Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
through roads that link northern and southern Patagonia, so it is entirely dependent on the
roads of Argentina or expensive ferry travel.
Punta Arenas has Chilean Patagonia's most economical rental rates, and locally owned
agencies tend to provide better service. Recommended
Adel Rent a Car/Localiza
(
235472;
www.adelrentacar.cl
;
Pedro Montt 962)
provides attentive service, competitive rates,
airport pickup and good travel tips. Other choices include
Budget
(
225983; O'Higgins
964)
,
Hertz
(
248742; O'Higgins 987)
and
Lubag
(
710484; Magallanes 970)
.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Punta Arenas
Penguin Colonies
There are two substantial Magellanic penguin colonies near Punta Arenas. Easier to
reach is
Seno Otway
(Otway Sound; admission CH$6000, road toll CH$1000; 8am-6:30pm)
,
with about 6000 breeding pairs, about an hour northwest of the city. The larger (50,000
breeding pairs) and more interesting
Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos
is accessible
only by boat to Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan.
Arrive via private vehicle or tour. If driving independently, pay attention as you head
north on RN9 - it's easy to miss the small sign indicating the turnoff to the penguin
colony.
Parque Nacional Pali Aike
Rugged volcanic steppe pocked with craters, caves and twisted formations, Pali Aike
means 'devil's country' in Tehuelche. This desolate landscape is a 50-sq-km
park
(admis-
sion CH$1000)
along the Argentine border. Mineral content made lava rocks red, yellow or
green-gray. Fauna includes abundant guanaco, ñandú, gray fox and armadillo. In the
1930s Junius Bird's excavations at 17m-deep
Pali Aike Cave
yielded the first artifacts
associated with extinct New World fauna such as the milodón and the native horse
Ono-
hippidium
.
The park has several trails, including a 1.7km path through the rugged lava beds of the
Escorial del Diablo
to the impressive
Crater Morada del Diablo
; wear sturdy shoes or
your feet could be shredded. There are hundreds of craters, some four stories high. A
9km trail from Cueva Pali Aike to
Laguna Ana
links a shorter trail to a site on the main
road, 5km from the park entrance.
