Punta Arenas: This small town is the jump off point for any trip to Chilean Patagonia including both land visits to the National Parks, and sea visits to the Fjords. Formerly a turn of the century prison city, due to its remote location, it has developed into a bustling place of around 100,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the 12^th region of Chile, and has some interesting sites including the Salesianos Museum of the native people of the area, and the Patagonia Institute detailing the colonial history of the region.

Fuerte Bulnes: Mainly of interest for historians, this was the first Chilean settlement founded in Patagonia in October of 1843 on the rocky promontory of Santa Ana. It has recently been reconstructed because the settlement itself moved to Punta Arenas in 1848.

Puerto Williams: The most southerly permanent settlement in the world, population of 1050 named after Juan Williams the founder of Fuerte Bulnes. It contains a small museum, which has the history of Yaganes tribe, the priest and of the voyages of Darwin and Fitzroy.

Puerto Natales: The capital of the Ultima Esperanza province founded in 1911. It has a small airport, and is a launch pad to visit Torres del Paine and Balmaceda National Parks.

Tierra del Fuego: The largest Island in South America, bound by the Strait of Magellan on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the East, the Beagle Channel on the south and an assortment of channels on the west. It was christened in 1520 by Hernando de Magallanes. Its name was given for the fires lit on the shores by the Onas Indians, who arrived to this area some ten thousand years ago, when was still connected to the mainland. Actually Tierra del Fuego Island is shared between Chile and Argentina, being navigated on the Chilean side by a couple of small vessels that offers unique sceneries, glaciers and fjords.

Torres del Paine National Park: Was established in 1959 and granted the status of biosphere reserve by the UNESCO in 1978. Under the administration of CONAF this is the most famous, and most photographed of the Patagonia National Parks. Amongst its attractions are 250 kilometres of well-marked trails leading to iceberg-strewn lakes, glaciers (Grey Glacier) thick forest, and waterfalls as well as the possibility to see a rich variety of wild life. Torres del Paine is a land of lagoons, lakes, glaciers and snowcaps, as well as a great variety of species endemic to Chile. Reaching up from the massif are mountains known as the Torres y Cuernos (towers and horns) that give the park its name. They are starkly beautiful and very impressive for the more sedate traveller, while they pose an immense challenge for climbers from all over the world.

The jewel of Patagonian Parks and is deservedly thought of as one of the highlights of any visit to Chile. The park is also a World Biosphere Reserve and offers superb scenery, abundant wild fauna, beautiful forests and a network of over 250 km, (156 miles) of memorable hiking trails, as well as a wide range of facilities making it Chile's best equipped park. Torres del Paine's trademark two-colour granite peaks preside over a string of iceberg-studded lakes ranging in colour from emerald green to aquamarine to grey, encircled by huge glaciers and surrounded by forests. Herds of guanaco a (llama like animal) roam free, while flamingos and other birds populate every lake, stream, dell and meadow. If what you are looking for is wildlife, adventure or scenic beauty, Torres del Paine has it all. The park can be explored by vehicle, with scores of kilometres of roads within its boundaries providing access to most places of interest; on horseback, with suitable trails providing access to places unreachable by car; by boat, with trips across Lake Grey to the namesake glacier and Zodiac boat rides down the Serrano river; and on foot, with some of the most prized hiking trails in the hemisphere, treks ranging from one-hour easy walks to the 7-day hike around the Paine Massif.

Access, is through Punta Arenas which has daily flights from Santiago and other southern airports, or from Puerto Natales, (which only offers boat, or charter aircraft access), following which an overland journey to the park of 377 km (234 miles) from Punta Arenas, or 112 km, (70 miles) from Puerto Natales, is necessary.