Isla Damas (Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt)

The boat clears Punta de Choros harbour and the dolphins arrive within minutes, riding the bow wave with what looks like deliberate showing off. Sea lions bark from rocky islets as the boat weaves between them, and then the island appears — low, sandy, warm, ringed by Humboldt penguins standing in the surf like miniature ushers. The water here is warmer than anywhere else on Chile's northern coast.

Isla Damas sits within Chile's Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt, a marine reserve in the Coquimbo Region protecting one of the country's most accessible wildlife spectacles. The boat journey from the fishing hamlet of Punta de Choros passes through waters where bottlenose dolphins ride the bow wave for up to thirty minutes without tiring. South American sea lion colonies occupy the rocky islets between Isla Damas and Isla Choros — the sound and smell register from 200 metres away. The island's beach is one of the few in northern Chile where the Humboldt Current is partially buffered, making the water warm enough to swim year-round. All three flamingo species found in Chile — Chilean, Andean, and James's — are visible from a single viewpoint along the boat route.