Many tour operators run conventional city tours and trips to the penguin colonies, as well as short visits and multiday, all-inclusive trekking excursions to Torres del Paine National Park; however, for excursions within the park I recommend that you stick with one of the outfitters listed under tour operators in the Puerto Natales section. A city tour here provides the historical background to this region and undoubtedly enriches a visitor's understanding of the hardship the immigrants and native Indians faced during the past century.
Turismo Yamana, Errázuriz 932 (tel. 61/710567; www.yamana.cl), offers thrilling kayak trips on and around the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego for multiple days with a support boat (about $3,245 per person for an all-inclusive 8 days, two persons; $2,934 per person for three to four people). Multiple-day trips take kayakers to elephant seal and penguin colonies, and through fjords and past glaciers. The company also offers multiple-day trips to Lago Blanco in Tierra del Fuego for trekking, horseback riding, and fishing.
Turismo Comapa, Magallanes 990 (tel. 61/200200; www.comapa.com), is the leader in town for conventional tours such as city tours and visits to the penguin colonies. City tours last approximately 3 hours. Turismo Viento Sur, 585 Fagnano (tel. 61/226930; www.vientosur.com), is another respected company offering excursions in and around Punta Arenas, including a trip to the little-known Pali Aike National Park. Viento Sur also has half-day and full-day kayaking trips with qualified guides.
Fuerte Bulnes
In 1843, Capt. Juan Williams, the naturalist Bernardo Philippi, 16 sailors and soldiers, and 2 women set sail from Ancud in Chiloé to the Strait of Magellan to plant the Chilean flag in this region before European colonists could beat them to it. They chose a rocky promontory that dominated the strait and named it Fuerte Bulnes. Although this promontory was strategically appropriate for monitoring seafaring traffic, the location proved undesirable, and they pulled up stakes and moved 25km (16 miles) north, founding what is today Punta Arenas. In recognition of the historical value of Fuerte Bulnes, the Chilean government reconstructed the site in 1943, its centenary anniversary, and made it a national monument. Here you'll find reproductions of the log cabins that housed the settlers, a chapel, and several cannons. There are no set hours, and admission is free.
Just before Fuerte Bulnes is a short road leading to Puerto Hambre. The site was founded as Rey Felipe by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa in 1584, and settled by 103 colonists who were tragically stranded after tremendous storms prevented their ships from returning to shore. The name Puerto Hambre (Port Hunger) was given by the British captain Thomas Cavendish, who found only one survivor when he docked here in 1587 (the rest had died of starvation and exposure). In 1993, the Chilean ambassador José Miguel Barros found the plan for Rey Felipe in the library of the Institute of France in Paris, and it is the oldest known document of urban history in Chile. The only thing you'll find here is a plaque and the remains of a chapel, but imagining yourself in the place of these settlers on this forsaken plot is worth the visit -- if you have enough time and are running out of things to see near Punta Arenas. Admission for both Fuerte Bulnes and Puerto Hambre is free, with unspecified hours. To get here, sign up for a tour with Comapa or Viento Sur .
Penguin Colonies at Seno Otway & Isla Magdalena
One of the highlights of a visit to Punta Arenas is a trip to the penguin colonies at Seno Otway or Isla Magdalena. Both colonies allow visitors to get surprisingly close to the amusing Magellanic penguins (also called jackass penguins for their characteristic bray) at their nesting sites. But this happens only during their natural nesting cycle from October to March -- and even by early March, they've all pretty much packed up and headed north. November to February provides the best viewing. Isla Magdalena is by far the best place to view the penguins (with an estimated 150,000 in one colony, as compared to 3,000 at Seno Otway). But the trip here involves a ferry ride and will take up more of your time.
Penguins form lifelong partnerships and divide their chores equally: Every morning around 10am and in the afternoon around 5pm, the penguin couples change shifts -- one heads out to fish, the other returns from fishing to take care of their young. When this changing of the guard begins, the penguins politely line up and waddle to and from the sea.
Seno Otway is accessible by road about 65km (40 miles) from Punta Arenas. A volunteer study group has developed the sight with roped walkways and lookout posts, including a peek-a-boo wall where you can watch the penguins diving into the ocean. Tours are offered in four languages, and there is a tiny cafe here, too. It's open daily from October 15 to March 31 from 8am to 8:30pm. The best time to visit is between 9 and 10am and 5 and 7pm, when the majority of activity takes place (the crowds of visitors are thinner during the morning shift). The cost of a tour here is about $10 to $12, plus a $4 entrance fee (free for kids; tel. 61/224454). Take Ruta 9 toward Puerto Natales, then turn left on the dirt road that branches out near the police checkpoint. Keep your eyes open for the ostrichlike Darwin's rhea on the ride here.
Isla Magdalena is much larger than Seno Otway, with an estimated 150,000 penguins sharing nesting space with cormorants. These penguins are more timid than those at Seno Otway, but the sight of so many of these birds bustling to and fro is decidedly more impressive. To get here, you need to take a ferry, which makes for a pleasant half-day afternoon excursion. , puts this tour together. Its boat, the Barcaza Melinka, departs from the pier at 3:30pm and returns at 8:30pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from December to February ($28 for adults, $13 children under 12).
Cruising from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia
Mare Australis operates an unforgettable journey between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia aboard its ship, the M/V Mare Australis. This cruise takes passengers to remote coves and narrow channels and fjords in Tierra del Fuego, and then heads into the Beagle Channel, stopping in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino and later Ushuaia, Argentina. The trip can be done as a 7-night, 8-day round-trip journey; a 4-night one-way from Punta Arenas; or a 3-night one-way journey from Ushuaia. I recommend that you take just the one-way journey, leaving you to explore a new city and then travel by air or land from there.
What is unique about this cruise is the intimacy of a smaller ship and its solitary route that takes passengers to places in Tierra del Fuego that few have a chance to see. Passengers are shuttled to shore via zodiacs (motorized inflatable boats) for two daily excursions that can include visits to glaciers or a sea elephant rookery, walks to view elaborate beaver dams, or horseback rides. There are several excellent bilingual guides who give daily talks about the region's flora, fauna, history, and geology. Service aboard the Mare Australis is excellent, and the food is quite good. The accommodations are comfortable, ranging from suites to simple cabins. All-inclusive, per-person prices (excluding cocktails) range from $785 to $1,903 one-way from Punta Arenas and $1,152 to $2,537 round-trip. This cruise operates from early October to late April. For reservations or information, australis@chletravel.com
