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'''Punta Arenas''' (English: "Sandy Point") is the most prominent settlement on the Strait of Magellanin [[Chile]].
Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of [[Chile]]'s southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas.
Hitchhiking out of Punta Arenas may take you to a variety of very far off destinations, most notably in the north of Chile. Many semi truckers will be heading to [[Puerto Montt]], [[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]], or sometimes even [[Arica]], on the border of [[Peru]]. Most truckers will be taking the overland route through Argentina and re-enter Chile in [[Osorno]], though some take the Navimag Ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. This ferry is not free for hitchhikers, and will cost about $100.000 Chilean pesos (US$ 208).
To begin hitching, you can take the 15 Collectivo to the exit. It should cost 500 pesos (as of February 2018). While you're waiting for the 15 to come, you can even try to hitch out of the city with a sign saying "salida" (exit) or indicating with your fingers that you're not going very far.
If you're with big backpacks and it's rush hour, they might not take you, and in that case there is a bus a few blocks from the centro for the same price. It has no number, ask to get to Tres Puentes. It's 15 mins walk from there.
There's a petrol station where you can ask drivers for rides. The route 9 splits about 50km north, west to Puerto Natales, east to Rio Gallegos or Tierra del Fuego.
I was also told that at the port Ultra Puente in Tres Puentes, on Fridays many trucks go there in the morning. It's probably best to get there early.
== Sleeping ==
* The bridge under Chiloè and Ig. Carrera Pinto (but not if it's raining because it floods)
* La Costanera (you can camp on the beach, and there are concrete structures to use as shelter from the wind)
* An abandoned bus on a street corner around 15 mins walk north from the Muñoz plaza (the main one). Not sure of the address, but it's definitely worth looking for on an evening stroll.
In the wintertime, temperatures drop well below zero; you can take refuge in the local Hogar de Christo, located 1 block south of the Plaza.
