A Tale of Two (South American) Cities

  What are the “must see” things one should do in Punta Arenas and Ushuaia before or after your Australis cruise or before heading off to Torres del Paine?

The colorful seaport cities at the outer edge of the world are fun to just walk around as you soak up the views and the local lifestyles. But there are some intriguing local sights.

If you’ve got a few hours (or even a whole day) to kill in Punta Arenas (Chile) we suggest that you . . .

• Stroll around the Plaza de Armas. Touch (or kiss) the bare foot at the bottom of the Magellan Monument for good luck and down a Pisco Sour in the nearby Shackleton Bar in the Hotel Jose Nogueira.
• Visit the Magallanes Regional Museum inside the imposing Casa Braun-Menéndez to glimpse examples of the furniture, fine art and decorative arts of late 19th and early 20th century Patagonia.
• Explore the sprawling Salesian Museum and its collections on the history and culture of Patagonia’s indigenous peoples.
• Amble through the Municipal Cemetery, one of the world’s most beautiful burial grounds.
• Discover the life of ancient mariners at the Nao Victoria Museum, a maritime museum with faithful reproductions of Magellan’s flagship, the HMS Beagle, and Shackleton’s tiny rescue craft.

If you’ve got free time in Ushuaia before your Australis departure we suggest . . .

• Visit the Prison at the End of the World — the Alcatraz of Ushuaia — which does triple duty as a maritime museum, Antarctic collection and haunting memorial to those once incarcerated there.
• Indulge your sweet tooth at one of the city’s many chocolate shops and cafes.
• Hop aboard the “Train to the End of the World” (Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino) for a two-hour journey through the Magellanic rainforest.

Hike or ride the chairlift up to Martial Glacier on the northern outskirts of Ushuaia. And if you dare, walk across the frozen giant.

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