Punta Arenas, Chile - November 2012

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

Punta Arenas is the city that most punters use as a gateway into and out of Patagonia, well on the Chilean side of the border anyway. The reason I was down in Punta Arenas on this trip was that I was heading into Torres Del Paine to do some trekking and Punta Arenas was the most convenient airport to fly in and out of, so needless to say this won't be an expansive look at town but more of an overview.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

Now here's a controversial statement, my favourite memory of my time around Punta Arenas was actually on the road up towards Puerto Natales. On the long drive north we were lucky enough to stop at the Otway Sound Penguin Colony. I'd like to regale everyone with fascinating facts about the penguins on this wild and windswept section of Patagonian coastline however to be honest I'm not even sure of the breed of penguin that I was looking at today - this was a long time ago and my ageing memory is starting to let me down a bit! What I do still remember was that there was no shortage of penguins here, the drift wood lined coastline being home to numerous sun baking birds.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony. It's a pretty wild and windswept part of the world down here.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

The Otway Sound Penguin Colony.

As far as Punta Arenas goes the city is a typical South American job in that it was a little gritty and rough around the edges however very welcoming when I scratched a little deeper. Sitting on the Strait of Magellan the city can get fairly windswept and bleak although for the most part the time that I spent there was in fairly benign conditions. As is also pretty usual down here is that Punta Arenas features it's own Plaza de Armas, this nice tree lined square in the centre of town acts like a meeting spot for locals and tourists alike. The centre of this park features a huge monument to Magellan's voyage of discovery 500 years ago and is worth checking out, apparently this Magellan bloke was a reasonable navigator! 

The Magellan monument.

There was even a small market set up in the Plaza de Armas.

After checking out the local market I spent some time meandering around town checking things out as I waited for the my flight out that night. The wide and sometimes tree lined streets make Punta Arenas a nice spot to check out on foot for the most part. After checking out the rather grand looking Sara Braun Mansion I slowly made my way down to the windswept coastline to check things out. The Strait of Magellan is a really bleak and windswept body of water and standing here on this grey afternoon I was pretty happy to be standing on solid land. Leaving the water I took a bit more of a half hearted look around town, even managing to find a metal shop, before I retired to La Chocolatta to catch up with some friends before flying out - I'm not sure if this little café is still there however if it is it's worth checking it out!

I think the big silver building is the casino - although that could be a Feral Fact.

Looking out over the Strait of Magellan from Punta Arenas.

Looking out over the Strait of Magellan from Punta Arenas.

The Dirt.

It's been awhile since my short trip to Punta Arenas so I haven't got a lot of relevant dirt to share really. The small city is really a jumping off point to more exotic spots a little further afield and if you think of things that way then it's a nice enough place to spend a day or two. Punta Arenas had everything this traveller could need, from an airport to some nice hotels and cafés, there was also enough variety in shops that I could pick up any outdoor gear that I needed.

Relevant Posts.
Glacier Grey & Torrres del Paine National Park, 2012.

There are some nice old heritage buildings here.

Downtown Punta Arenas.

I even found a metal shop, which helped to keep me amused as I waited for my flight out of town.