Magdalena Island or Punta Tombo???

[teacherman]

We are doing some long range planning for our S.A. cruise next January on HAL Zaandam.  We have already booked a penguin excursion for Falklands, but are also considering booking another one as the Falklands is sometimes missed.  As I understand it, Magdalena Island is about a 2 hour ferry ride each way and not necessarily a comfortable ferry ride.  Punta Tombo is a 2 hour bus ride each way, but is also the stop right after we do the Falklands.  So, if you have experience with these tours, which would you do, considering the "ease" of seeing the penguins once you get there, as DW currently has some slight difficulty in walking long distances.  I have heard that sometimes the ferry cannot go.  Another item is what is available to do at the port where you decide NOT to see the penguins.  If we do the ferry, we will probably book it through the ship.  Punta Tombo we would probably book through an outside agency.  Any advice/information is welcome.  thank you.

[scubacruiserx2]

For us hands down Punta Tombo . We used a private tour and arrived about 45 minutes ahead of the busses . We both had some knee issues but it wasn't too bad . You may also see Guanaco like we did in this video clip :

 

 

If your budget would allow , we would recommend Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas instead of Magdalena Island .

[macaroni]

Punta Tombo....you know you will get there and it is fabulous...the ride was not bad..went by quickly...our Magdalena Island trip did not go because of wind..don’t miss the guaranteed penguin sighting...go with a private company...we used Sentir Patagonia and were there way before the ship excursions...when they got there it was so crowded but we were leaving.

[qmcmret]

Just got back from an NCL cruise.  Did Puerto Tombo private tour.  Check on your ships roll call and you can probably put a group together.  Long ride but worth it as the number of penguins and their proximity to the people is interesting.  Hope you make the Falklands as Volunteer Point is a walk among them place.  Another long ride and very bumpy when you hit the marshlands, but worth it.

 

qmcmret

[The Other Tom]

Another vote for Punta Tombo.  Those on our cruise that went to the island saw zero penguins and said the ride back was very rough.  We took a private tour to Punta Tombo and saw many penguins, up close and personal.

[boom_boom]

Punta Tombo, no question. If you want to see penguins, lots of them, up close this is the tour for you. Falklands are great, but for see hundreds of the birds in their natural habitat, I don't think you can do better than Punta Tombo. It can be a long walk and it can be hot and dry, but worth the effort.

[mcmarya]

On 2/22/2019 at 8:18 PM, The Other Tom said:

Another vote for Punta Tombo.  Those on our cruise that went to the island saw zero penguins and said the ride back was very rough.  We took a private tour to Punta Tombo and saw many penguins, up close and personal.

Do you mean those going to Magdalena Island did not see any penguins?  When were you in Punta Arenas?  We will be there in late March and don't want to go on a tour there if the penguins have left.

Thanks!

[The Other Tom]

No penguins were reported on Magdalena Island the second week of Feb.  Doesn't mean there weren't any, just none seen.

[capriccio]

6 hours ago, The Other Tom said:

No penguins were reported on Magdalena Island the second week of Feb.  Doesn't mean there weren't any, just none seen.

 

Wow that's incredible.  We were there on Christmas Day 2016 and there were tens of thousands!  You had to watch where you stepped on the path encircling the island.  I hope nothing untoward has happened to the nesting sites since it is commonly noted that over 120,000 Magellanic penguins roost there during our winter months.

 

According to https://blogpatagonia.australis.com/isla-magdalena-chile-magellanic-penguin/, "the colony is only based here between September and March. In January, it is at its largest, while in early February you’ll see the spectacle of now fully-grown, very fluffy chicks waiting for their adult feathers to appear."

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by capriccio

[dog]

Star missed  Punta Arenas on Feb 14 th cruise. Made it to Stanley 

[Budget Queen]

On 2/27/2019 at 4:32 PM, The Other Tom said:

No penguins were reported on Magdalena Island the second week of Feb.  Doesn't mean there weren't any, just none seen.

You write "reported", so you did not go on this tour?    Were penguins not seen because the ferry was not running or canceled?   

 

 

this is not accurate?   Penguins are certainly there in Feb.   I spent this past entire month -  again on South American  cruises,  and plenty of penguins there.     

 

However more chancy end of March.  

[Budget Queen]

On 2/4/2019 at 1:59 PM, teacherman said:

We are doing some long range planning for our S.A. cruise next January on HAL Zaandam.  We have already booked a penguin excursion for Falklands, but are also considering booking another one as the Falklands is sometimes missed.  As I understand it, Magdalena Island is about a 2 hour ferry ride each way and not necessarily a comfortable ferry ride.  Punta Tombo is a 2 hour bus ride each way, but is also the stop right after we do the Falklands.  So, if you have experience with these tours, which would you do, considering the "ease" of seeing the penguins once you get there, as DW currently has some slight difficulty in walking long distances.  I have heard that sometimes the ferry cannot go.  Another item is what is available to do at the port where you decide NOT to see the penguins.  If we do the ferry, we will probably book it through the ship.  Punta Tombo we would probably book through an outside agency.  Any advice/information is welcome.  thank you.

 

I have been on multiple penguin tours,  in all 3 of these ports.   Depends on your preferences?   I'd suggest you figure out if there are any other interests you have for touring in these ports as well.  Plenty of touring options.  

 

At Punta Tombo-  my priority is getting to the sea entry viewing which is a LONG walk from the drop off.    Touring the Valdez Peninsula  would give you penguin viewing,   that is close  along with elephant seals and sea lions.    Bring binoculars.   A common omission that is a huge disadvantage on this itinerary in my opinion.   

[kathynorth]

We went to both Punta Tombo and Magdelena Island on our Dec 2018 cruise. Both places had thousands of Magellanic penguins. You'll hopefully get to see other types of penguins at your stop in the Falklands. On both our trips we had passengers with significant mobility challenges. Punto Tombo is more spread out and as a previous poster indicated, the area where the penguins dive into the surf is a very long walk. You start along the path and see a penguin here and there, but more and more as you make your way into the rookery until you find thousands playing in the water. The pathway is somewhat level and easy enough to negotiate with a bench here and there. Magdelena is much smaller, but you can see the penguins as soon as you stop off the boat. The pathway winds uphill as you walk up the path to a lighthouse, then back down. To give you a sense of the quality of the paths, I don't think a wheelchair would be able to fully negotiate the paths at either of these locations. 

[kinipela35]

Estancia San Lorenzo on the Valdes Peninsula has a ton of penguins. It's also not a very long walk to the beach from the drop off point. We enjoyed our tour there, although a long drive from port like Punta Tombo. Several on our ship opted for El Pedral, which I believe also has a few penguins, but is a much shorter drive from the port. You are probably less likely to be upset by weather in Puerto Madryn than Punta Arenas. I'd say base your choice on probability of actually getting to do the tour, along with any mobility limitations. 

[Wayfairers]

Our tour to Magdalena Island was cancelled due to winds and replaced with a wonderful wildlife tour where we saw condors, llamas, emus, birds, etc.   We had booked a private tour and were told up front it was very possible that the boat ride to the island would be cancelled. Found out the tour company uses smaller boats and are more likely to cancel than the ship tours that use the ferry. 

 

Punto Tombo was a 2.5 hour drive each way then a long hot walk once you arrive.  We were there Feb 14 of this year.   We were on the HAL Grand South America and even though we had seen tons of penguins by that point in the trip, it was still worth the ride and the walk to see so many megellanic penguins.