When wind cancels your Magdalena Island penguin tour
Every boat to the penguins of Magdalena Island sails weather permitting, and on the Strait of Magellan the weather mostly means wind. A cancelled crossing is a nuisance, not a disaster, if your plan has room for it. This page covers what the operators offer when the boat stays in port and how to build a stay that survives a windy day.
Wind decides the crossing
Magdalena Island sits in open water north-east of the city, and the only way there is by boat. Each Magdalena listing makes the sailing subject to conditions on the water, and in practice that mostly means wind.
The strait is a channel between two oceans, and gusts funnel through it with little warning. A sea that looks calm from the waterfront can be rough an hour out, which is why the operators make the call close to departure.
Afternoons are often windier, so the early boats tend to find calmer water. That is a tendency with exceptions, and nobody publishes figures on how many sailings are lost. Our season guide covers the season itself.
What each operator offers when the boat stays in port
Caminos Tours spells it out most clearly. If bad weather or a charter cancels its catamaran from Muelle Prat, the listing lets you choose between a new date and an immediate refund. It sails twice a day, at 6:00 am and 12:30 pm, which gives more departures to choose from when you rebook.
Solo Expediciones' listing for the speedboat from Laredo Bay is just as clear that conditions decide whether it goes. According to the review summary on that listing, what guests most wish were clearer is how schedule changes and check-in details reach them.
So leave a phone number you will answer and read your messages the evening before. Caminos sends the boarding pass and instructions by WhatsApp before the trip, which makes that app the place to watch.
A booking made through GetYourGuide or Viator usually gets its refund or new date through that same platform. Keep the booking confirmation at hand so the change goes quickly.
All five tours on this site cancel free up to 24 hours before the start, and GetYourGuide lets you reserve now and pay later on both Solo Expediciones trips. Our price comparison sets out the terms side by side.
Leave a spare day
The most useful thing you can do is book the penguin boat early in your stay. If wind cancels the first try, you still have another day or two to sail again without risking your flight or your onward bus.
One free day after the boat costs nothing and removes most of the stress. Our two-day plan puts the boat first for that reason and saves the long Tierra del Fuego day for later.
Three nights in town give you two real chances at the boat plus one day for Tierra del Fuego. That shape suits most visitors who come mainly for the penguins.
Travelers who land on a late flight and leave the next afternoon are the ones most often caught out. On a schedule like that, book the earliest departure. Even then the strait has the final word.
We do not quote cancellation rates, because no operator publishes them. Treat every boat to Magdalena as weather permitting and plan around that.
Seasickness on a choppy strait
Sometimes the boat sails but the water is lumpy. Caminos' listing says its catamaran trip does not suit anyone prone to seasickness, and with about 1 hour 30 minutes each way, that warning deserves respect.
Solo's speedboat spends less time on the water, about 45–50 minutes each way, but it bounces more in a strong wind. Reviewers on Solo's whale cruise advise seasickness tablets before a choppy morning, and the same habit helps on any crossing.
Eat something light before you board and sit where you can see the horizon. The seasickness article explains why that helps, and our boat comparison weighs the two rides against each other.
Two departures a day from the town pier
Caminos Tours sails its catamaran from Muelle Prat at 6:00 am and 12:30 pm, and offers a new date or a refund when weather stops the boat. Hotel transfer costs extra.
When the ferry to Tierra del Fuego is affected
The king penguin day uses a big vehicle ferry instead of a small passenger boat, so it copes with more wind. It can still be cancelled or rerouted, and nobody should treat it as a sure thing.
Go Patagonia's listing says that if the ferry changes, you can take a refund or a new date. The other choice is to ride the changed route. Its 15-hour day from ~$119 normally crosses for about 2 hours to Bahía Chilota.
Caminos Tours' small group from ~$140 crosses the same strait to Porvenir and returns via Punta Delgada. Our king penguin guide describes both routes in more detail.
Because the ferry day is so long, losing it costs a whole day of your plan, where a cancelled boat costs only a morning. That is one more reason to sail to Magdalena first and keep the ferry for later.
A windy day in Punta Arenas
If the boat is cancelled and the ferry day is no option, the town fills a few hours. The main square, Plaza de Armas, is two blocks from Solo's office, and the waterfront along the strait makes a bracing walk.
You can also move a planned king penguin day forward and keep the boat for later in the week. That swap works only if both tours still have space, so check availability before you change anything.
A café near the square is a warm place to wait for news on the next sailing. If a new date opens up, take the earliest boat on offer, since the morning water is often calmer.
Watch the 24-hour free cancellation window when you shift dates, since a change closer to the start is no longer free. Dress for a cold wait at the pier as well as the crossing; our clothing guide covers the layers.