Punta Arenas, Chile
It’s said that Punta Arenas is “where
the forest meets the steppe”, although the original name of the town was
actually Sandy Point, just what the name’s translation means. We’re at our
second capital in as many days, this one is Chile’s Magellanic and Antarctic
Region XII administrative center. The settlement was established in 1848 to
create a stronger Chilean presence along the Magellan Strait, especially during
this time when ships would stop in for supplies as they sailed to and from the
California gold fields. It began as a military garrison and a penal settlement,
however in 1877 the prisoners staged a violent mutiny which destroyed a large
part of the town. The result of this was that fewer prisoners were sent in
subsequent years to keep Punta Arenas from being known as a dangerous place. In
the late 19th century, it became one of the largest sheep farming areas in the
world when wooly ones were introduced from the Falkland Islands. The downtown
area still has mansions built by the sheep barons of the past.
There are multiple museums to visit in
Punta Arenas if you don’t have other plans, I’ll give you a brief overview of
just a few. The Museo Salesiano de Mayonino Borgatello is a collection of items
that early Italian missionaries brought back from their travels in the area,
including items ranging from ceramics to rare animal species. This spot can
give you an introduction to all aspects of the region. The Museo Regional de
Magallanes is the former home of one of the first and most prosperous sheep
farmers, it’s a free way to take a step back in time by exploring this mansion.
In Reio Seco Natural History Museum (MHNRS) exhibits showcase the arts and
sciences, along with natural and cultural heritage. If you’d like to learn more
about Shakleton and his Elephant Island rescue, check out the Maritime Museum,
the second floor here is a replica of an actual ship’s interior.
Within town there are places to walk
for views of land and sea. For stunning views of both the
colorful city and the strait you can take a walk up to the Mirador La Cruz or
Cerro De La Cruz Viewpoint. It may be a little steep but there are benches at
the top to rest on.
The center of the city is Plaza Muñoz
Gamero that has old mansions around it and a monument in the center with a
statue of Magellan, honoring the 400th anniversary of his voyage. The Centro
Cultural is in one of the grand mansions that belonged to a prosperous Punta
Arenas trading family with a fabulous interior that you can visit to give you
an idea of the stature of those traders before the Panama Canal was finished
and trade was no longer king here. Lastly, the spot in Punta Arenas that I saw
mentioned over and over again as a place not to be missed is the Cementerio
Municipal, yes, you read that right, the city cemetery. It is supposed to be
one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries, markers here range from humble
graves of settlers to marble tombs of the wealthy. It is actually a national
monument in Chile, and you may be amazed at the variety of nationalities you’ll
find buried here.
If you still haven’t gotten
enough of penguins you can check on a tour to Isla Magdalena where there is the
Monument Natural Los Penguins, a large colony of Magellanic penguins. Just note
that seas here can be pretty rough, even in summer, so be prepared for that on
a smaller boat. Dramamine will be your best friend!
Straits of Magellan
In 1520 it was Ferdinand Magellan who
first successfully navigated passage from Atlantic to Pacific on this route. A
Portuguese navigator who sailed for Spain, Magellan was seeking a westerly
route to the Spice Islands. It took his ships 38 days to sail through due to
the complexity of the fjords, dead ends, and foggy weather. Despite making it
safely through this most difficult stretch of his trip Magellan never made it
home, he was killed in the Philippines, requiring one of his captains to finish
the expedition and share what they had learned. The area was finally explored
in detail and surveyed by the British during a four-year expedition in the
1820s, hence the reason so many places along the strait have English names. As
I’ve mentioned previously it was the preferred route for both sailing ships and
steamers before the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914.
The Strait of Magellan is such a navigable waterway located in the southern part of Chile and connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. The Strait of Magellan is often compared to Alaska’s Inside Passage and the strait’s numerous fjords and channels are renowned for their natural beauty. The Strait of Magellan is known to face unpredictable weather with sudden changes in wind and sea conditions. The strait experiences a unique geographical phenomenon called Williwaws where sudden gusts of strong cold winds descend on the strait from the mountainous coasts. Many Chilean National Parks and Marine Protected Areas are located along the Strait of Magellan. Positioned in the center of the strait is the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument, which serves as a home for more than 60,000 breeding Magellanic penguins. Other notable seabirds like seagulls and imperial shag and various aquatic animals like the South American fur seals, southern right whales and humpback whales are also found here.
Today we were supposed to be touring Punta Arenas, Chile, the major port city in the Strait of Magellan. A severe storm moved into the area and our Captain announced that the port had closed to all small vessels including tenders, which of course we were planning on doing. Unfortunately, we will not be going to Punta Arenas, and we are 3 for 3 on no visiting tendered ports!!! We are sailing through the Magellan Strait and the scenery is unparalleled. Every time you think nothing can be more magnificent, another glacier comes around!!! Surrounded by the Andes mountains, waterfalls spilling down the countryside, and the air is so crisp and clean. Still pretty chilly by my standards but we did brave outdoors to get some pictures. Many of the pictures and videos I am sharing come from fellow cruisers and they are all generous allow us to use them in our posts.
Catain Stig is going to glaciers that are charted and uncharted. One that we saw was unnamed, so he christened it the Serenade!!! He sailed us into a cove with waterfalls and rotated the ship, so all got great views and pictures. He then completed his U turn and we continued on our journey. He really is an amazing captain. So, it's 4 more sea days for us before we come into Valparaiso, Chile, our next stop. The cruise director and his team have certainly been challenged to keep us occupied with all these additional sea days...
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