With such a wide range of things to do and experience in Punta Arenas, Chile, the central location of Cabo de Hornos Hotel provides the perfect base for your Patagonia adventure. While the attractions and tours listed below are some of the most popular in Punta Arenas, there’s no limit when it comes to what to do. When planning your itinerary of tours and activities, our staff will be happy to make recommendations and assist you with arranging transportation.  

Torres del Paine National Park

Presiding nearly 2,000 meters above the Patagonian steppe, the granite pillars of Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine) might be the most iconic natural attraction in South America. While the towers are typically the main attraction, you will also find deep blue lakes, forested hiking trails, whitewater rivers spanned by creaky bridges and a humungous glacier. 

Pingüino Rey - Tierra del Fuego

Discover the king penguin at this park in Tierra del Fuego. Located a little over three hours from Punta Arenas, the park is home to a colony of Antarctic king penguins. Visitors can get up close to these amazing birds and watch them in their natural habitat. 

Strait of Magellan

Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Strait of Magellan is one of the planet’s most vital natural waterways. Passing below Chile and above Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica, it was named after Ferdinand Magellan, who first navigated the waterway on his voyage to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe.

Bulnes Fort

Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Strait of Magellan is one of the planet’s most vital natural waterways. Passing below Chile and above Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica, it was named after Ferdinand Magellan, who first navigated the waterway on his voyage to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe.

Magallanes National Reserve

On its beautiful 19,625 hectares the Magallanes National Reserve has diverse fauna like avutardas, coigues, chincoles, chercanes, pitio and black woodpecker, loicas, thrushes, jergon and royal ducks, lauchones, mice, pumas and, grey and culpeo foxes.

Parque Pali Aike

A 50-square-kilometer park on Chile’s Argentine border, Parque Pali Aike features volcanic landscapes marked with craters, caves and twisted formations. Pali Aike means 'devil's country' in Tehuelche and one visit to this desolate but eerily beautiful place will show you why. 

Magdalena Island

Located in the Strait of Magellan about 27 miles from Punta Arenas, Magdalena Island is a nature preserve that protects the Magellanic Penguins. With 70,000 penguins, a number that rises to 200,000 during hatching season, the island is literally covered with penguins. You will also find cormorants, common seagulls, dolphin gulls, Chilean skuas, Eared Seals and South American Fur Seals. 

Nao Victoria Museum

One of the most popular and interesting museums in Punta Arenas, this museum explores Magellan’s passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific in November 1520 through the strait that now bears his name. In addition to a full scale replica of the Nao Victoria, the only one of Magellan’s flotilla of five ships that completed the first around-the-world voyage, the museum features other ship that have figured prominently in the history of the strait. 

Palacio Sara Braun

Overlooking Plaza Muñoz Gamero, this lavish mansion welcomed Punta Arenas’ high society residents during the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is considered a masterpiece of European architecture and décor. The palace is open daily for tours and has a small admission fee.

Museo Regional

Learn about the history, culture and geography of Punta Arenas at this restored private mansion, as told by exhibits, artifacts, maps, diagrams, graphics, documents, photographs and more. 

Museo de los Salecianos

A grand remnant of the Strait’s Salesian missions, the Salesian Museum showcases a diverse collection of ethnological, archaeological, historical and biological artifacts. 

Cabo Froward

The southernmost point on South America, beautiful Cabo Froward (Cape Froward) can be reached via a two-day hike along the blustery cliffs. Once you reach this rugged area, the opportunities for bird watching, whale watching, kayaking and hiking are plentiful. 

San Isidro Lighthouse

Lit in 1904, the San Isidro Lighthouse is part of a chain of eight centuries-old lighthouses placed along the shores of the Strait of Magellan. The road to the lighthouse is inaccessible to vehicles so be sure to bring your hiking shoes!

Punta Arenas Cemetery

Known for its splendid mausoleums, grand architecture and pine trees, the civic cemetery of Punta Arenas dates back to the 1840's and is home to the graves of local noble families, along with English and Croatian immigrants.