Things to do in
Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica

Our most recommended things to do in Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica

Puerto Natales: Torres del Paine Full Day Tour

Puerto Natales: Torres del Paine Full Day Tour

Start the tour with pick up from your accommodation and set off for the Torres del Paine National Park. After arriving access the park through Portería Laguna Amarga, where you will be able to get an excellent view of the Paine Towers. As you venture through the park, observe a wide variety of native fauna and flora. Make several stops at the main viewpoints to appreciate the uniqueness of the landscape and the magnitude of the Paine Massif from different perspectives. At Midday, stop for lunch before continuing the itinerary toward Grey Lake. Here, enjoy a 1-hour hike through an ancient Lenga forest and along Grey Lake Beach. From this side of the park, it is possible to enjoy the view of the West face of the Paine Massif and the intense blue hues of Grey’s glacial ice. Once your adventure in the park is over, drive back to Puerto Natales. On the way, stop by the Mylodon Cave Natural Monument, of the Pleistocene era. Return to the city by about 7 PM.

Punta Arenas: Walk with Penguins on Magdalena & Marta Island

Punta Arenas: Walk with Penguins on Magdalena & Marta Island

After check-in at the meeting point, transfer to Laredo Bay port to board speedboats for a 45-minute trip to Magdalena Island. Once there, enjoy 1 hour with a guide to discover the habitat of the Magellanic penguins on Magdalena Island, the second largest Magellanic penguin colony in South America that receives more than 120,000 penguins every year. Next, if the weather conditions are good, continue your journey to Marta Island, which hosts a colony of more than 1000 Patagonian sea lions, as well as copious bird life. Keep an eye out for cormorants, skuas, austral seagulls, Antarctic pigeons, and the occasional elephant seal. If you're lucky, see southern dolphins, piebald dolphins, and sei whales during your trip. The tour includes with return to Laredo Bay port and transfer back to the original meeting point.

From El Calafate: Torres del Paine Full Day Tour

From El Calafate: Torres del Paine Full Day Tour

Embark on a fascinating excursion to Torres del Paine, departing from El Calafate. Hike through a stunning national park, surrounded by glaciers, lakes, and waterfalls. Take in mesmerizing landscapes, explore a variety of natural landmarks, and enjoy an included lunch. Get picked up from your hotel and take the road to the Republic of Chile border crossing. After the customs and immigration procedures, meet your guide and begin to travel the last 80 kilometers to the National Park. Gaze at the Mirador del Lago Sarmiento de Gamboa, the Saltos del Río Paine, the upper viewpoint of Cerro Almirante Nieto/Cuernos del Paine, and the entrance to Laguna Amarga. Once inside the Torres del Paine National Park, dive into the different trekking trails and receive your packed lunch. Follow a trail from the Salto Grande and enjoy a low-difficulty walk towards the Mirador de Los Cuernos del Paine, on the shores of Lake Nordenskjold. Then, back in the vehicle, begin the ride to Lake Pehoé, the last viewpoint, overlooking the Cuernos del Paine and the French Valley. Continue exploring and getting to know the southernmost part of Chilean Patagonia. Learn about its flora and fauna on your return to Calafate.

Puerto Natales: Base of the Towers Trekking Experience

Puerto Natales: Base of the Towers Trekking Experience

Following a 2-hour drive you will arrive to Hotel las Torres. Following a safety briefing from your guide, the excursion will begin. The track takes you up into the Asencio River Valley, and 2 hours later you will arrive in El Chileno, a camping site where your hike will continue through a dense forested area. There you can also admire a small stream which flows from the Almirante Nieto peak. The path brings you to a moraine, where the slope steepens until the Paine Towers viewpoint, which sits at 890 meters above sea level. At the viewpoint you will enjoy incredible views of the three towers, and will also have some time to have lunch and rest for your return journey. If weather conditions permit it, you will be able to observe one of the most spectacular views worldwide. You will return along the same path to “Hosteria Las Torres”, where your bus will be waiting. Your approximate time of arrival back to Puerto Natales is 9:00PM.

