Located approximately 56 kilometers south of Punta Arenas, the original Fuerte Bulnes fort was the first Patagonian settlement in the area. Built in 1843 by the crew of the Ancud, a Chilean vessel was sent to the area to claim & occupy the territory. The modern fort, reconstructed 100 years later in 1943, was originally designed to house a museum, though the majority of the artifacts have been relocated to museums in Punta Arenas and Santiago. Today, Fuerte Bulnes is a replica of the wooden fort, a chapel, defense walls & canons. There is no public transport to the fort, but several Punta Arenas agencies run half day tours here.

Historical Building

By Karen Nagy

Karen Nagy is a staff editor/writer at V!VA. She studied travel writing and learned the joys of Mediterranean island-hopping in Greece, and went on...

4 & 5** Custom & Scheduled Tours by www.SouthAmerica.travel Create your own travel itinerary with our custom Travel Planner, or choose from one of our 100s of carefully designed itineraries. Special escorted departures. SouthAmerica.travel