Located along the Magellan Strait,in the Brunswick Peninsula, PuntaArenas is the capital of the region of Magallanes and Chilean Patagonia.Formerly it was called "Punta Arenosa", a literal translation of the English name Sandy Point given to this little tour territory in the seventeenth century by John Byron. Punta Arenas was founded in 1848.

The city is the ideal starting point for excursions to the Strait of Magellan and the Tierra del Fuego. From Punta Arenas you can travel the roads leading to the Seno Otway, place of great touristic and scientific interest, where the Pingüinera is found. There, visitors can see hundreds of Magellanic penguins that nest between the months of October and March.

Punta Arenas visitors should make sure to follow the tradition of touching or kissing the foot of the Indian Aónikenk from the monument to Magellan, located in the Square Muñoz Gamero. They say that those who follow this ritual will come back to Patagonia.

Punta Arenas

Things to do in Punta Arenas