Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas is the most prominent settlement on the Strait of Magellan and the capital of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. It is lcoated at the southern end of mainland Chile, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on the Brunswick Peninsula.

The city centre features the imposing mansions of the sheep barons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Palacio Sara Braun and several good museums. Local custom holds that visitors who rub the foot of the Magellan statue in the central Plaza de Armas will have good luck, and return again.

Situated nearby is Fuerte Bulnes, a replica of a wooden fort from 1843 and the Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos on Isla Magdalena, where you will find a colony of 60,000 Magellanic penguins.

Things to See & D0

* Port Area
* Regional Museum
* Punta Arenas cemetery
* Magellan Statue
* Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos on Isla Magdalena

Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – Peso (CLP)
Language – Spanish
Population –135,000 approx
Land Area – 17,526.3 km²
Electricity – 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style
Time – GMT minus four hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 56

Port Location – The port is located in the downtown area of Punta Arenas.

Transport Links – Punta Arenas can be access by sea, by land or air. Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport, located 20 km north of the city, is the main gateway to the region and serves Punta Arenas. Transport, rental car, duty free shops and custom office services are available in the building. Airlines serving the airport include LAN Chile, Sky Airlines and Aerolineas del Sur as well as charter flights.

By sea, several cruises and ferries can take you to the city, although the costs are much higher, because they include the navigation of touristic sites within the route.