Gateway to Untamed Adventure

Cruise to Punta Arenas, Chile

Expect the unexpected is the perfect way to approach the port of Punta Arenas, Chile. As both a gateway to the breathtaking wilderness of Patagonia and Antarctica and a time capsule of 19th-century European capitalism, this sprawling, windblown city located at the farthest reaches of South America offers a surprising amount of intrigue and adventure. On a cruise to Punta Arenas, you'll be delighted by its mix of colorful metal-clad houses and Parisian-inspired stone mansions, awed by its rugged surroundings and captivated by the adorable creatures that live nearby. About 130,000 people call this remote southern outpost home, living alongside the Strait of Magellan, a natural passageway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and separates mainland South America from Tierra del Fuego. When you cruise to Punta Arenas, you'll discover how in this unlikely and extreme setting, pioneering Latvian-born businesswoman Sara Braun became one of Patagonia's largest employers in the late 1800s. She's still here, buried in the impressively landscaped cemetery named for her. And if a certain local superstition is to be believed, you'll be back one day too.

National Language Spanish

Currency Accepted Chilean Peso ($)

Things To Do in Punta Arenas

Scenes at Cemetery of Punta Arenas, a public cemetery of the city of Punta Arenas, Chile.

Go for Baroque

The Baroque mansions in Plaza Muñoz Gamero — notably Palacio Sara Braun, now home to Hotel José Nogueira and Club de la Unión — are reminders of the city's past as a center for 19th-century wool traders. Their excesses live on in mausoleums sheltered by manicured trees in the Municipal Cemetery Sara Braun. It's free to visit and worth a wander.

Seno Otway Magellanic Penguins Colony in natural environment near Punta Arenas in Patagonia, Chile

Spy on Tuxedo-suited Waddlers

You don't have to cruise to Antarctica to see a penguin parade. A colony of Magellanic penguins inhabits a beach and grassy dunes on Otway Sound. The preserve, located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Punta Arenas and home to thousands of these flightless birds, is a popular excursion, and you'll enjoy up-close views as you walk its pathways.

This is the Monument tp Hernando Magallanes in the square Muñoz Gamero

Rub a Toe to Return

If you love enjoy local lore, the statue of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan — erected in Plaza Muñoz Gamero in 1920 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his journey — is a must-see. Notice how one of the bronze figures at the base has shiny toes? Rub them for luck, and the hope of returning.

Baked crabmeat crab meat with cheese, cream and bread. Traditional dish of chilean coast.

LOCAL CUISINE

Chilean seafood — especially king crab, salmon, shrimp and scallops — tops local menus. But Patagonian lamb and beef are also popular. Don't miss regional dishes such as creamy chupe de centolla, a king crab stew served in a clay bowl. Pair your meal with a glass of Chile's robust cabernet sauvignon or crisp sauvignon blanc.

Multicolored wallets in the store, Puerto Montt, Chile

SHOPPING

If you're in Plaza Muñoz Gamero in the afternoon, you may encounter locals selling wool sweaters and carved wood items. Around the plaza and on the waterfront, there are also stores with knitwear, lapis lazuli jewelry and other artisanal souvenirs. The city's duty free shopping center, Zona Franca, is on its northern outskirts but isn't worth visiting.