Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is the regional capital of the Magallanes y Antártica Region, in Chilean Patagonia, one of the southernmost cities in the world. It's the largest city in Chilean Patagonia, and has developed into a tourist center in far southern America rivaling Ushuaia in Argentina. It's an important starting point for trips to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.

Understand
Punta Arenas (formerly Punta Arenosa, "Sandy Point") is located on the Brunswick Peninsula and was founded in 1848 by José de los Santos Mardones. With a population of around 125,000 (2015), it is the largest settlement on the Strait of Magellan and is 1418 km from the coast of Antarctica. The history and economic growth of the city is based on maritime commerce, oil extraction, and sheep breeding.

The city has all kinds of facilities, in particular an abundance of banks, shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, hiking gear shops and a duty free zone called "Zona Franca".

Don't trust the weather forecast, usually you can get rain, wind, and sun all in the same day. Snow is always expected to fall in the winter.

Punta Arenas is on the Brunswick Peninsula on the shore of the Magellan Strait connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and separating the South American mainland from Tierra del Fuego. A city of 140,000 inhabitants, it was founded by immigrants both from Europe and Chileans from further north. It boasts many grand buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the golden age of the city.

Geography and climate
Punta Arenas is in the Magellanic pampa (pampa magallánica), that is, steppe with low hills. As such sheep grazing is the main agricultural business. West and south of the city the terrain gets more forested and mountains higher, this is the southern end of the Andes and where it "sinks" into the ocean with summits forming islands. South of the city is also Cape Froward, the southernmost point in mainland South America.

The climate is Subantarctic: cold and rainy. The cold Humboldt current, as well as chilly, strong winds influence the local climate, so while Punta Arenas is at a comparable latitude to Manchester, it's much colder. The summer from December to March is the best time to visit, it's windy but the average temperature is around. During winter it's less windy but average temperatures are below freezing, and nighttime lows of are common. Rain is spread evenly throughout the year with 425 mm of yearly precipitation. Snow and frost may occur during most of the year.

History


Despite the harsh climate, many Native American peoples including the Selk'nam, Yámana, Aonikenk, and Kawésqar inhabited the region before the arrival of the Europeans. The first Europeans showing up were Ferdinand Magellan's expedition sailing through the strait in 1520. Over the years the strait became an active shipping route, but European settlement in the region didn't take off, aside of an 1584 attempt which later became known as "Puerto del Hambre" (Port of Hunger).

It would remain so until the mid-19th century when Argentina and Chile had border disputes in the region, and the Chilean garrison of Fuerte Bulnes was set up in 1843. In 1848 a civilian town was established a few kilometers north in an area then known as Punta Arenosa.

The city grew quickly with sheep farming, mining and other commercial activities, and in 1879 a gold rush attracted immigrants from Europe, particularly Croatia. But at the same time the region's native Selk'nam people, whose presence farmers and companies regarded as a "problem impairing the region's development", were at best mistreated and in the worst cases deported or killed; hunters were even paid for Selk'nam bodies. Due to this genocide, the number of native people in the region was down from 4,000 to 100 by 1930, and the last Selk'nam died in 1974.

When the Panama canal opened in 1914, the importance of the strait for international shipping declined, but it still remained a notable shipping route, and Punta Arenas one of the most developed cities in Chile. It was also an important base for Antarctic explorers during the early 20th century: Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton all passed through here. Today, tourism is an important part of the economy as the city is at the centre of Patagonia's natural attractions.

Tourist information

 * Chile Travel website on Punta Arenas

Get in
Punta Arenas can be reached by air, land, or sea.

By car
Punta Arenas doesn't have a road connection to Chile north of Patagonia (road construction is impossible due to the icefields), so you need to cross through Argentina. From northern and central Chile, the most common route goes via Osorno, turning east into Argentina, to San Carlos de Bariloche from where you continue by Ruta 40 southwards.

Alternatively you can continue along Carretera Austral on the Chilean side and cross the border as far south as near Coyhaique. In Argentina, Ruta 40 follows the Chilean border, and near Puerto Natales you can cross back into Chile. Alternatively you can continue all the way to Río Gallegos on the Atlantic coast.

From Puerto Natales


Crossing at Río Turbo near Puerto Natales, you will travel past some of the most impressive parts of Patagonia on both sides of the border; the Perito Moreno Glacier and Torres del Paine National Park. From Puerto Natales, the drive along Ruta 9 takes about three hours; the road is in a good shape and the landscape is pretty flat. A little before Punta Arenas, the road merges with the road from Río Gallegos.

From Río Gallegos
If you've started your roadtrip in eastern Argentina (e.g. Buenos Aires), followed Ruta 40 to the end, or crossed Argentina to the Atlantic coast and driven south along Ruta 3, you will pass Río Gallegos. From there it's a one-hour drive along the same highway to the Chilean border at Monte Aymond. From the border, Ruta 255 leads to Punta Arenas – this leg will take about two and a half hours.

From Tierra del Fuego
Starting your drive from Ushuaia and other places on Tierra del Fuego, there's one major road northwest, known as Ruta 3 on the Argentinian side. It's paved to San Sebastian just before the Chilean border, then gravel. The road, now Chilean Ruta 257 goes through steppe landscape to the Bahia Azul/Ponta Delgada ferry crossing. The crossing takes 20 minutes and no reservations are required, but bad weather can cancel the ferry traffic. On the northern side of the strait, the road joins the one from Río Gallegos.

It's also possible to drive along minor roads to Porvenir and cross directly to Punta Arenas (see below).

By bus
Despite its designation as a regional capital, there is no centralized bus station in Punta Arenas. Bookings should be made at the offices of the bus companies.



