Punta Arenas

Your MSC Cruise will take you to Punta Arenas, the capital city of the Magellan Region and of Chilean Antarctica. Its creation is quite recent: it was founded in 1848. It boasts Dalmatian ancestors, who came to South America in the 19th century in search of gold.

 

On an excursion, you can visit this urban center ‒ one of the southernmost cities, not only of Chile but also of Earth ‒ with its center in Plaza Muñoz Gamero surrounded by historical buildings and evergreen trees. The focus of the square is the monument to honor explorer Ferdinand Magellan. To admire the view of Punta Arenas, you should climb Cerro la Cruz, from which you can see the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego. Afterwards, you should stop at the Mayorino Borgatello Museum, founded by Salesian friars, to admire the representations of ancient Patagonia and the flora and fauna of the region, and also at the Patagonia Institute, which displays the equipment used by the first settlers.

 

The Strait of Magellan Park is a natural oasis, where you can visit one of the first settlements in Chile on an excursion: inside the timber forests of the Patagonian Historical Park, you will find an exact replica of Fuerte Bulnes where the pioneers lived which is made out of only grass and wood.

A day of hiking awaits you on an adventure into the Magellan National Reserve, where you can observe native species of plants, birds and mammals. After two kilometers of walking, you will reach the top of Mount Fenton for a breathtaking view of the city of Punta Arenas, the Strait of Magellan and the legendary Tierra del Fuego.