Punta Arenas: Full-Day Whales, Penguins, and Glaciers Tour

Punta Arenas: Full-Day Whales, Penguins, and Glaciers Tour

Cape Froward, one of the most southern points on the planet, is home to many glaciers, humpback whales, Sei whales, Piebald dolphins, Commerson’s dolphins, and the Magellan Penguin. All of these creatures help form part of the natural wonder of the Austral region of the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego Island. As you tour one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet, this full-day journey will help you grasp the sheer magnitude of nature at its fullest. Starting early in the morning, you will go by bus to your boarding place, located 50 kilometers south of Punta Arenas. It will be from this area that you will sail for about 10 hours. This is sure to be an incredible adventure in which you will witness a unique landscape surrounded by mountains, glaciers, Lenga, and Coihue forests. In addition, marine fauna will amaze you by its proximity and sheer abundance. You will encounter sea lions, petrels, cormorants, and austral dolphins, among others.

Puerto Natales: Full-Day Torres del Paine Tour

Puerto Natales: Full-Day Torres del Paine Tour

Your day begins as you are collected from your accommodation between 7:30AM and 8:00AM in the morning. From there, begin your beautiful trip to Patagonia to visit one of the 8 Wonders of the World: the Torres del Paine National Park. Travel along the coast before jumping onto Route No. 9 in the direction of the village of Cerro Castillo, which was the home of the famous Tierra del Fuego Exploiting Society. Along the route and traveling between Patagonian landscapes, enter the Torres del Paine National Park, a real spectacle where guanacos, condors, and ñandú usually accompany the beautiful views of the park. Visit all the main lookouts of the park, among them Nordenskjold Lake, Pehoe, and the beautiful Salto Grande, the latter of which where you take a small walk of about 30 minutes to get closer for some views. Along the way, encounter lakes, rivers, and a great variety of flora and wildlife. There is then a stop for lunch in the park before you resume your trip to your final stop, the lake alongside Gray Glacier which is a part of the Southern Ice Field. Whilst there, take a beautiful walk through an old lenga forest to the beach of this amazing lake to appreciate its icebergs. On the way back to Puerto Natales, pass by the Milodon Cave, a huge natural formation where it is believed that primitive man and the Milodon Darwini, an extinct animal that lived in Patagonia 10,000 years ago, had inhabited. Whilst at this fascinating cave, take a short walk to learn about its beauty and history.

Puero Natales: Glacier Tour with Lunch & Whiskey Aperitif

Puero Natales: Glacier Tour with Lunch & Whiskey Aperitif

We invite you to discover the incredible world of the fjords. On the way you will be able to appreciate native flora and fauna, visit the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers and enjoy a delicious Whiskey on the rocks. 07:00 Presentation in Puerto Natales or Puerto Bories. 08:00 Navigation from Puerto Bories to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers, through the Ultima Esperanza Fjord, sighting of beautiful mountains, waterfalls, ranches and Patagonian bird life. 10:45 a.m. Balmaceda Glacier View 11:00 Hike to the Serrano Glacier Viewpoint in the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. 12:30 p.m. Return from Serrano Glacier to Estancia Perales, Whiskey aperitif with ancient ice five pm Arrival in Puerto Natales approximately.

Magdalena Island Penguin Tour by Boat from Punta Arenas

Magdalena Island Penguin Tour by Boat from Punta Arenas

Your 4-hour excursion begins with a transfer to the pier from the tour operator's office. After check-in, you’ll board the boat for a trip to an unforgettable place. Located 32 km northeast of Punta Arenas, in the middle of the Strait of Magellan, Magdalena Island is home to the greatest colony of penguins in the continental region. The island has been a protected area since 1982, the year it was renamed Los Pinguinos Natural Monument. More than 60,000 penguin couples arrive during the summer to reproduce, as do other kinds of birds, such as cormorants and Andean seagulls. You’ll reach the island in around 40 minutes, passing through the Strait of Magellan. Once you’re on land you’ll have about an hour to explore and take photos. Visit the lighthouse, an environmental interpretation center, where you’ll find information about the history of the strait and the ecological richness of the islands.

