Chile travel blog by Mark Berman -
November 2017
»
View Photoset (44 Photos)
Punta Arenas presents the perfect place to explore and travel the southernmost regions of both Chile and Argentina from! Especially considering there are
direct flights to and from Puerto Montt and Santiago. Of course you can also get to Punta Arenas by land and sea, but for me I was ready to cut to the chase
in my travels of the Patagonia after over a month on the road further northward on the Carretera Austral (Route 7). I used Punta Arenas as my start and end
point and spent 2 weeks seeing Punta Arenas, Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine! Punta Arenas is a 2hr flight from Puerto Montt
or 3hrs 30mins from Santiago - see Sky Airlines. From the airport I paid $10000 pesos ($15USD) for a taxi into the city center. I asked the driver if he
knew of an economical private room to stay and luckily he did - a private house with rooms for rent out the back, the cost also being $10000 pesos, see review
below. Historic Center Tourist Circuit
Punta Arenas has a fantastic historic center and is a great city for photography with all
its European buildings and the port area! The tourist circuit called 'Circuito Urbano de Punta Arenas' is marked with blue information boards outside the
important buildings. Buildings include the Daughters of Maria Auxiliadora College and Chapel (1889), Sara Braun Palace (a national monument), Carcel and
Presidio - prison / jail (1898), Montes Pello Palace - neoclassical Italian (1920), the Cathedral (1901), Residence of the Exploiter Tierra del Fuego - an
antique wooden house (1918), the Residence of French cattle raiser Alfonso Roux and the huge Maria Auxiliadora Temple and Sanctuary. There is also an
'Antarctic Tourist Circuit' that includes the Blanchard Residence (1907) - home of a prominent whaler and the marking of a great moment - the location where
the old post office stood where Captain Robert Falcon Scott, a British Antarctic explorer (1868-1912), sent almost 400 letters announcing that his ship
Discovery, which had set sail from England on 6 August 1901 had returned safely from its expedition to the Antarctic.
Around the Waterfront & Port
Walking or renting a
bicycle to see the waterfront and port is a great activity in the city of Punta Arenas! There are some interesting sights to be discovered. Plaza Lautaro
has an interesting history where the churchyard opened in 1855 and closed in 1894. It has 2 sections for catholics and non-catholics, around 1300 people
were buried. Some being the victims of an English warship, where there was an explosion in the bay on April 21 1881. Along the waterfront itself you'll
find a shipwreck at the port, the red brick facade and steeple of the Sanctuary of Medalla Milagrosa, the Mezquita Mosque / Hindu Temple and Plaza Hindu
with bronzeworks including Mahatma Gandhi and the Municipal Market where people come to eat until their heart's content. The Municipal Market sells ready
to eat ceviche - combinations of octopus, salmon, crab, shrimp and hake!
Sara Braun Cemetery
If it seems quiet around the city streets in Punta Arenas and you're wondering where
all the people are, you more than likely will find them at the cemetery where the locals spend a lot of time giving respect to their loved ones. The
cemetery in Punta Arenas is known as one of the most beautiful in the world and is a national monument and has at least a couple of legends! The legend
of Sara Braun where after her death she wished the central door to be closed forever which it has been. The Unknown Indian who died on an island and was
buried here, his grave is marked by a prominent statue. The cemetery is a colorful rainbow of flowers and beautifully manicured trees and hedges.
Routes, Expeditions & Tours
Routes,
expeditions and tours from Punta Arenas vary in price so shop around and see where the better deals are! Tours include the
Seno Otoway Penguin Colony,
Lynch Lagoon,
River of the Deer (Rio de los Ciervos),
Fuerte Bulnes (fort), penguin colony and sea lions on
Marta and Magdalena Islands,
Cabo Froward
(challenging trek), Humpback whale watching at
Carlos III Island,
Glaciers of Tierra del Fuego, fly fishing and maritime routes. I chose to do a full
day tour in the
Tierra del Fuego to see the King Penguins!
Bus to Ushuaia
After several days in Punta Arenas including a full day tour I took a bus through the Tierra del Fuego across the border to
Ushuaia in Argentina which takes 11hrs.
Tweet
Old facade of an unused bakery and fast food shop in Punta Arenas, mural with baker and food list.
Red brick facade and steeple of the Sanctuary of Medalla Milagrosa in Punta Arenas.
Female Hindu God with 8 arms rides a lion, marble sculpture at the temple in Punta Arenas.
Shipwreck in the harbor in Punta Arenas, shipwrecks always look spectacular!
