Punta Arenas
The wind is the first thing you notice. It barrels in from the Strait of Magellan with a force that makes walking difficult and standing still an exercise in determination. This is Punta Arenas - 'Sandy Point' - a city of 140,000 perched on the edge of the known world, where the grand mansions of wool barons face the waterway that once connected the Atlantic to the Pacific. Before Panama, every ship rounding South America passed through these grey waters. Shackleton, Scott, and Amundsen all stopped here, reprovisioning before their Antarctic journeys. The street signs still carry Croatian surnames; the cemeteries still hold British captains. And through it all, the wind never stops.
Gateway to Everywhere
Punta Arenas sits at the crossroads of everywhere remote. To the north lies the emptiness of Patagonia, unreachable by Chilean roads because the ice fields block the way - you must detour through Argentina to drive here from Santiago. To the south, across the strait, spreads Tierra del Fuego. To the west, the maze of fjords and glaciers of Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. And to the south-southeast, 1,418 kilometers across the Drake Passage, lies Antarctica.
The city has reinvented itself around this geography. What was once a coaling station for steamships is now a launching point for expedition cruises. Antarctic-bound vessels resupply here. Scientists heading to Chilean research bases fly through the military airfield. And every summer, tourists arrive to chase penguins, glaciers, and the strange satisfaction of standing at the bottom of the world.
The Wool Barons
The grand buildings around Plaza de Armas tell the story of sheep. In the late 1800s, the Magellanic steppe proved perfect for wool production, and fortunes were made. Sara Braun, widow of a sheep magnate, built a palace that now serves as a hotel. The British-style cemetery holds the tombs of Croatian immigrants who arrived during the 1879 gold rush and stayed to raise sheep. The Zona Franca duty-free district hints at the trading culture that made the city rich.
But the wealth came at a terrible cost. The Selk'nam people who had hunted guanaco across these grasslands for millennia were exterminated - shot, deported, or killed by disease - to make room for livestock. By 1930, fewer than 100 remained from an original population of 4,000. The last Selk'nam died in 1974. Their absence haunts the landscape: all this emptiness, once home to someone.
Strait of Legends
Magellan passed through in 1520, the first European to navigate the passage that would bear his name. Francis Drake followed. The ships kept coming - whalers, traders, warships - until the Panama Canal redirected global shipping in 1914. But the strait remains a working waterway: vessels too large for Panama, cruise ships seeking the scenic route, ferries connecting the mainland to Tierra del Fuego.
South of the city, Cape Froward marks the southernmost point of mainland South America - reachable by a 40-kilometer hike through forest and along beaches. The lighthouse there faces nothing but water until Antarctica. Nearby, the ruins of Puerto del Hambre - 'Port Famine' - recall Spain's failed 1584 attempt to colonize the strait; nearly 300 settlers starved before rescue came. The Captain of HMS Beagle shot himself here in 1828, overwhelmed by depression in this remote posting. History in Patagonia tends toward the grim.
Penguin Country
The Magellanic penguins arrive each spring to breed in burrows along the coast. At Seno Otway, an hour from the city, boardwalks wind through a colony of thousands, the birds shuffling past with the dignified waddle that makes penguins universally beloved. They're not afraid of humans - they've never learned to be - and will sometimes inspect visitors' shoes before continuing on their way.
Larger colonies exist on Isla Magdalena, accessible by ferry. King penguins can be found further afield on Tierra del Fuego. And the wildlife extends beyond birds: sea lions bask on rocks visible from the coastal roads, condors circle the peaks inland, and guanacos - the wild cousins of llamas - graze the steppe in herds, watching with curious eyes as vehicles pass.
Where the Weather Rules
Punta Arenas shares latitude with Manchester but feels far colder, far wilder. The Humboldt Current chills the coast. The winds blow almost constantly, strong enough to lean into. Weather changes by the hour - sun, rain, snow, back to sun - and forecasts serve as rough suggestions at best. In summer, temperatures barely reach 15°C; in winter, they hover around freezing, with occasional drops to -15°C.
The city adapts. Buildings hunker low. Trees grow sideways, permanently bent by the wind. The locals - a mix of Chilean settlers, Croatian descendants, and transplants from warmer climes - dress in layers and move with purpose. The lamb at the asadores (barbecue restaurants) is excellent, raised on the same wind-scoured pastures that have fed flocks for over a century. And when the wind briefly drops and the sun breaks through, the view across the strait to Tierra del Fuego makes everything forgiven.
From the Air
Located at 53.17°S, 70.93°W on the Brunswick Peninsula, facing the Strait of Magellan. Punta Arenas (airport PUQ/SCCI) has a 2,800m paved runway serving as the main gateway to Chilean Patagonia. The city is clearly visible as an urban grid on the strait's northern shore. The Strait of Magellan is a distinctive waterway separating the mainland from Tierra del Fuego - look for ferry traffic crossing to Porvenir and the Punta Delgada narrows to the east. Cape Froward, the southernmost point of mainland South America, lies 90km south on the Brunswick Peninsula. The city's orientation follows the coastline, with the historic center around Plaza de Armas near the waterfront. Penguin colonies at Seno Otway visible as cleared areas 60km northwest. Weather highly variable - strong westerly winds are constant, visibility can change rapidly. The Zona Franca duty-free zone and petroleum facilities are visible north of the center.