Lighthouses of Chile: Magallanes

On the southwest coast of South America the Republic of Chile has one of the world's longest and most dangerous coastlines, more than 4000 km (2500 mi) long with at least 5000 rocky islands. To guard this coast the Chilean Navy has operated for many years one of the world's most active and most distinguished lighthouse services.

Chile is divided into 16 regions (regiones) and the regions are subdivided into provinces (provincias). This page covers lighthouse of the southernmost region, known officially as Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena. The Magallanes region includes the Chilean portion of Tierra del Fuego and the southern half of Chilean Patagonia. The region has four provinces.

Tierra del Fuego, the island south of the Strait of Magellan, was disputed between Chile and Argentina until a treaty in 1881 gave Chile control of the western half of the territory and all of the Strait. The Strait did not become an important shipping route until around that time, as steam replaced sail power for ships between the Atlantic and Pacific. A continued dispute between Chile and Argentina over the ownership of several smaller islands near Cape Horn was not resolved until 1985, when the two countries accepted a mediation decision by Pope John Paul II.

Many of the historic lighthouses of southern Chile are the work of George Slight (1859-1934), a Scottish engineer who moved to Chile in the 1890s and eventually became the head of the Chilean Maritime Signaling Service. In all he designed and supervised the construction of more than 70 lighthouses.

The Spanish word for a lighthouse is faro. In Spain, the word faro is usually applied only to the larger coastal lights, but in South America it is often used for all fixed lights, including towers too small to be considered lighthouses. In Spanish isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor. Also, the Spanish word canal means a natural channel, not an artificial canal.

Chile's lighthouse agency, the Servicio de Señalización Marítima, is now an office within the ministry known as Directemar (Dirección General del Territorio Marítimo y Marina Mercante).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume G of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 111 except for the Punta Düngeness and Cabo Espíritu Santo lighthouses at the east end of the Strait of Magellan, which are listed in Publication 110. The Chilean light list, Lista de Faros de la Costa de Chile, is not available online.

Punta Delgada Light
Punta Delgada Light, Strait of Magellan, November 2009
photo copyright Capt. Theo Hinrichs; used by permission

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Chile
Photos posted by Alexander Trabas, including a series of photos of Strait of Magellan lights taken by Capt. Theo Hinrichs during a November 2009 passage.
Faros de Chile
Index to articles in the Spanish-language Wikipedia.
Faros Chilenos
Photos and information posted on the Argentine-based Faros del Mar web site.
Lighthouses in Chile
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Chile
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Chile.

Antártica Chilena Province Lighthouses

Antártica Chilena Province includes the south coast of Tierra del Fuego mainland, the islands south of Tierra del Fuego, and (officially) Chile's claims in Antarctica. Under the Antarctic Treaty System all Antarctic claims are suspended indefinitely and all lands south of latitude 60°S are set aside as a scientific and wildlife reserve.

Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos) Lighthouses
Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the Americas, was discovered and named by the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Isaac le Maire in 1616; it was named for Schouten's home town of Hoorn in the Netherlands. Thus the English name Horn and the Spanish name Hornos (which means "ovens") are both misnomers. Sailing vessels made the passage "round the Horn" in the Nineteenth Century without benefit of any lights (generally they sailed well to the south through the Drake Passage, out of sight of land). Today the passage is made mostly by adventure cruse ships and a few racing yachts.
Monumental Cabo de Hornos (Isla Hornos, Cape Horn)
1991 (reconstructed in 2006). Active; focal plane 61.5 m (202 ft); white flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical steel tower with lantern and gallery, originally painted with red and white bands, now incorporated into a 1-story brick station building. Daniela Goulart's photo is at right, Wikimedia has several photos, Carl Evans has a 2014 photo, Rudolf Splint has a street view, and Google has a satellite view of the station. The light station was placed in service on 17 November 1991. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo of the lighthouse before it was rebuilt and Carlos Postigo has a closeup photo. A distant view from a passing cruise ship shows the harsh beauty of this site. The station building was built in 2006. A sculpture and a monument near the lighthouse are memorials to the many sailors who have died "rounding the Horn." This is the world's southernmost traditional lighthouse, the true Lighthouse at the End of the World; it stands in latitude 55º 57.9' S. There are minor aids to navigation farther south, including the next two entries and several lights in Antarctica. Located high on a ridge of Isla Hornos, the island that includes Cape Horn, about 2 km (1.25 mi) northeast of the southernmost tip of the cape. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower normally closed. ARLHS CHI-006; Admiralty G1336.5; NGA 111-2713.
[Cabo de Hornos] (2?)
Date unknown (station established 1962). Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 12 s. 4 m (13 ft) round fiberglass tower, colored white with a red horizontal band. Trabas has Jim Smith's photo and Google has a distant satellite view. This small beacon marks the ultimate point of the cape, about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of the lighthouse. The original beacon was wooden, according Admiralty listings. Site status unknown. Admiralty G1336; NGA 111-2712.
Islas Diego Ramírez (Isla Gonzalo ) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 108 m (354 ft); white flash every 15 s. 5 m (17 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. Piero Mancini has a closeup photo and Bing has a satellite view. The light has a range of 22 nautical miles (40.7 km, 25.3 mi). This lighthouse replaced an octagonal concrete tower. This is a staffed station; crews serve 6 month assignments. This is the southernmost navigational aid of South America. The Diego Ramírez Islands lie in the Drake Passage about 105 km (65 mi) southwest of Cape Horn. Ships "rounding the Horn" aim to sail south of the islands, but as close to them as they safely can. In 1957 Chile established a weather station on Isla Gonzalo, the southernmost island of the group; Wikimedia has a view from the sea that shows the station on Isla Gonzalo and the light tower atop the peak in the background. Located on the highest point of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CHI-020; Admiralty G1338; NGA 111-2718.

Cabo de Hornos Light, Cape Horn, January 2015
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Daniela Goulart

Beagle Channel Lighthouses
(see also Argentina: Tierra del Fuego)
The Beagle Channel (Canal Beagle) is the narrow strait separating the mainland (Isla Grande) of Tierra del Fuego from an archipelago of smaller islands to the south. The channel is named for HMS Beagle, the survey ship that carried Charles Darwin on its round the world expedition in the late 1820s. The strait is about 240 km (150 mi) long and as little as 5 km (3 mi) wide. The eastern half of the channel is the border between Argentina (on the mainland side) and Chile (on the south side); the western half is entirely in Chile. The only towns are Ushuaia on the Argentine side and Puerto Williams on the Chilean side. Adventure cruise ships often visit Ushuaia, making this remote passage familiar to many tourists.

Isla Nueva (Punta Waller)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 5 s. 6 m (20 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the northern tip of Isla Nueva, marking the south side of the entrance to the Beagle Channel (this light and the next one are in the area assigned to Chile by the 1985 arbitration settlement). Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1294; NGA 111-2710.16.
Isla Gardiner
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 6 m (20 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. Wikimedia has a view from the channel and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a small island just off the much larger Isla Picton (this is in the area assigned to Chile by the 1985 arbitration settlement). Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1298; NGA 111-2710.09.
Puerto Toro
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white flash every 5 s. 4 m (13 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. Francisco Fuentes has a good photo and Google has a satellite view and a very distant street view. Located at the entrance to Puerto Toro, a tiny fishing settlement on the northeast coast of Isla Navarino. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1303; NGA 111-2710.5.
Isla Snipe (4)
1984(?). Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 4 m (16 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. 1-story coast guard station building. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo (also seen at right), Mauricio Chavez has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Isla Snipe is a small island northwest of Isla Picton and off the northeast coast of the large Isla Navarino. The island was formerly disputed between Chile and Argentina and was the location of the Snipe Incident in 1958. In this brief but dangerous brouhaha, Argentine forces removed a lighthouse just installed by Chile and replaced it with an Argentine lighthouse. Chilean forces then returned, tossed the Argentine lighthouse in the sea, and built another lighthouse, which the Argentine Navy destroyed with naval gunfire. The present lighthouse was installed after a 1984 treaty confirmed Chile's ownership of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1303.4; NGA 111-2710.
Isla Barlovento
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. Trabas has Darlene Chisholm's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on an island on the south (Chilean) side of the channel, opposite the Isla Martillo light on the Argentine side. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CHI-040; Admiralty G1307; NGA 111-2704.

