Ben and I detoured to the extreme south of Chile for two reasons: to catch a flight north, and to see the penguins. Isla Magdalena, an island off the coast of Punta Arenas, is the breeding grounds for over 200,000 penguins. We took a boat ride to the island and had an hour to walk around on a roped off path. In every direction there were hundreds of penguins and holes in the ground where they nest. The penguins were fun to watch and photograph; most of them just stood around, while a few waddled towards the ocean for breakfast, a few couples cleaned each others coats, and one pair got into a fight. Sometimes when we were nearby, they would look at us curiously, even if it involved stretching their neck all the way around to avoid turning to face us.
RSS Feed
Penguins!! Cool! speaking of which – what was the temperature like – that far south should be pretty chilly (no pun intended). Ben looks pretty bundled up, though not in formal attire like the birds around him…
Ha ha. For being that far south the area really wasn’t that cold (although it is summer now, so I’m sure winter is another story). But this island was really windy so we definitely needed jackets and hats, and our hands were freezing from holding the camera.
I love that shot of the cliff with all the penguins! Really gives one a feel for how many there are. Amazing!