Ten guides, ten measured questions

The Strait of Magellan is a 611 km sea passage in southern South America that connects the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. It runs north to south between the Chilean mainland and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, and it is the only sea route between the two oceans that does not cross the Arctic.

Target query: strait of magellan

You cannot reach Cape Horn by road. From Punta Arenas the only realistic options are a full-day boat navigation of the Strait with a cruise stop, or a longer expedition that reaches the Horn. Cape Horn is 67 km from the nearest island that carries a lighthouse, which is why the sea there is rough even on a calm day in the city.

Target query: cape horn

Use Puerto Natales for Torres del Paine: it is about 110 km from the park gate and most tours leave from there. Use Punta Arenas for the Strait of Magellan, penguins and Cape Horn cruises, and for anything with scheduled flight service. A traveller with three days in the region usually does both, Punta Arenas first and Puerto Natales second.

Target query: puerto natales

It is about 250 km and roughly 3 hours 15 minutes by road from Punta Arenas to the Laguna Amarga gate of Torres del Paine. The direct tour transfer leaves Punta Arenas around 07:00; the route runs north past Fuerte Bulnes to the park and does not pass through Puerto Natales.

Target query: punta arenas to torres del paine

The route follows the shore of the Strait of Magellan for 247 km, and the scheduled bus takes about 3 hours 30 minutes. There is a ferry across the Strait at the Primera Angostura, but it is a seasonal passenger service for the Strait crossing, not a shortcut between the two cities.

Target query: punta arenas to puerto natales

Three days is the minimum that does the park justice, and the W Trek takes four. One day gets you to a viewpoint, not to the park: the Base Torres trek on its own is a 14-hour day from Puerto Natales.

Target query: torres del paine national park

Chile's Patagonia has the Torres del Paine, the Strait of Magellan and the penguins; Argentina's has El Chaltén, the Perito Moreno glacier and the bigger cities. On this trip the deciding question is usually whether you want a national park with one clear route (Chile) or several destinations with more infrastructure (Argentina).

Target query: patagonia chile vs argentina

From Punta Arenas, the standard full-day navigation covers the whole length of the Strait: the Atlantic Mouth, the two narrows, Cape Froward, Puerto del Hambre and Fuerte Bulnes, with the whales and the glaciers on the way. It is a 12-hour trip, and it is the only boat tour from the city that actually goes through the Strait.

Target query: strait of magellan cruise

The Strait has four seasons instead of twelve: the austral summer from December to February is the long, light one, and the wind picks up through the spring, peaking in the spring and early summer. October to April is the workable season for boat tours, and the Atlantic side is markedly wetter and windier than the Pacific side.

Target query: strait of magellan weather

Punta Arenas is the southernmost city in the world, at 53°09'S, and it is a working port city of about 140.000 people, not a sightseeing town. It sits on the Strait of Magellan, which is why almost everything here is about the water: the fort, the penguin islands, the Cape Horn navigation and the whale route.

Target query: southernmost city in the world