Punta Arenas
Chile'S Southernmost City On The Strait Of Magellan, Founded 1848 And Made Rich By Wool And Shipping; Gateway To Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego And Antarctica · Punta Arenas, Magallanes
Punta Arenas sits on the Strait of Magellan at the bottom of the South American mainland, and in the decades before the Panama Canal opened it was one of the busiest ports in the world, the coaling stop for ships rounding the continent and the capital of a vast sheep-farming empire. The wool barons built grand mansions around the Plaza Munoz Gamero, several now museums or hotels, and filled the municipal cemetery with extraordinary mausoleums set among avenues of clipped cypress, one of the finest cemeteries in South America. On the plaza stands a bronze of Magellan, and local lore says touching the foot of the indigenous figure beneath him ensures a return. Replicas of historic ships, including Magellan's Nao Victoria, stand on the shore outside town. Today the city is the gateway to Torres del Paine, the penguin colonies of Magdalena Island and Tierra del Fuego, and some Antarctic flights and cruises. It is windy, low-rise and practical rather than pretty, and a day of museums and history makes a good start to a Patagonian trip.
Plaza Munoz Gamero, Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile
The city runs all year, with long summer days and very short winter ones. Museums close one day a week and keep shorter hours in winter. Boats to the penguin islands run from about October to March. The municipal cemetery is open daily in daylight.