Nao Victoria
First circumnavigation.
Juanmatassi — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Juanmatassi — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Juanmatassi — CC BY-SA 3.0
An open-air museum on the shore of the Strait of Magellan showing full-size replicas of historic ships linked to the region, which visitors board to wander their decks and holds and imagine sailors' lives on harsh voyages across unknown oceans. The best known is the Nao Victoria, the only ship of Magellan's fleet to complete the first voyage around the world in the sixteenth century, after crossing the strait that took his name. Beside it stand a replica of the Beagle, which carried naturalist Charles Darwin on his famous voyage, and the schooner Ancud, which carried Chilean settlers to found Fuerte Bulnes. The museum also holds a replica of the James Caird, the lifeboat in which explorer Ernest Shackleton sailed on a legendary rescue voyage from Antarctica. Panels tell each ship's story. The museum sits on the wind-exposed coast, so dress warmly. Visitors reach it by taxi from the centre.
First circumnavigation.
Darwin's ship.
Shackleton's boat.
Coast road north of Punta Arenas, about 7 km from the centre
Yes, visitors walk the replicas' decks and holds, with panels telling each ship's story.