The boat decides your day — 45 minutes or 90 minutes each way, with or without the sea lions of Marta Island.
Compare all toursUpdated October 2026 · Prices checked 12 Oct 2026
The speedboat crosses to Magdalena Island in 45–50 minutes and circles Marta Island on the way back; the catamaran takes about 90 minutes each way but also sails at 1:30 PM.
Choose the speedboat for less time at sea and the Marta circuit; choose a bigger boat for an afternoon sailing or a steadier ride.
How long it takes to reach the island from town, by boat type
Complete list, sorted by reviews. Extra columns: minutes on the water · departures · Marta Island.
The penguin expedition is listed for completeness: three reviews averaging 2.8 out of 5, and it costs more than every other tour in this list.
Source: GetYourGuide · live prices for 20 Oct 2026, Adult × 1, checked 12 Oct 2026.
Private boat for a groupOnly the speedboat tour includes Marta Island, as a 30-minute circuit by boat — landing there is prohibited.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
There is no separate public ferry ticket to Magdalena Island today — the larger boats from Muelle Prat are sold as tours.
The "ferry" in older guides is the large-boat crossing of about 90 minutes from the city pier. Today you book it the same way as any tour, with a guide and park entry. A reviewer of the ferry-style navigation calls it a "fast ferry"; the operator does not state the crossing time.
Compare the bigger boatsThree tours had an afternoon sailing on the date we checked: 12:30 PM or 1:30 PM.
Source: GetYourGuide, availability for 20 Oct 2026.
The return crossing is the rough part; a cancelled sailing is refunded or moved.
For a group, the private cruise-group boat costs $4,200 per group of up to 16 for about five hours.
The boat ride to Magdalena Island takes about 45–50 minutes each way by speedboat and about 90 minutes each way by catamaran. The speedboat tour also adds a 30-minute bus to Laredo Bay at each end and about 30 minutes around Marta Island. Total tour time is about five hours either way. Compare the boats before you book.
Only the speedboat tour with the Marta circuit lists Marta Island, as about 30 minutes of wildlife viewing from the boat. The other listings don't mention it. Nobody lands on Marta Island — CONAF prohibits it to protect sea lion and cormorant breeding areas.
The larger catamaran usually moves less in waves, but spends about twice as long on the water — 90 minutes each way against 45–50. If you are prone to seasickness, take tablets before boarding either boat and choose the morning sailing, when the strait is usually calmer.
The catamaran and the ferry-style and pier tours board at Muelle Prat (Arturo Prat Pier) in central Punta Arenas. The speedboat tours check in at the operator's office at José Nogueira 1255 and take a 30-minute bus to Laredo Bay. Both points are central to the city.
Yes — on the date we checked, the catamaran sailed at 1:30 PM and the ferry-style navigation and new pier tour at 12:30 PM. Afternoon sailings depend on the wind and are more often cancelled, so keep a spare day.
There is no separate public ferry ticket today. The large boat from Muelle Prat is sold as a guided tour with park entry; you book it on GetYourGuide like the other options.
The private cruise-group boat on GetYourGuide costs $4,200 per group of up to 16 people for about five hours, or about $263 per person with a full group. It is designed for ship port calls; a shared tour at $152–190 is cheaper for small groups. Compare the tours.
Yes, strong wind cancels sailings, and the operator or port authority decides on the day. The tours we checked offer a new date or a full refund, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. October to January are the windiest months.
6:30 AM only · from $152 per adult
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.