Chile Guide
Tierra del Fuego
Porvenir
A collection of brightly painted corrugated iron houses set in a narrow bay of the same name, PORVENIR (optimistically meaning "future"), lies 35km east of Punta Arenas across the Magellan Strait and 147km west of the border crossing at San Sebastián. The town gives off the impression of order stamped on nature, with neat topiary leading down the main street, Philippi, from an immaculate Plaza de Armas. On the seafront the Parque del Recuerdo sports a curve of flagpoles, the painted skeleton of a steam engine and the mounted stern of a boat.
Ferries from Punta Arenas arrive at Bahía Chilota, 5km to the west of Porvenir along the bay, where a taxi into town costs CH$2000, and a colectivo CH$500. You'll find some bright fishermen's houses, a restaurant staffed by a couple of taciturn women, and an absurd one-way traffic system (there are only two streets). The bus pulls in to the corner of Riobo and Sampaio, a couple of blocks northeast of the Plaza. The aerodrome sits 5km north of town, and flights are met by taxis that charge CH$2500 to take you into Porvenir.
There are a number of reasonable places to stay. The modern Hostal Patagonia, Jorge Schythe 230 ( 
61/580371; Price: CH$10000-15000) offers quality en-suite rooms, while the friendly Residential Colón, Riobo 198 ( 61/580593; Price: CH$5000–15000) has a large, bright dining room; guests may use the kitchen and you can also camp on a patch of ground outside (CH$2000). Hotel España, Croacia 698 ( 61/580160; Price: CH$10000–25000), a deceptively large old building run by a formidable woman, features both basic rooms with shared bathrooms and plush en-suite doubles. At the cosy 
Hotel Rosas, Philippi 296 ( & 
61/580088; Price: CH$15000-25000), the knowledgeable owner has lots of information on the region. At the high end of the market and the far western end of Teniente Merino, at no. 1253, the comfortable Hostería Los Flamencos ( & 61/580049; Price: CH$25000-35000) enjoys harbour views but is overpriced and somewhat neglected by its owners.
You won't find many places to eat in town, and the best is probably Club Croata, Señoret 542, serving well-prepared standard Chilean fare (but do check your bill). The restaurant in the Hotel Rosas (see above) offers generous seafood dishes and the Puerto Montt, Croacia 1169, near Los Flamencos, has moderately priced seafood. Hotel España does good sandwiches and set meals.