Punta Arenas & Surroundings This is the door to Patagonia. Population: 110.000. Faces to Magellan Strait. It takes a 3 hour bus to Puerto Natales (254km NW) then a 2 hour bus to Torres del Paine National Park (120km NW) while enjoing the romantic view of "los cuernos" among guanacos and rheas. Keep your camera at hand to start building your memories. Here we include a vast area around this city... Otway & Skyring Sound to the north- west, Pali Aike Park to the north, Magellan Strait and the west side of Tierra del Fuego and Cruz de Froward to the South. All you need to know. See Magellan Zone map.
History & Activity Punta Arenas is the capital of Magallanes province which comprehends from Cordillera del Paine on the north to Cape Horn on the south. Originally named "Sandy Point" by John Byron in 17th century. Founded in 1848, Punta Arenas became the urban, commercial, cultural and social center that spread all over Magallanes. Punta Arenas is the farthest south continental city in the world, and an important port for bioceanic traffic. Location & Geography The cordillera de los Andes offers a scenery divided by big creeks crossed by channels that form interior seas, like gulfs Almirante Montt and Isla Riesco. From Torres del Paine, the Andes turn their north south direction to end in the Beagle Channel with an east-west direction. Magellan Strait is 560 long and keeps a high relevance in navigation and maritime communications. Tourism cruises, fishing fleets, scientific investigators, merchandise transportation sail through these southern waters around the year. It is also the main door to the Antarctic continent.
Main Attractions Among its main attractions there are museums, the monument to the shepherd, the cemetery; regional history and resources centers; the town theatre; the main square, magnificent buildings, free duty, the Strait of Magellan, Cerro de la Cruz, penguin colonies, Forest Reservations, Fuerte Bulnes, trekking circuits in native woods areas, variety of birds, rural tourism, lighthouses and more. Go to Excursions and things to do in this zone to know everything you can do.
Excursions and things to do - Hotels and Lodging - Restaurantes and where to eat -Rent a Car Everything on Transportation - Souvenirs and things to buy - The full history of Punta Arenas - Photo Gallery - Travel Agencies
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