There is a colony of Magellanic penguins on an island 25 miles north of Punta Arenas in the Straits of Magellan.
For $88 each we got a two hour ride out to the island followed by an hour long walk among the birds followed by a two hour ride back to Punta Arenas.
The Fuegian is a funny old tour boat, a car ferry long since paid for and pressed into service to transport tourists in the weird long cabin alongside the car deck. It works and the seats were comfortable.
Neat and tidy powering noisily along at 12 miles per hour.
While riding the Straits of Magellan I was reading about Ferdinand Magellan struggling to organize his circumnavigation. It’s a good story pushed into my library by our visit to the ship museum.
I was a paid up passenger and caffeinated with a cappuccino from the onboard snack bar.
On arrival we stepped across the rocks like a bunch of penguins ourselves taking short steps and wavering side to side on the rocks.
The cause of all the trouble greeted us right there on the beach.
We got a brief speech laying down the rules. Basically don’t run don’t shout don’t smoke and don’t, above all don’t touch the penguins. Plus they have right of way on the trail. Pretty obvious common sensical stuff. Don’t be an asshole.
Then you get an hour to make a circuit up to the lighthouse and back down the other trail avoiding penguins as you go. But photographing them and staring at them and wondering what they are thinking.
The rangers count you out, then count you at check points and make sure everyone gets aboard at the end.
So you stroll, without screaming, without using a flash on your camera, while enjoying a brisk breezy afternoon on the island. Pretty cool.
Every now and again a bird throws back its head and calls out. Would you believe they sound like donkeys braying? They do.
What a lovely day to go and see penguins. We were lucky with the weather on Friday afternoon.
It is apparently okay to smear your front doorstep with guano in penguin world. There was a slight ammonia whiff in the air but it wasn’t as bad as I had expected.
Oh and there are seagulls nesting as well.
An afternoon spent watching.
