Reading the title, you might think that staying a little time in Punta Arenas was something we already planned in advance. Well, not really. As for many of our “plans”, we just make up our itinerary on the road so our stay in town had no onward ticket… yet.
We didn’t really know what to expect from Punta Arenas, apart from the usual “decent city” mark, but sadly enough it was well below average. Backtracking a week or so, visiting Puerto Natales left us a bit underwhelmed by the city and here we felt exactly the same.
Bird’s eye view of the city
Overly expensive city, very unattractive buildings and deserted streets after 4pm in the afternoon. Not like your dream city, right? Even talking with our AirBnB that moved there recently, yielded the same exact conclusion: unwelcoming city only used as an international gateway because of the airport.
All of the above aside, there are some nice things to do/see in Punta Arenas if you look carefully. Here’s our experience on wandering around the city looking for something to do!
Things to do
Penguin watching – The most rated activity in Punta Arenas is visiting penguin colonies. All around the city you can find tours to the colony of magellanic penguins nesting on Isla Magdalena (80-85’000CLP/pp) and if you fancy going DIY you can also just buy the roundtrip boat ticket from Comapa (60’000CLP/pp). Whether you book guided tour or just transport, you’ll only have the chance to stay on the island more or less 1h. Should you wish to see the rare king penguins, tours to the King Penguin National Park – close to Porvenir – are available for 60-65’000CLP (entrance of 12’000CLP not included) or alternatively you can rent a car and do it yourself.
Whale watching – Over the period from December to March, the waters of the Magellan Strait welcome several blue and humpback whales who migrate there to mate. Whale watching tours are available in town during those months and have a cost of at least 250’000CLP/pp. In case you have the budget for it, WhaleSound offers a 3 day/ 2 nights experience in the wilderness for a somewhat salty 1800USD/pp.
Fuerte Bulnes – Located along the coast south of Punta Arenas, the fort is a replica of the original who had been built to have control over the waters of the strait back in 1843. Nowadays, you can visit the fort on your own or by taking part of a tour. Prices vary from 15’000 to 60’000CLP depending whether the entrance fee (currently 16’000CLP) is included or not.
Parque Keu ken – The theme park (find info here)dedicated to the aboriginals that used to live in Tierra del Fuego is still evolving in terms of services and information pool, but it looks like its going in the right way. Even though non-spanish speakers might have a hard time, the place is full of reproductions and information boards to aid the understanding. Expect it to be more like a history lesson than an actual hike in the past. Entrance fee is fixed at 20’000CLP for foreign adults, kids below 5 years old enter for free.
The vibe of the city
We did not like Punta Arenas at all. Among the places we visited during our Patagonia trip, even with our low expectations, it ended up being a disappointment. If in Puerto Natales there’s at least some kind of welcom-y feeling, wandering around Punta Arenas kind of feels like just a gateway for the international airport nearby. And everything is so freaking expensive!
Would we go back? Not a chance. Furthermore, we would have avoided visiting the city altogether. For us, Punta Arenas is the kind of city not worth more than a day to explore. With all the beautiful Patagonia at our feet, spending time here felt like a complete waste!
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