This year the National Heritage Trust (“El Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales”) gave the five lighthouses in the Magallanes Peninsula national heritage status which means that they are protected by the state ensuring their conservation.

According to historians these lighhouses hold a wealth information on the difficult lives of the lighthouse keepers and the adversities they had to face in building them in such a hostile climate.

These five giants are used to protect Chile’s most southerly coastline from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Faro Evangelistas
This Light on this lighthouse was first lit on the 18th of September 1896. It was built by Jorge Slight, a naval engineer, on one of the Evangelistas Islets. It sits 61 metres above sea level and as such its light can be seen from thousands of miles away.

It aids access from the Pacific to Magallanes. The exact location is 52°, 24 minutes south and 75°, 6 minutes west.

One of the longest lasting lighthouse keepers was the English man, William MacKay. MacKay requested this position and then had to be removed after the Army forced him to retire after 31 years of service.

Faro Punta Dungeness
This lighthouse indicates the western entrance to Magllanes from the Atlantic. This lighthouse was built by Alan Brebner and it was the first Chilean lighthouse which permitted ships to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is located 270km from Punta Arenas at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan at 52°, 23 minutes and 42 seconds latitude south.

The view from this lighthouse is one of the most beautiful in the world as you can see where the waters of the Atlantic meet the waters of the Strait of Magellan. For this reason a visit to the lighthouse is part of many tours to the area.

To arrive by land: From Punta Arenas take the “Ruta Internacion 225” which goes around the Strait of Magellan. Faro Dúngeness is located 45km from Posesión at kilometre 91 on the “Ruta Y-545”.

Faro Bahía Félix
This lighthouse was designed by Slight and opened in 1907. It has a helipad, a carpenter's workshop and a battery and motor room. The maintenance of the lighthouse is difficult because of the climate. The light can be seen from a distance of 21 nautical miles.

It is located opposite Cape Tamar, 3 miles southeast of Punta Félix and 1.5 miles east of Felix Bay (at 52°, 57 minutes, 30 seconds latitude south) on the southern side of the exit of the Strait of Magellan.

Faro Punta Delgada
This Lighthouse was opened on the 15th of May 1901. As it was designed by the same engineer the design is similar to that of the Dungeness and Evangelistas Lighthouses. Although the lighthouse it is still in use it also houses a museum on the history of sailing. It is located on the Patagonian coast at the first narrow part of the Strait of Magellan. As it is located between Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego it is very popular with visitors.

Faro San Isidro
After Studies carried out by Slight it was decided that this lighthouse should be located at the extreme south of the Brunswick Peninsula (at 53 °, 47 minutes and 1 second latitude south) as this was the perfect location for aiding access to Cape Froward. At this point the Strait of Magellan curves and its waters batter the coast of Punta Arenas. It was very near here that the Spanish conquerors first arrived in this part of Chile in the 16^th Century. Many of these first inhabitants died of starvation and cold giving it the name of “Puerto del Hambre” (Hunger Harbour).

Other places to visit near the lighthouse are Fuerte Bulnes and San Juan.