Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas needs 2 days: touring the municipal cemetery, with its trimmed cypresses and mausoleums of families who made their fortune in sheep wool, on one, and sailing to Magdalena Island to see its colony of over 60,000 Magellanic penguins, on the other. November-March is best, coinciding with penguin season. It's mid-to-upper priced, with the boat excursions as the main expense. It was for decades the most important port at the far south before the opening of the Panama Canal, and today it's the usual gateway to Antarctica for expeditions and cruises.