Navarino Island

The allure of the southernmost point of the continent.

March 28, 2011, 22:13 PMUpdated July 09, 2018, 21:46 pm

Text and photos: Jaime Borquez

Just two decades ago, Navarino Island, in the far south of Chile, was a virtually unknown tourist destination, even to Chileans themselves. Its capital, Puerto Williams – the southernmost town on the American continent – was an exclusive stronghold of the Navy, and anyone who dared to show up with a camera could even be arrested and beaten. The times there were turbulent in the 70s and 80s. At that time, there was almost a war between Chile and Argentina over the dispute of the Picton, Nueva, and Lenox islands in the Beagle Channel, which washes the coast of Puerto Williams. All of that, however, is in the past, and Navarino Island is beginning to emerge as yet another surprising tourist destination.

Navarino Island is located in the Cape Horn region, near Antarctica. It is one of the 37 most pristine ecoregions on the planet. A destination that demands a love for nature and an unrequited capacity to be amazed by the wonders that Mother Earth can provide. Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2006, the entire Cape Horn archipelago region is one of the last untouched territories on the planet. It encompasses 4,9 million hectares, including marine areas and land surfaces filled with ice fields, glaciers, channels, mountain ranges, forests, mangroves, rivers and lakes, along with a rich fauna and flora, history and archaeology.

To reach the island, you have to board a small Twin Otter plane in Punta Arenas, the capital of southern Chilean Patagonia. You cross the legendary Strait of Magellan and fly over Tierra del Fuego. The surprises, however, begin well before landing. The plane continues its journey to the true end of the American world, Cape Horn, where it makes two breathtaking low passes. It flies over the beginning of the dreaded Drake Passage, before returning and landing in Puerto Williams.

The Martin Gusinde Museum is a must-see in Puerto Williams. It's a good idea to start your visit there to get an overview of what you'll see later. At the museum, and later throughout the tours, well-trained guides will talk about the life of the native Yaghan Indians, who for millennia survived semi-nude in that territory of glacial winters. They called their land Hualalanuj. Considered the southernmost people in the world, the Yaghan were canoeists, hunters, and fishermen.

Today, we can visit hundreds of sambaquis (shell mounds), proof of the almost total occupation of the Navarino coastline by the natives. Many of them are over 30 meters long and five meters high. The oldest is 7.500 years old and is located in Punta Guerrico, on the northern coast of the island. Like all other sambaquis in the region, they are national monuments and are under state protection. Those passionate about archaeology become eager and want to dig into the sambaqui with their own hands when they hear the guides say that they contain not only piles of shells from the mollusks that the Yaghan people ate, but are also full of utensils from their daily lives, such as ceramics, knives, fishhooks, spears, decorative objects, and finely crafted arrowheads, both of stone and bone. Other clear signs of Yaghan life are the canoe shelters and fishing corrals, such as those found in Mejillones Bay.

The maritime history of the region boasts some prominent names. Ferdinand Magellan is the most well-known, but not the only one to explore those maritime waters. Thomas Cavendish, Sir Francis Drake, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, John Byron, James Cook, Louis Antoine de Bougainville, and Jean-François La Pérouse sailed the waters of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia. One name still strongly marks the region: that of the naturalist Charles Darwin. He visited and studied the natives and the fauna and flora of the region during his historic voyage aboard the Beagle, a ship commanded by the celebrated Admiral FitzRoy. Darwin was very impressed with the Yaghan natives. On the one hand, he thought they were the least developed people in terms of civilization among all those he had known before. Despite this, the scientist noticed and recorded the ease with which the Yaghan imitated gestures and sounds.

Today, one of the most popular excursions for foreigners visiting Navarino is sailing through the channel that runs along the Darwin Mountain Range, strictly following the Beagle Channel's route. The must-do is to take this trip aboard the schooner Victory, a faithful replica of the cargo ships from the second half of the 19th century. Built with cypress wood from the Guaitecas Islands, the Victory has been braving the southern seas since 1986.

From Navarino Island, there's a tailor-made trip for every type of tourist. Do you love sailing and are passionate about the sea? The "Glaciers at the End of the World" program will take you along the same route Darwin took in these latitudes. It's a six-day journey through breathtaking landscapes, where you'll discover the Darwin Mountain Range and its countless glaciers. The onboard service is a spectacle in itself. Excellent food, accompanied by great wines. Chilean, of course. But there are also day trips for those who just want a taste of sailing at the end of the world.

Just over two years ago, sharp-minded and insightful businessmen from Punta Arenas bought the old Wala hostel and undertook a radical architectural renovation. When the work was finished, Lakutaia, the first boutique hotel in Puerto Williams, was ready to welcome its guests. Lakutaia means Cormorant Bay in the Yagane language of the natives who inhabited the region.

Designed to provide a sense of safe haven in a region where the weather loves to play tricks, Lakutaia immediately offers guests a truly charming fireplace. The hotel's decor is understated, using native elements. Experts give daily lectures on the culture, biology, and archaeology of the region. The very generous cuisine is overseen by chef Márcia Villarroel, who has cooked for the country's former president, Michelle Bachelet.

Márcia has her own vegetable garden, protected from frost and wind, in the hotel's backyard, and it is from there that the salads and vegetables consumed at the hotel come. As Lakutaia is part of the growing club of hotels that practice sustainable tourism, food scraps are turned into compost and natural fertilizer. Everything is produced this way without pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

To discover unique species, simply explore the miniature forests of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park. The area is home to several environmental conservation organizations and NGOs. It's a surprising walk, during which visitors can observe various mosses, lichens, and fungi found in the Cape Horn region. In addition to literally seeing, with the aid of a magnifying glass, extremely rare plant species, they can learn to distinguish the different types of Patagonian oaks, including the coigüe, ñirre, and lenga, as well as the canelo, a sacred tree for the natives.

Navarino Island is a paradise for sport fishermen. There are several rivers, lakes, and lagoons near the center of Puerto Williams that remain almost untouched to this day. Some can be reached through adventurous hikes along trails, or by helicopter. The waters are teeming with fish, and even first-time anglers often leave with beautiful trophies. Among the lakes considered very good for fishing are Windhold, Rilusheajan, and Rojas Lagoon.

Trekking enthusiasts will have plenty of reasons to wear out their boots. There are hikes along the Cerro Bandera trail or the Circuito Dentes de Navarino, a trail designed for exploring the beauty and historical sites of the region on foot. There are also horseback riding options or a simple bike ride through the city, stopping at Vila Ukika, home to descendants of the Yagán community. Near the port, you can see the bow of the ship Yelcho, on which the historic rescue of the Antarctic Expedition, led by the English explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, took place.

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