Puerto Williams

Puerto Williams sits on Navarino Island on the southern shore of the Beagle Channel and, since being given city status in 2019, is generally counted the southernmost town in the world - a claim it disputes with Ushuaia across the water, which is larger but further north. It is primarily a Chilean naval base, with a civilian population of a couple of thousand. Beside it at Villa Ukika lives what remains of the Yagan community, the people who lived in this archipelago in bark canoes for thousands of years; Cristina Calderon, the last fluent speaker of the Yagan language, was born here in 1928 and died in 2022. The Dientes de Navarino circuit starts from the town.

History

The Yahgan are believed to have reached these channels more than 10,000 years ago and lived here as hunter-gatherers. Gold drew miners at the end of the 19th century - by 1890 about 300 were working on the Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands, and Puerto Toro was founded in 1892 - and some islands were turned over to sheep. Puerto Williams itself was founded in 1953 as a Chilean naval base, first called Puerto Luisa and later named after John Williams Wilson, who had founded Fuerte Bulnes, the first settlement on the Strait of Magellan; its naval hospital opened in 1960 (Wikipedia, Puerto Williams).

What's there

• The southernmost town in the world - a status disputed with Ushuaia.
• A Chilean naval base - with a small civilian population.
• The Yagan community at Villa Ukika - the people of these channels.
• The last fluent speaker gone - Cristina Calderon, born here, died in 2022.

When to go

December to March. Several days, given how hard it is to reach.

Good to know

Getting here is expensive and weather-dependent - flights are small and cancel, and the ferry takes over a day. Services are limited and prices high. Weather is severe in any month. The Yagan community is a living community, not an exhibit.

Nearby

The Dientes de Navarino circuit starts here; Cape Horn is south by boat.

Key facts