Isla Snipe Light, Beagle Channel
photo copyright Douglas Cameron; used by permission
Punta Trucco Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. Trabas has Erich Hartmann's photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides eastbound vessels approaching the narrow Paso Mackinlay, the channel between Isla Navarino in Chile and Isla Gable in Argentina. Located on the north shore of Isla Navarino. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1313; NGA 111-2676.
Punta Trucco Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22.5 m (73 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with one red horizontal band. Trabas has Erich Hartmann's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located about 200 m (1/8 mi) southeast of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1313.1; NGA 111-2680.
* Puerto Williams
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 35 m (115 ft); two white flashes every 4 s. Approx. 35 m (115 ft) white steel tower. Trabas has Tom Chisholm's photo (also seen at right), Christian Barahona Rubio has a distant view, Braian Mellor has a closeup street view, and Google has a satellite view. Chile's southernmost permanent settlement, Puerto Williams faces the Beagle Channel on the north side of Isla Navarino. The town has a population of about 3000 including the personnel assigned to a Chilean Navy base. It is the southernmost town in the world and the capital of Antártica Chilena Province. Located on the waterfront of Puerto Williams. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1317.1; NGA 111-2641.
Rocas Contramaestre Peron
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); quick-flashing white light. 8 m (26 ft) round tower. Trabas has Jim Smith's photo and Google has a satellite view. West of this light the Beagle Channel is entirely in Chile. Located on an islet on the south side of the Channel about 30 km (19 mi) west of Ushuaia. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1330; NGA 111-2568.
Punta Yamana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 12 s. 5 m (16 ft) post rising from a 1-story equipment shelter. 1-story station building. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo and Bing has a satellite view. This light marks a 30° turn in the Channel. Located on a headland on the north side of the Channel about 80 km (50 mi) west of Ushuaia. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1332; NGA 111-2564.
 

Puerto Williams Light, Isla Navarino
photo copyright Tom Chisholm; used by permission
 

Tierra del Fuego Province Lighthouses

Tierra del Fuego Province includes all of Chile's half of the mainland (Isla Grande) of Tierra del Fuego except for the southwest coastal region beyond the the rugged Darwin Mountains. The sparsely populated province has about 7000 permanent residents.

Southside Strait of Magellan Lighthouses
The Strait of Magellan (Estrecho de Magallanes in Spanish) is 570 km (350 mi) long and as little as 2 km (1.2 mi) wide. Although Ferdinand Magellan managed to make the first passage of the strait by sail in 1520, its navigation was too difficult for most sailing ships. As a result the usual route for sailors between the Atlantic and Pacific was "around the Horn." Chile took control of the strait in 1843 and founded Punta Arenas, the one city on the waterway, in 1848. Argentina accepted Chilean control in the boundary treaty of 1881. From about that time until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 the strait was the preferred route for steamships between the two oceans. The major lighthouses of the strait date from this period. The eastern section of the strait is a broad bay, the Bahía Posesión. After leaving the bay the strait trends southwest and then south past Punta Arenas; at Cabo San Isidro it turns abruptly northwest to reach the Pacific.
Cabo Espíritu Santo (2)
1997 (station established 1968). Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); white flash every 15 s. 8 m (26 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white bands. 1-story keeper's house, staffed, painted white with a red roof. Laura Alvarez has a 2018 photo (a portion is seen at right), Alejandro Pardow Hevia has a 2022 closeup, and Google has a satellite view and a street view taken across the international border (notice the Argentine flag on the right). The present lighthouse replaced a fiberglass tower. Located on the southern side of the entrance from the Atlantic to the Strait of Magellan, within a few meters of the Argentine border; both the Alvarez photo and the Monti street view were taken across the border from Argentina to the lighthouse. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-007; Admiralty G1404; NGA 110-20368.
Punta Méndez
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); three white flashes every 9 s. 4 m (13 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with a red horizontal band. Hector F. Garrido has a closeup photo, Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of the Primera Angostura (First Narrows), the easternmost narrow part of the Strait and the closest approach of Tierra del Fuego to the mainland. Site status unknown. Admiralty G1416; NGA 111-2492.
Crawford
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower colored white with two red horizontal bands at the top. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south (Tierra del Fuego) bank of the Strait marking the south side of the western entrance to the Primera Angostura. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1420; NGA 111-2484.
Segunda Angostura (Second Narrows)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 10 s. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Between the First and Second Narrows, the Strait widens into the Bajo Satelite, a broad sound about 30 km (19 mi) in diameter. Located on the south side of the eastern entrance to the Second Narrows of the Strait. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1425; NGA 111-2472.
Cabo San Vicente
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 64 m (310 ft); white flash every 5 s. 4 m (13 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the cape on the south side of the western entrance to the Segunda Angostura. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1425.5; NGA 111-2464.

