Fuerte Bulnes
A timber fort thrown up in 1843 to claim the Strait of Magellan days before another country could.
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In 1843 the Chilean government sent the schooner Ancud from Chiloe with a small party under John Williams to take possession of the Strait of Magellan, which no state had formally claimed and which Britain and France were both interested in; they raised the flag and built a stockade at Punta Santa Ana, naming it for President Manuel Bulnes. A French vessel arrived shortly after with the same intention and found Chile already there. The site was cold, exposed and impossible to farm, and the settlement moved north to found Punta Arenas in 1848. The fort was reconstructed in the 1940s and stands in a park with the strait in front.
What you actually see
- A timber stockade - reconstructed on the 1843 site.
- A claim made just in time - a French ship arrived shortly after.
- Abandoned by 1848 - the ground too exposed to live on.
- The Strait of Magellan in front - the reason the fort exists.
When to go
November to March. Half a day.
Honest expectations
What stands is a 1940s reconstruction, not original fabric. The wind here is punishing and the site is fully exposed - which is exactly why the settlement failed. Facilities are a visitor centre and cafe.
Nearby
Punta Arenas is north; Faro San Isidro is further south down the road.
What to pack for Fuerte Bulnes
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.