There are buses from Patagonia's major cities, and some services from further away. There are frequent buses from Puerto Natales, from other places much less frequent. There are also buses from Ushuaia, with a trip time of 15 hours and including a ferry crossing. Important bus companies are Bus Sur, Buses Pacheco, Buses Fernández and Turibus.


 * Turibus and Quielen Bus have departures to Punta Arenas from Osorno crossing through Argentina. The trip takes about 36 hours, but it largely depends on how quickly you get through the two border crossings.

By boat
There's a ferry a few times a week from Porvenir in Tierra del Fuego across the strait (sailing time 2 hr 20 min), operated by Transbordadora Austral Broom. The ferry takes both cars and foot passengers. The same company also sails from Puerto Williams (once or twice a week, sailing time 32 hr) and Magdalena Island.

Cruise ships visit it often, especially in the austral summer from December to March. Mostly they start out of Ushuaia, but there are some cruises from as far away as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Valparaíso.

Get around
The city is built around its main square "Plaza de Armas" where the imposing monument of Hernando de Magallanes is located. There is also a monument of a Magellan native, or Ona, that according to local legend if a tourist touches his foot it will return once again to the city. Another local legend to come back to the city is to eat Magellan Barberries (calafate), similar to blueberries. Many of the main public buildings such as the town hall or the Union Club (Club de la Union) are found around Plaza de Armas. In general, Punta Arenas is compact and walkable, but it can get really windy. You will only need transportation for lengthier trips outside of it. For these trips, you can ask for a cab (taxi), a minivan (minibus), or a collective taxi (colectivo).

By bus
There's a public bus system, Movigas with 4 lines. Lines star out from downtown to the suburbs, and therefore not so good for getting around the central parts of the city, where most points of interest are.

By taxi
Taxis are readily available and fares are affordable. There are also colectivos (route taxis).

By car
To get to attractions outside the city, consider renting a car. Popular tourist attractions outside the city can also be accessed by tour.

See

 * Visit the numerous lighthouses in and outside of the city, such as Faro San Isidro and Faro Punta Dungeness.
 * Visit the numerous lighthouses in and outside of the city, such as Faro San Isidro and Faro Punta Dungeness.
 * Visit the numerous lighthouses in and outside of the city, such as Faro San Isidro and Faro Punta Dungeness.
 * Visit the numerous lighthouses in and outside of the city, such as Faro San Isidro and Faro Punta Dungeness.
 * Visit the numerous lighthouses in and outside of the city, such as Faro San Isidro and Faro Punta Dungeness.





Do




Buy
There’s a small open market ("feria") for touristy merchandise downtown. You can find department stores, supermarkets, and a lot of outdoors shops (like Timberland and The North Face) on Calle Bories nearby.

Downtown you can find some exchange bureaux, mainly exchanging US dollars, euros, and Argentinian pesos for Chilean peso. Some places catering to tourists accept these currencies too, but at a bad rate.

The shopping district are centered on Plaza de Armas and the Bories and Magallanes streets. There are many souvenir shops here, and widespread souvenirs are small penguin plush toys and jarabe de calafate (syrup of calafate berries) to make calafate sour cocktails (a variant of pisco sour).



Eat
Sheep are the only farm animals that can be raised in the region and as such lamb has a central part in the local cuisine. It can be prepared in many ways, but the classical dish is asado patagónico, lamb barbecue. Seafood is also popular, common ingredients including salmon, trout, crab and other shellfish.

Drink
Punta Arenas has an interesting nightlife. You can go out to dance, have a drink, or gamble in the casino





Sleep
Punta Arenas has all types of lodging, from inexpensive backpackers hostels with shared everything, international chain hotels and unique boutique and design hotels. Beds fill up in the high season during austral summer (around Christmas, New Year's and early January), so book early.

Mid-range




Splurge






Connect
Chilean operators Claro, Entel, Movistar and WOM have 3G and 4G (LTE) coverage in the city. Away from the built-up area, especially away from the main highway, don't expect any coverage at all.

Go next
Punta Arenas is the launching point for various expeditions to (relatively) nearby Antarctica.

Brunswick Peninsula

 * Lesser known places to see penguins are the rookeries on the west coast of the peninsula, around 60 km from Punta Arenas. Drive a few kms north of the city, take road Y-550 west across the peninsula to Y-530 (or drive to the airport and take Y-530 from there) and follow the coastline. In addition to penguins, you may also see guanacos and ñandúes as well as shepherds with sheep. On the west coast, further north, there's also an open pit coal mine, the Mina Pecket.

















Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of the continent is 40 km of hiking from the endpoint of the road.






 * Rey Jorge Island Natural Sea Park (whale observation).
 * Fuerte Bulnes, a historical reconstruction of the site were Chile took possession of the Strait of Magellan.
 * Seno Skyring
 * Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of mainland South America. Can be reached overland or by kayak. There are numerous companies in town that lead guided expeditions.
 * Puerto del Hambre, an early Spanish colony which failed and under the name of Port Famine became a Royal Navy base. It was here that Captain Pringle Stokes, the captain of HMS Beagle, shot himself in his cabin due to severe depression and temporary command was given to Lieutenant W.G. Skyring. Stokes' fatal depression was attributed to the boring nature of the local geography.

Further away

 * Puerto Natales
 * Torres del Paine National Park, near Puerto Natales.
 * Ushuaia
 * Puerto Williams
 * National Park Alberto de Agostini - The Arka Patagonia tour company runs tours to this remote national park. It is accessible only by sea, and comprises hundreds of islands south of Cape Froward.
 * Australis runs tours to Cape Horn.
 * Fly with Latam to the Falkland Islands.