By forfeiting the delayed 4-day Navimag ferry and opting for the 32-hour bus from Puerto Montt, we were very relieved to finally arrive in Punta Arenas.

Southern Patagonia first attracted missionaries and fortune-seekers from Scotland, England and Croatia . The formation of extensive grazing establishments ('estancias') resulted in great wealth for a few gained at the cost of native populations, who were nearly exterminated by disease and warfare. The region struggled as wool values plummeted and the Panama Canal diverted shipping routes, but it is now booming due to its mountainous, isolated, spectral beauty which attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Punta Arenas, home of Cerveza Austral, is an important historic naval base. In the central plaza, Munoz Gamero, there is a monument commemorating Ferdinand Magellan's famous circumnavigation of the Earth. He also discovered the Strait of Magellan on which Punta Arenas is located. The strait is the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, separating mainland South America from Tierra del Fuego. We visited a couple of maritime museums, one of which hosted a life-size replica of the Nao Victoria used in Magellan's voyage. There was also a replica of the James Caird, a small boat used by Sir Ernest Shackleton as he crossed from Elephant Island to South Georgia seeking help for his ship-wrecked comrades. Interestingly, it was the Chilean Navy in Punta Arenas who provided the steam ship, Yelcho, which ultimately rescued Shackleton's men from the island.

One of the most interesting sights within the town, and around the corner from our hostel, was Cementerio Municipal. This was a beautiful place with both humble immigrant graves and flashy tombs, surrounded by a symmetrical-patterned layout of huge conifer trees.

We finished our time in Punta Arenas with a drink in the SkyBar above its casino, overlooking the city and the Strait of Magellan.

Onward bus to Ushuaia, involving a ferry over the strait and via Rio Grande, 12hrs.