Hotel Location

On the historical and cultural side is the Sara Braun Palace. It was built between 1895 and 1899 and was the home of Sara Braun, founder of the Exploration Society of Tierra del Fuego. The palace is one of the most interesting buildings of the city and today houses the Union Club of the city.

The Braun Menéndez Palace was the residence of Sara´s brother, a few steps from Hotel Cabo de Hornos, Mauricio Braun. Housed within it today you'll find the Magellan Region Museum. There you can appreciate collections of furniture and objects from Magellan´s golden age, historical and temporary exhibitions; another interesting historical place to visit.

Another place for some local culture is the Salesiano Maggiorino Borgatello Museum, one of the most important historical vestiges of the region. Filled with the material collected by missionaries and scientists from the Salesian order, the museum reflects all the history and culture of the different natives: Tehuelches, Yagan, Alacalufes and Ona, amongst others. Also, there is an important collection of the area’s fauna and mineralogy, as well as a variety of other tributes.

An additional place of interest is the Patagonia Institute, founded in 1969; it is the center of research that focuses on diverse fields of science and technology. To those visiting, it offers science, Patagonian culture and techniques. It includes a library, botanical garden, crafts and a beautiful Memory Lane Museum with displays of carriages, machinery and tools used in the days of our pioneers; it also has a maritime flag, typical houses of the colonial era and special museographic exhibits.

Viewing the Strait of Magellan, Route Y-565, 7.5 km from Punta Arenas, the wetland area of Tres Puentes, is the Nao Victoria, a full scale replica built with blueprints of the ship commanded by Hernando de Magallanes. The Nao Victoria, is a museum that rescues interactive and dynamic discovery of the Strait of Magellan and simulates the experience of browsing the sixteenth century.

In the center of the city of Punta Arenas, capital of the Magellan and Chilean Antarctic Region, Plaza Benjamin Muñoz Gamero stands out. The plaza owes its name to a Chilean politician, a naval officer who made the first map of this beautiful city. Neighboring the plaza is the city’s most important architectural and cultural heritage, including former homes of the pioneers, City Hall, City Council and the Cathedral. The plaza is surrounded by beautiful conifers and at its center you will find a monument of the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan adorned with Ona natives and mermaids, a donation by Jose Menendez, inaugurated in December, 1920. Patagonian Indian Legend: According to tradition, he who passes in front of the statue touches the Indian’s toe beseeching protection and assistance. Travelers kiss the toe to ensure a speedy return to the area.

Cerro de la Cruz provides an expansive panoramic view of Punta Arenas. From here you can appreciate the colorful roof tops, the streets that lead all the way down to the coast of the strait, and you can even distinguish Tierra del Fuego on the horizon.

The cemetery of the city of Punta Arenas is also an attractive place to visit. Its avenues are surrounded by cypresses and magnificent mausoleums, its high-point being the tombstone marking the place where the remains of the last Onas rest.

The Shepherd's Monument, erected in 1944, is a tribute to the Magellan Shepherd. The shepherd appears trudging through the harsh Patagonian plains with his horse, dogs and sheep.

Punta Arenas has since 1938 with a ski resort located just 15 minutes from the Plaza de Armas of the city, which opened every season on July. The access road to the center is clear and in good condition. Australis Hotels wait you to enjoy this and many other activities available in Patagonia in winter.

In the reserve there are picnic and camping sites enabled sheds, toilets and showers. No accommodation, Punta Arenas being the closest area overnight, a distance of 8 kilometers of access. There are over 60 miles of trails, interpretive and hiking, such as the lap of the Sendero de Chile called Bocatoma Limite Sur Magallanes National Reserve, and a path for people with reduced mobility and a path of flora.

Fuerte Bulnes (Bulnes Fort), located 60 kilometers to the south, has great historic significance for being the place where the first Spanish colony settled on the coast of the Strait of Magellan in 1843. Here you can admire the flora, fauna and a wide variety of birds.

You also take a boat to the natural monument called Magdalena Island. It is located about 35 kilometers from Punta Arenas and takes approximately 2.5 hours of navigating through the Strait of Magellan to get there. The colony consists of about 60,000 penguin couples. At the top of the island is a lighthouse which houses the Environmental Interpretation Center. There you will discover the history of the strait and the local fauna.

Seno Otway Penguin Colony: On a full day excursion, located 65 kilometers from the city of Punta Arenas, you can admire the Magellan penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) in their natural habitat and take marked trails that will show the way to numerous birds flying about or nesting. From the beach lookout you can appreciate a beautiful milieu where flocks of wild geese, ostriches, Caiquenes, Ñandue and Bandurrias reign.

A few kilometers from San Gregorio is the Pali Aike National Park. The main attraction is the land that is covered by basaltic lava and is mostly visited by volcanologists, geophysicists and archaeologists who determine the geological characteristics and the life that developed there. It is great for those who like trekking and want to explore its altitudes.

San Gregorio: Founded in 1927 and located at 170 kilometers north of Punta Arenas is the town of San Gregorio. This area is the most arid of the Patagonian pampa and it is the place where the antique lighthouse at Punta Delgada safely guides the sailors at night.

Fiery reds in the morning, deep blues at day; a fan of colors reflect in the magnificent ices that compose Torres del Paine National Park. Covering 242,242 hectares, it is one of the most gorgeous places in Chile and was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. After the cooling of the ground and the long Ice Age eras on Earth, this marvelous massif came into existence some 12 million years ago.

The southernmost tip of America was discovered in 1520 by the Portuguese sea captain Ferdinand Magellan. Though Magellan could not finish the voyage at that time, his second in command, Juan Sebastian Elcano later completed the expedition by circumnavigating the globe.

Porvenir on the Chilean side and Ushuaia on the Argentinean side are the main cities that welcome you in Tierra del Fuego, it's a place where tourist attractions abound. From numerous ski resorts to excellent sport fishing circuits, and keep in mind that the ships setting sail to Antarctica begin their voyages here. These are just some of the many activities that you can take part in all year.

Located in the Strait of Magellan, about 5 hours by boat through the Otway Geronimo Channel is Carlos III Island. From this island you can bear witness to the pilgrimage of the magnificent humpback whales (Megaptera novaeagliae). This whale feeding ground makes the island a privileged lookout. Not far away you can discover a penguin and seal colony, in addition to a small glacier called Santa Ines. The glacier is a beautiful blue wall of ice tucked away at the end of the narrow bay. The waters of Isla Carlos III contain a vast supply of food for humpback whales that dwell along the Pacific near the coast of South America.

From breathtaking landscapes of ice and woods, to interesting historical and cultural tours. Discover it!