For a panoramic overview of the city’s layout, the Strait of Magellan, and the island of Tierra del Fuego in the distance, climb to Mirador La Cruz, four blocks west of Plaza Muñoz Gamero via a staircase at the corner of Fagnano and Señoret.

Punta Arenas’s myriad travel agencies operate a variety of excursions to nearby destinations such as Reserva Nacional Magallanes, Fuerte Bulnes, the Seno Otway penguin colony, Río Verde, Estancia San Gregorio, and even Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. The most popular half-day excursions, such as Fuerte Bulnes and Otway, cost US$15–20 per person, while full-day trips such as Pali Aike can cost up to US$90 per person.

Among the established operators are Aventour (Avenida España 872, tel. 061/241197, www.aventourpatagonia.com), Turismo Aónikenk (Magallanes 619, tel. 061/221982, www.aonikenk.com), Turismo Laguna Azul (José Menéndez 786, tel. 061/225200, agencialagunaazul [at] yahoo [dot] com), Turismo Pali Aike (Lautaro Navarro 1125, tel. 061/229388, www.turismopaliaike.com), Turismo Viento Sur (Fagnano 585, tel. 061/710840, www.vientosur.com), and Turismo Yámana (Errázuriz 932, tel. 061/710568, www.yamana.cl).