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Strait of Magellan

Patagonia austral · Chile

The Strait of Magellan, with the map and the real prices

A 611 km sea passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic, three towns that matter, and 12 boat tours and glacier trips with prices we checked on 2026-10-28. Every map marker carries the source it was measured from.

Open the mapSee the 12 tours and prices

The short answer

The Strait of Magellan is a 611 km sea passage in southern South America that connects the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. It is the only sea route between the two that does not go through the Arctic. Most trips start in Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world; Torres del Paine is reached from Puerto Natales, 247 km up the coast.

The map, with 16 verified markers

Cape Pillar and Cape Virgenes at the two mouths, the two narrows, Cape Froward, Fuerte Bulnes, Puerto del Hambre and Cape Horn — each one with the source of its coordinate and the 1520 navigation route drawn across them.

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The 12 tours, with the price we checked

From US$ 55 for half a day at the fort to US$ 365 for the full navigation of the Strait. Every price carries the date it was verified.

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Fort Bulnes Historical Tour

5.0· 1 reviews

A half-day trip from Punta Arenas to the 1843 fort on the Strait, with the historic port of Port Famine on the way back.

The cheapest way onto the Strait with a real guide, and the shortest commitment of the twelve. Choose it if your ship leaves the next day and you want to see the water without a 15-hour day. The fort itself takes 40 minutes; the value is the crossing, not the ruins.

Duration
4.5 hours · small group
Price
US$ 55
Departs from
Punta Arenas
Price checked
2026-10-28
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Fuerte Bulnes Premium: Trekking, History and Lunch from Punta Arenas

5.0· 1 reviews

A longer version of the fort trip with a walk along the Strait shore and lunch on the way back.

Same anchor as the 4.5-hour tour but with the shore walk and the lunch, which is what actually makes it feel like a day rather than an excursion. Worth the extra US$ 50 only if you did not do the short one already.

Duration
6 hours
Price
US$ 105
Departs from
Punta Arenas
Price checked
2026-10-28
Read the full breakdown

Boat Trip to Magdalena Island and Walk with Penguins

4.5· 272 reviews

A 6-hour boat trip across the Strait to Magdalena Island, with a walking visit among the Magellanic penguins.

The best-reviewed of the twelve by a wide margin, with 272 reviews. The boat is the attraction: you cross open water and land among the colony on foot, which no cruise shore excursion gives you. The reviewer count says the operator has been running this for years.

Duration
6 hours
Price
US$ 170
Departs from
Punta Arenas
Price checked
2026-10-28
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Magdalena Island Penguin Tour by Boat from Punta Arenas

4.7· 73 reviews

A 5-hour boat crossing to Magdalena Island with a guided penguin colony visit, slightly shorter than the 6-hour option.

One hour shorter and US$ 10 cheaper than the 272-review trip, with a slightly higher 4.7 rating across 73 reviews. The rating edge is real but the sample is a quarter of the size; treat it as the same product, not a better one.

Duration
5 hours
Price
US$ 160
Departs from
Punta Arenas
Price checked
2026-10-28
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Full-Day King Penguins & Tierra del Fuego Tour

4.7· 66 reviews

A 15-hour day trip to Isla Dawson for the king penguin colony and the Tierra del Fuego national park.

A genuinely long day — 15 hours is not a figure of speech — for the king penguin colony on Isla Dawson, which the Magdalena trips do not reach. Read it as two days compressed into one. If you have three days in Punta Arenas, take this and then the shorter fort trip on another day.

Duration
15 hours
Price
US$ 130
Departs from
Punta Arenas
Price checked
2026-10-28
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Base Torres Small Group Trekking

4.8· 942 reviews

A 14-hour small-group trek from Puerto Natales to the Base of the Torres, the classic Torres del Paine day.

The strongest review count in the whole region: 942 reviews at 4.8. It is the Torres del Paine trip everyone books, and the small-group label is the differentiator over the larger coaches. Book it first, because the Base Towers slot is the one thing in Patagonia that sells out.

Duration
14 hours · small group
Price
US$ 115
Departs from
Puerto Natales
Price checked
2026-10-28
Read the full breakdown

Two cities, and which to use

Punta Arenas

The southernmost city in the world, at 53°09'S, and the departure point for everything on the water: the fort, the penguin islands, the full Strait navigation and the Cape Horn excursions. It is also the only city in the region with an international airport.

Puerto Natales

About 110 km from the gate of Torres del Paine, and where almost every tour in the park leaves from — including the Base Torres trek, the best-reviewed trip in the region with 942 reviews.

The questions people ask

All ten guides

Plan the trip

Budget

What a day costs here, using the checked prices of the catalog.

Packing

Wind, rain that arrives sideways, and a long day on the water.

Weather

Month by month, and the weeks that suit each kind of trip.

FAQ

15 questions answered with verified figures.

This is an independent guide with 39 verified places and12 checked tours. We are not affiliated with the Chilean Hydrographic Service, CONAF, or any operator listed here. Map coordinates come from the SHOA charts and the 1881 boundary treaty; place listings come from Google Maps and carry the date they were checked.