Patagonia is not only home to unique and breathtaking scenery that offers a wide range of activities for you to choose from, it is a place of rich cultural and ecological history, waiting to be discovered.

Begin your trip in Punta Arenas, the gateway to the Torres del Paine National Park, Tierra del Fuego and the Antarctic Continent. The city was mainly colonized by European immigrants in the first half of the twentieth century. Most came from Britain and Croatia, drawn by the city’s growing importance as a port.

The legacy of this immigration is most visible in a visit to the cemetery, which has been declared an urban heritage site and tells the story of the city in silence among excellently conserved grounds. For more insight, do not miss the Maggiorino Borgatello Salesian Museum, founded in 1893 and one of the oldest of its kind in Chile. This museum houses a complete collection of native Patagonian aboriginal pieces, flora and fauna, as well as artifacts telling of the area’s history and economy.

Other unmissable destination are the ranches dotted throughout Patagonia and dedicated to preserving and recovering the local culture and Patagonian heritage.

Sportstour suggests:
• 4 day (3 night) trip
• Arrival and departure transfers between Punta Arenas airport, as well as daily excursions

Recommended activities:
• Punta Arenas city tour
• Visit the Nao Victoria boat museum
• Visit the penguin colonies on Magdalena Island
• Relive the city’s history and the staggering wealth produced by the region’s vast nineteenth century ranches at the Sara Braun Palace
• Take part in sheep shearing at one of the ranches
• Taste the area’s regional chocolates (like no others in Chile!)
• Taste traditional pastries made by Croatian immigrants in a local café
• Visit Kiosko Roca, voted Chile’s best snack stop
• Bird-watching tour where you can spot condors, penguins, waders, and passerines
• Helicopter whale-watching trip to the Francisco Coloane Marine Park
• Extension to Torres del Paine National Park