Punta Arenas Antarctic History Private City Tour

Walk the streets where Antarctic explorers planned their missions to the White Continent

A four-hour private city tour in Punta Arenas tracing the history of Antarctic exploration through the lives of Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, Otto Nordenskold and other polar heroes. The tour includes entrance to the Nao Victoria Museum to board life-sized ship replicas, Muñoz Gamero Square where the city's role in exploration unfolds, a historic theatre where Frank Hurley's Shackleton photographs premiered, a walk along the Strait of Magellan shore, and a finish at Bar Shackleton with refreshment and original expedition footage on screen. Pickup and drop-off at your choice of location, with a live English or Spanish-speaking guide.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Nao Victoria Museum20m · entry included
2. Muñoz Gamero Square10m
3. Magallanes Regional Museum20m · entry included

Explore Punta Arenas Antarctic history

• Board life-sized explorer ship recreations
• Visit Punta Arenas' historic plaza
• See theatre with Shackleton expedition images
• Walk along Strait of Magellan shore
• Enjoy drinks at Bar Shackleton with footage

The experience

Four hours takes you through the sites that shaped Punta Arenas as the launching point for Antarctic conquest. You board life-sized recreations of Magellan's ship, Darwin's vessel and Shackleton's lifeboat at the Nao Victoria Museum: the actual boats that carried these explorers into the world's most extreme waters. The replicas sit in the museum as full-scale walk-throughs, so you stand where the crews stood and see the proportions that kept them alive through impossible journeys.

The tour moves through Muñoz Gamero Square, the historic plaza where the city's role in polar exploration is laid bare, then to the theatre where Frank Hurley's photographs of Shackleton's expedition were first shown to the world. A walk along the Strait of Magellan shore connects the geography to the explorers who sailed through it: the same waters that led south to Antarctica. The strait itself becomes part of the story, not just a backdrop.

You finish at Bar Shackleton inside the Palacio Braun Noguiera with a drink and appetizers, watching Hurley's original footage from the expedition play on the screens around you. The bar sits in the same historic building where these explorers' legacies were documented and celebrated. Your guide then takes you back to your chosen drop-off point to continue your own southern adventure.

What’s included

• Entrance fees to the Nao Victoria Museum and Magallanes Regional Museum.
• air-conditioned vehicle with pickup and drop-off at your chosen location.
• refreshment and appetizers at Bar Shackleton.
• live guide in English or Spanish.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:00Last departure this season: 15 Mar 2027

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Under 11: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 40 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Indomita Adventures Patagonia

Is this one for you?The tour moves at a steady pace with walking between sites and time spent inside museums and the bar, so it suits anyone comfortable with a few hours on foot in a city setting. A private guide means the pace stays with your group, and the four-hour window fits easily into a day before or after other Punta Arenas plans.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is inside the Nao Victoria Museum that I'll board?

The Nao Victoria Museum holds life-sized replicas of three famous ships: Magellan's vessel, Darwin's ship, and Shackleton's lifeboat. You walk through each one as a full-scale recreation, experiencing the actual dimensions and layout the crews lived in during their Antarctic expeditions.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

The tour includes a walk along the Strait of Magellan shore to learn about the explorers who sailed through those waters, plus movement between the museum, the plaza, the theatre and the bar. It is suitable for all physical fitness levels.

Is the Bar Shackleton drink included, or do I pay extra?

The refreshment and appetizers at Bar Shackleton are included in the tour price. Minors receive non-alcoholic drinks and the same appetizers.

Can I choose my own pickup and drop-off location in Punta Arenas?

Yes, pickup and drop-off are included at a location of your choice in the city, so you can arrange the tour to fit the rest of your day.

What is Frank Hurley's footage, and why is it shown at the end?

Frank Hurley was the official photographer and cinematographer of Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica. His images and film footage documented the expedition's journey and survival. Bar Shackleton shows his original footage on screens while you have your drink, connecting the explorer history you learned during the tour to the actual visual record from the expedition.