Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is usually a place to rest between destinations, but there are a few attractions worth checking out. There are four museums ranging from ship replicas to exhibits portraying the lives of those who first ventured into Patagonia. Many travelers will stop by the Plaza de Armas; local legend says if you kiss the toe of the Patagonian aborigine statue, you’re sure to return to the city. Ten minutes away, La Cruz Hill offers a great view of the city and strait. Punta Arenas Cemetery was built for aristocratic families in the 1840s. Its mausoleums and large graves make it seem like a city of spirits dwell there. The oddly-shaped trees look like kids who threw sheets over their heads and ran around the graveyard, an effect intensified when the snow falls and covers everything in a ghostly white. Most people stop by Punta Arenas if they plan on kayaking the Magellan Straits or taking a boat out to Magdalena Island. There, they’re met with a colony of curious penguins who’d be happy to share a few photographs.