January 11, 2025

We’ve gotten used to waking up early, but after last night’s barbecue, dragging ourselves out of bed at 5:45 AM was a challenge.

The silver lining? The departure point for Isla Magdalena was just one block from our accommodation: left, first right, and another left, and we were there.

At 6:30 sharp, the bus took us to the pier in 30 minutes for our penguin-watching tour. Wrapped in four layers to stave off the cold, we all felt a bit like penguins ourselves.

For those who braved the cold outside the boat to look for whales, the layers paid off—it was freezing! Their reward? Dolphins following the boat, initially mistaken for whales or orcas. Others opted to stay inside, enjoying the warmth and catching up on the sleep they’d missed.

First stop: Isla Marta and its sea lions. Impressive and noisy, they huddled along the shore for protection against orcas. There were so many, packed tightly together. Above them, a flurry of birds soared through the gray sky, diving spectacularly to fish. Beautiful and striking.

Second stop: Isla Magdalena and its penguins. Countless, amusing, and entirely unafraid of humans, they gather on this little island every year to breed before returning to more temperate seas during the colder months, sometimes traveling as far as Peru.

The true surprise, however, was the thousands of cannibalistic birds inhabiting the island. Each female lays about two eggs, and those chicks that grow quickly and manage to fly away survive. The rest are eaten by their own parents or other gulls. Yes, gulls—the same kind you might see along the Adige River—have these brutal survival rituals. We spotted some carcasses of chicks, and our guide explained that within a week, the island would be littered with the remains of those that didn’t make it, a natural process to sustain their population.

At the end of the tour, we all felt a bit like penguins ourselves (see video) and left the boat thrilled with the experience.

Afternoon: A visit to a local pub for beer, relaxation, and a hearty meal. Pierluigi whipped up an excellent “Punta Arenas-style mash-up” using the leftover asado from the previous night—a huge hit with everyone.

Straight to bed after a card game, as tomorrow, we head off early for Tierra del Fuego.