Punta Arenas

Introducing Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is supposedly at the bottom of the Americas, but in many ways it is not. Yes, you can almost spot the southern tip of the South American mainland from town. However, Chile claims a pie wedge of Antarctica - all the way to the South Pole - and right below Punta Arenas, a small monument marks the nominal midpoint of the Chilean nation.

More than just border technicalities make Punta Arenas an enigmatic southern outpost. The town is remarkably relaxed on the surface: a mix of Chilean air force, centolla (king crab) fishermen and wind-burnt travelers. Yet if you scratch a little deeper, you'll also find a North Face store, a huge duty-free shopping zone full of MP3 players and other electronics, suit-clad businessmen, a massive methanex industry, and, of course, a Croatian TV channel. Moreover, Punta Arenas' surprisingly energetic nightclubs keep the cumbia (a Latin dance beat originally from Colombia), reggaeton (Latin hip-hop/dancehall reggae fusion), house and salsa cranked up until dawn.

Punta Arenas has a few attractions of its own - mostly museums, cultural spots and nearby penguin colonies - but it really serves as the transportation hub and departure point for Tierra del Fuego and Puerto Natales (the gateway to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009