Just as San Pedro de Atacama feels far from the rest of the world, Punta Arenas (literally in Spanish: "Sandy Point") also feels far far away from the rest of ‘civilisation’…. indeed, it really is! It is the capital city of the Magellanes province in Patagonia, home of Austral beer, the most southerly brewery on the planet and the last place on earth before Antarctica.
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Contact our Chile experts now: email or 020 7622 1116
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It is almost permanently windy here. Winds tend to be strongest during the summer when city officials put up ropes in the downtown area to assist with unique wind currents created by the buildings?! You fly to Punta Arenas if visiting the Torres del Paine National Park, although in the summer months the small airport at Puerto Natales opens and will save you a three hour road trip up from Punta Arenas.
Visit Punta Arenas as part of our suggested itineraries:
Torres del Paine & Santiago, 11 days from £1,900 pp excluding international flights.
Find out more...Chile and Argentina via Patagonia, 18 days from £3,867 pp excluding international flights.
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The
Punta Arenas harbour, exposed to frequent storms, was considered one of the most important in
Chile before the construction of the Panama Canal. It was used as a coaling station by the steamships transiting between the Atlantic and
Pacific
Oceans. Today it is mostly used by cruise ships and scientific expeditions. The city is often a jumping-off point for exciting
Antarctic expeditions.
Punta Arenas has some interesting museums and if you are there over the Christmas period, then it will all seem faintly familiar as Christmas fairy lights spring up over trees and houses. The only difference to England being that it is light until about midnight!
Other popular attractions include the two nearby rookeries for Magellanic penguins.
Hotel Tierra del Fuego has a privileged location in the centre of Punta Arenas, allowing an easy access to the shopping areas, museums and churches.
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Hotel Jose Nogueira is an old, restored mansion and a National Monument and is in a good location.
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Contact us by email or contact us by telephone on 0207 622 1116 and ask to speak to a consultant about Punta Arenas. |
