Punta-Arenas Travel Guide
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254km (158 miles) SE of Puerto Natales; 3,090km (1,916 miles) S of Santiago
Punta Arenas, with a population of 110,000, is the capital of the Magellanic and Antarctic Region XII, and it is Patagonia's most important city; its streets hum with activity and its airport and seaports bustle with traffic. The town has made a living from carbon mines, wool production, petroleum, fishing, and as a service center for cargo ships.
Punta Arenas's earliest wealth is reflected in the grand stone mansions that encircle the main plaza, which were built with earnings from the sheep estancias, or ranches, of the late 1800s. Gold fever followed, and then flight from the First World War, when hundreds poured into the region from Yugoslavia, Russia, Spain, and Italy. Today, Punta Arenas's streets are lined with residential homes with colorful, corrugated rooftops, business offices and hotels downtown, and an industrial port. The city considers itself somewhat of an independent republic due to its isolation from the rest of Chile, and this in turn has affected the personality of its people, an indefatigable bunch who brace themselves every summer against the gales that blow through this town like a hurricane. The wind, in fact, is so fierce at times that ropes are strung up in and near the plaza for people to hold onto. If that weren't enough, residents here now have to contend with the ozone layer, which opened completely for the first time a few years ago.
All of this history and the extremity of Punta Arenas's climate, as well as its position overlooking the renowned Magellan Strait, make for a fascinating place to explore. There's enough to do here to fill 1 or 2 days, and you'll want to at least spend the night here, even if you plan to head directly to Torres del Paine.
