ATTRACTIONS

Perhaps you will not see bonfires all over the island, as Magellan did many centuries ago; but there is no doubt that you will discover more than one striking landscape in Tierra del Fuego, that will arouse your passion for adventure and the remembrance of the ancient Onas, the first inhabitants of this place at the end of the world, and their domains.

In Tierra del Fuego you ought to visit the following places:

- Porvenir, is the capital city of Tierra del Fuego. Among its attractions is the "Plaza de Armas", dominated by the San Francisco de Sales Church, an ancient edifice from the late 19th century, built by the Salesian order. Another interesting place is the Fernando Cordero Rusque Museum, which shows the fauna of Tierra del Fuego and the archaeological ruins of the early inhabitants.

- Baquedano Range and De Oro Circuit (Golden Circuit), are two of the main tours in Tierra del Fuego. They are situated 50 kilometres east of Porvenir and runs for 115 kilometers. The traveller may take pleasure in the superb views of the Magellan Strait and may visit gold mining areas where ancient techniques are still used, and where the buildings are made with sod walls.

- Historical and Cultural Circuit Inutil Bay, It is south of Porvenir on the international road. On the way, you can enjoy the loveliness of Lake Santa Maria, a reserve of aquatic birds, among them black necked swans, Chilean coot and flamingos. The road leads to Inutil (Unuseful) Bay. This bay got its name from a British expedition in 1827 that considered it impossible to build a port there.

- Mt Sombrero, a district in Primavera town, is placed in the north of Tierra del Fuego. At the end of the 1950s it was an oil camp, built by American architects following the model of their home cities. In the outskirts of Hat Hill is the first oil well revealed in Tierra del Fuego, in the year 1945. However, this is not the only attraction: 60 kilometres to the northwest, there is a beach area of 15 kms which is "inter-oceanic"; there the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. At this beach, you can see a rich marine fauna and many oil platforms. At the end of the road, just on the border with Argentina, is the Santo Espiritu Cape Lighthouse which guided the sailing ship traffic. - Vicuņa - Beagle Channel Circuit, an astonishing adventure where you can fish sea bass and pejerrey with your bare hands since they remain on the beach when the tide goes out, walk or ride on horseback along paths that have only been visited by expert guides or simply admire the virgin forests, hidden lakes and spectacular glaciers.

- Lake Blanco, is ideal to fly fish brown and rainbow trout. Valle de los Castores (Beaver Valley) is only 11 kms away. The beavers were introduced in Tierra del Fuego from Canada, and indifferently build their dams in front of astonished travellers. The distance from Lake Blanco to Porvenir is 120 kms.

- Lomas Bay, is an observatory for migrating birds, such as the beach plover from the north of Chile and Argentina. It is also possible to watch some species from USA, Canada and Siberia. Here, in the northern area of Tierra del Fuego.

- Alberto de Agostini National Park, covers 1,460,000 hectares, southeast of Punta Arenas and west of Williams Port. Its main magnetism is the Darwin Mountain range that wanders over ice fields and snowdrifts hanging down from the mountain slopes to the fiords and channels.

- Marinelli Glacier is the largest and most beautiful glacier in the area. Its ice walls are 40 meters high. Its grand and attractive appearance fully justifies the long trip across the Magellan Strait, following the route to Whiteside Channel between Dawson island and Tierra del Fuego.

- Cape Horn used to be the only link between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Its discovery opened ocean trade between Europe and America; steam and globetrotter sailing ships sailed around it up to the building of the Panama Canal.
It was discovered in 1616 by the Dutch ship owners Souten and Le Marie, who were looking for a new way to the Pacific. Since then it has been considered the greatest challenge to a sailor's ability.
Many veteran mariners died in their attempts to go round it. These valiant men are remembered in a sculpture of a flying albatross.

- Puerto Williams the main urban center on Ambarino Island, it is the southernmost city in the world, and has a population of 2,500. It derives its name from John Bulnes, who founded Bulnes Fort. It is located north of Cape Horn, at the south of Tierra del Fuego,.