Puerto Natales: Torres del Paine Park Full-Day Hike

Puerto Natales: Torres del Paine Park Full-Day Hike

06:00 to 06:30 Pick up at your accommodation for Torres del Paine National Park. We will access Torres del Paine National Park and our hike “Portería - Portería” begins in the National Park access “Portería Laguna Amarga” and finishes in a different one called “Porteria Sarmiento”. Marvel at the Paine Massif and the radiant, blue glacial lakes in a 2 hours hike along the Patagonian steppe. This path is also characterized and attractive for the observation of local wildlife. After 1 hour hike approximately, we will reach a series of cave paintings which date from 10.000 years ago, these were made by the first population that arrived in Patagonia. Afterwards, our transfer will take us to the Nordensköld viewpoint to enjoy the view of the lake of the same name and the East face of the Paine Massif where our local guide will explain the geological characteristics of the Paine mountain range. We will continue our excursion and stop at “Pudeto” area to enjoy the rushing frothing waterfall “Salto Grande”. Immediately after, we will start a 2 hour hike (go and return) to “Mirador Cuernos” (Horns viewpoint), a place of overwhelming beauty and probably one of the most famous spots in Torres del Paine National Park. At Pehoe campsite we will have lunch. And after having some rest and time to enjoy the view of the lake and Condor Lookout. Approximate time of arrival in Puerto Natales: 19:00 hr.

King Penguin & Tierra del Fuego Tour

King Penguin & Tierra del Fuego Tour

The day begins by picking up tourists at their respective accommodation places in Punta Arenas between 07:00 and 07:45, to go to the Tres Puentes terminal to take the ferry that crosses the Strait of Magellan in 2 hours of navigation, to the Island of Tierra del Fuego, arriving around 11:30 at Bahia Chilota, where we disembark. And from there, in a trip of 5 kilometers approximately 20 minutes, you reach one of the southernmost cities in Patagonia, the city of Porvenir to see its Plaza de Armas, Plaza de los Selknams, explore its waterfront and later its small but interesting museum, as well as the city viewpoint. Then you will stop for lunch and rest at a local and affordable restaurant where you can pay with cash or card. Subsequently, the trip begins to the King Penguin Park, 114 km from the city. This journey takes around 1 hour and a half and much of it is around Bahía Inútil. The Park is a unique sighting place where following the trail we can observe a group of about 40 specimens of this species. After 1 hour in the place we will continue our trip observing the center of the Estancia Josefina, one of the most important on the island. We will also visit the Cerro Sombrero oil town. Finally we will cross the Strait of Magellan again, this time through its narrowest part (First Angostura, only 20 minutes of navigation). Depending on the travel date, times and hours of light we can stop at the abandoned Estancia San Gregorio, one of the first and most historic in the region and then return to Punta Arenas around 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. It is important to note that the times are estimated, they may vary depending on weather conditions and ferry schedules for navigation.

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What people are saying about Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica

Overall rating

4.4
(156 reviews)

The tour was just incredible! We were very lucky with the weather! But we were even luckier with the guide! Daniel is very smart, warm and knows the area well! We saw the Torres towers from all sides, the waterfalls, the glacier, and also stopped every time we met animals on the way to get a better look at them and take pictures. Thank you so much for the impressions that will stay with us for a lifetime! I highly recommend this tour!

A very nice trip, everything was fine. They were punctual at the departure, the bus was clean, the catamaran was in excellent condition. The views were incredible, the food was delicious. The timing was appropriately calculated to enjoy everything. Totally recommended.

Patrícia who picked us up at the hotel was very friendly and the guy who sailed with us suggested changing the date because of the wind and it was much better. If we could we would have stayed longer, but it was worth it. We loved it.

The guide Daniel was very friendly and helpful. It’s good to travel in a van so that I can see most of the viewpoints in the park in one day

Better than hiking, the guides and drivers are very patient