In November 2023, my family booked a tour for March 19, 2024 - four months ahead of time. They notified us on March 18, 2024, one day before our tour date that they overbooked and canceled our reservation. March 19 was our last day in Punta Arenas. We searched online and also contacted the TripAdvisor support team but was not able to find any other penguin tours for my family.

I wish that I could give zero stars… That’s how bad the experience was. My wife and I were on the group that sailed on March 15. As the reviews have mentioned, the check-in procedure was chaotic but not dangerous. The bus trip over to the docks was disorganised but not dangerous. Having one of the red boats breakdown was inconvenient but not dangerous. Placing all 47 passengers on one of the yellow boats designed for 33 people Was dangerous, reckless and could’ve been catastrophic. It was only because the passengers insisted that after 30 minutes of sea-sickness and terror, the captain turned the boat around and head back to shore. Which potentially prevented a tragedy. Not only was the boat overloaded, there were not enough life vests available for everyone. The forward hatch was leaking water when waves would break over the bow and the crewmembers used a rope to secure it, cutting off our means of escape had the boat capsised. And on the way back to shore one of the engines quit because it had become entangled with kelp. To make matters worse, they were unable to credit the cost of the tour back to our credit cards and required us to come back to the office the next day to receive refunds in cash. It was an absolute disgrace of a tour operation.

So we did a couple different penguin tours around South America. What I liked about this one was you only had one hour on the island, but you didn’t have a guy constantly telling you to keep moving, you could stop and take pictures for a few minutes. I didn’t like how many people there were, I felt like we overpaid for how many people there was. Overall it was a great experience though and the island is big so the group kind of spread out. I would do it again in order to get to the island early morning. The guides were very friendly and spoke great English.

Superb, great day out lots of whales and sea lions a magical glacier and the staff were fun, friendly and knowledgeable. They even catch some glacier ice to put in your drinks.

Was not sure about doing this excursion given the price and early start. It ended up being amazing. We did have a delay in our start due to the fuel delivery not coming to the boat on time. We all went back to bed for a few hours and then they picked us up. Not optimal but seems out of their control. The boat was comfortable, the guide and information interesting and the views astounding. And the whales ... jumping and jumping and jumping. Was incredible. Also many birds, sea lions and the dramatic and beautiful glacier. We all had a great time with no regrets. The food is not good but I wasn't there for the food so didn't really care.

We were lucky to have good weather, and to be able to observe sea lions, albatros, and obviously the stars of the visit: Magellan's penguins! The 3 agency employees who supervised us were really very friendly, welcoming and very professional. Especially the guide, who in addition to the abundant and clear explications in English and Spanish, was really smiling, pleasant and engaged in discussion with everyone. I think everyone felt comfortable and was able to take full advantage of this moment of discovery of the fauna and flora of this area of the Strait of Magellan, thanks to him. Thank you again! And all this for a very fair price. So I recommend 200%! Francois and Flora (the frenchies)

The Check-in process could have been more organized but once We were on the bus everything ran smoothly. It was awesome to see the penguins. And the sea birds and to be in fresh air. I would have liked to spend more time viewing the sea. Lions, but that was an amazing experience as well.

I could write pages about this tour. Keeping it prozaic and short: very good ship with good facilities, sympathetic crew (thank you captain Joshua (?) for your explanations!), adequate and functional catering (coffee was not bad at all). We were comfortable throughout. The weather was very good, sun, good visibility and calm sea (NB which will not often be the case). We had a very close encounter with a curious humpback who lingered around the boat for some 30 mins. The nature here is majestic and the impressions were, simply, overwhelming. All the photos of the world won’t be able to capture this experience.

Positives - we saw lots of Whales. Some were quite close and breaching, which was incredible to see. We also saw sea lions, penguins and birds. The boat is very nice; it's modern, fast and in a good condition. The guide was informative and gave interesting information about the Whales and surrounding area. The pisco sour with ice from the glacier was lovely. Negatives - $335 USD is really expensive for what you get. It feels like the company have a monopoly doing this tour and they are taking advantage. The food was dire and extremely poor considering the price you pay. They 'served' an attempted gnocchi which was actually just sludgey mash potato. The tour was 4 hours delayed, which we were only told upon arrival at 4am; no attempt was made to communicate the delay prior to turning up at this time. Apparently the delay was due to the boat or buses being filled with the incorrect type of fuel (communication was poor so it was hard to get an exact answer). There was no mention of the delay or apology once the tour started at 8am. Breakfast and lunch were included. Due to the delay we were supposed to return at 9pm (but we actually returned at 10pm when most supermarkets and restaurants were closed), which is past dinner time. Any respectable company would offer at least a snack later on in the day, but of course they didn't. The company feels all about the profit rather than any good customer service. The kayaking with the whales was offered for an extra $345 USD each to the price already paid ($335 USD each). This is also outrageous considering the value and what has already been paid for the tour. The kayaking group didn't manage to see much more than we did from the boat and missed out on going to see the glacier. A bit awkward considering the additional cost. A lot of plastic is used on the boat and more should (and can) be done to be more sustainable. Free WiFi should be included as they have it on board but it was not offered to customers. Coffee was bad quality.

I loved this excursion! I was in Chile on business in Santiago and stole away on a long weekend and it was o worth it. The excursion start super early and lasts all day but was well worth it imho. The crew was superb, kept us safe, entertained and show us some incredible sights. We saw a TON of whales, a few penguins, sea lions, lots or birds and of course the Sarmiento Glacier. Fantastic time and I highly recommend.

Whales, sea lions and glaciers are all sighted. The content is solid and does not fool visitors. For this price, it would be better if the breakfast and dinner were more delicious.

This was the best thing to do even tho we had to get up at three in the morning. Don't miss it. So incredibly beautiful. Nothing like it. The boat was comfortable and warm inside, staff was great. Food was fine. The nature was AMAZing and as advertised we saw it all. Such a treat.

We participated in the Whale Watching and Glacier Tour, and it was genuinely amazing. The entire Solo team proved to be exceptionally friendly and helpful, providing us with detailed information about the areas we visited, the marine life, and the birds. They made extensive efforts to ensure that everyone had a fantastic experience, and they succeeded. I highly recommend this tour.

Wow!!! What a day! It’s expensive so definitely a splurge but loved it!! We saw at least 2 dozen whales, dozens of sea lions and penguins, lots of other birds and the glacier! The food and coffee station were pretty good and I liked the pisco sour or whiskey at the glacier! The guide was knowledgeable and the boat crew was excellent! Would definitely recommend.

Amazing tour to Magdalena Island on a catamaran boat. It was very bumpy ride to the island, but the return trip was much smoother. We got to see sea lions and seals, plus an awesome close up view of plenty of Magellanic penguins and albatross. We went there on one of our cruise port, and booked ahead of time . The boat can only carry 150, and lasted for about 3 hours. It was totally worth it.