us
and were EVERYWHERE!
They traveled in couples, two by two
Or were hanging out together in their burrows:
These two were fighting:
This guy was posing for a picture, hamming it up:
It was an amazing day! I couldn't believe I was able to get so close to them.
They are so cute, what an awesome experience! I love how penquins "pair up"...so romantic they are!
ps..I like your hat
Posted by: Monica | March 26, 2008 at 09:51 AM
WoW! There is just something so disarming about penguins. Penguins and Pandas have the same effect on me. I love them!!
Posted by: kozy Kitty | March 26, 2008 at 09:56 AM
That is amazing! Too cool!
ps. I spy a 28thirty. :)
Posted by: Jenny | March 26, 2008 at 11:52 AM
That is fantastic! we should have taken that tour. Instead we did the 3 hour ride and a mile walk one. A very disapointing trip, and cold. But this is really great!
Posted by: Veronique | March 26, 2008 at 01:20 PM
They are so adorable! What a treat to be able to get so close to them.
Next time you'll have to go up to the Galapagos Islands and see all the different animals there. :)
Posted by: Debby | March 26, 2008 at 01:43 PM
What a fantastic trip. It must have been wonderful to have been walking round like that with the penguins. I'm in total agreement with Jim - stay on deck. I am terribly claustrophobic (particularly on boats for some reason) and have to stay on deck no matter what the weather.
Posted by: ruby | March 26, 2008 at 01:46 PM
Awwww... this takes me back to telling fairy tales to the penguins on Antarctica (where you can't disturb them, but you can entice them and they really liked "Rubylocks and the Three Penguins" and "Ice White and the Seven Penguins.")
Posted by: Marin | March 26, 2008 at 02:47 PM
so COOL!!!!
Posted by: lisa | March 26, 2008 at 05:15 PM
WOW! they are everywhere! LOL
Posted by: adrienne | March 26, 2008 at 06:20 PM
I love the penguins! SO cute - great that you got to get so close to them, and I love your "fighting" pair :)
Posted by: Emily | March 26, 2008 at 06:38 PM
Wow that is totally cool! The penguins are soo cute! I chuckled over the 2 that were "fighting"
Posted by: Michelle | March 26, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Oh, I am so jealous!! Penguins are amazing and I'd love to be able to see them up close in their natural habitat like that - it must have been an amazing experience.
Thanks for going into so much detail about your trip, by the way. I'm living vicariously through your experiences (and seriously contemplating a trip to South America at some point in the future...) :)
Posted by: Rizzo | March 27, 2008 at 04:52 AM
Very awesome! Were they loud at all?
Posted by: Heather R | March 27, 2008 at 08:39 AM
wow! I'm surprised how close you were able to get too! How cool!
Posted by: Bobbi | March 27, 2008 at 09:48 AM
That is very nifty! Now I want to do the trip too! Thanks. Yet something else to spend money on.....
Posted by: carol | March 27, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Those pinguins are so cute! Thanks for sharing all those lovely pictures. You make me itchy to travel again!
Posted by: Kasia | March 27, 2008 at 12:31 PM
I love the penguins! How sweet it is that they travel in groups of two. I know they are monogamous and I love that about them.
My daughter, Sophie, studied penguins in her Kindergarten class the last two weeks so I had to show her your pictures. She loved them and said she wanted to go visit the penguins like you. Yep, told her it was TOO FAR AWAY!
She said these are Chinstrap penguins - do you know if they are?
Posted by: Lara | March 27, 2008 at 01:41 PM
How fun!!! I love penguins!
Posted by: Sourire11 | March 28, 2008 at 01:17 PM
You are absolutely right! SO amazing.
Posted by: Kat | March 28, 2008 at 03:44 PM
OMG! That looks like the coolest trip ever! The penuins are so cute and I can't believe how close you were able to get to them :)
Posted by: knittymuggins | March 28, 2008 at 04:57 PM
I'm just catching up with your last several posts. I can't believe you could get so close to those penguins. I love those shots.
Posted by: marjorie | March 29, 2008 at 04:36 PM