Cabo Espíritu Santo Light, Tierra del Fuego, March 2018
Google Maps photo by Laura Alvarez
Isla Contramaestre
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 10 s. 6 m (20 ft) round concrete tower painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on an island on the east side of the strait opposite Isla Isabel. Accessible only by boat. Admiralty G1426; NGA 111-2444.
* Bahía Porvenir (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass post, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has Eckhard Meyer's closeup photo, Wikimedia has Serge Ouachée's photo, Majo Lillo has a 2021 photo, and Bing has a satellite view. This light, identical to dozens of lights in southern Chile, guides ferries arriving in Tierra del Fuego from Punta Arenas across the strait. Located on a promontory southwest of the ferry terminal. about 10 km (6 mi) west of the provincial capital of Porvenir. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CHI-034; Admiralty G1440; NGA 111-2404.

Magallanes Province Lighthouses

Magallanes Province includes the southernmost mainland of South America on the north side of the Strait of Magellan; it also includes islands on the south side of the Strait but north of the Tierra del Fuego mainland. As a result, south and west of the Punta Arenas area the Strait is entirely in Magallanes Province. The province has about 130,000 residents; all but about 3000 of them live in Punta Arenas.

Northside Eastern Strait of Magellan Lighthouses
* Punta Düngeness
1899 (Alan Brebner) (station established in the 1870s). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft): lantern and 2-story watch room atop a short hexagonal pyramidal skeletal tower, all mounted on a conical concrete base. 1-story keeper's house and signal station, staffed. Tower painted with horizontal red and white bands; building white with a red roof. A Wikimedia photo by Pablo Yañez is at right, a good 2005 photo is available, Wikimedia has a second photo, Trabas has a photo by Hendrik Martin Porath, Cesar Pasten has a street view, and Google has a good satellite view. Max Reichenbauer's photo shows the dome of a former lantern and a square pyramidal daybeacon painted with red and white horizontal bands near the lighthouse. Located on the northern side of the entrance from the Atlantic to the Strait of Magellan, within a few meters of the Argentine border and about 20 km (13 mi) southwest of Argentina's Cabo Virgenes lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS CHI-016; Admiralty G1402; NGA 110-20364.
Banco Narrow
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) triangular pyramidal skeletal tower painted red. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a shoal in the western Bahía Posesión. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1409; NGA 111-2528.
Cabo Posesión
1900. Inactive but still listed with focal plane 90 m (295 ft); white flash every 18 s. 11 m (36 ft) square cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with one red horizontal band that extends the full width of the building. Martín López Ernst has a 2019 closeup photo, Trabas has Capt. Theo's view from the strait, and Google has a satellite view. Endangered: the lighthouse is abandoned and deteriorating. The lighthouse was declared a National Historic Monument in 1976; the page documenting this designation acknowledges the light is "currently out of use" and is "in a precarious state of conservation." Site open, tower closed. Located atop a vertical cliff on the northern shore of the Bahía Posesión west of Punta Dungeness. ARLHS CHI-036; Admiralty G1408; NGA 111-2532.
Cerro Dirección (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 83 m (272 ft); white flash every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round hourglass-shaped fiberglass tower, colored white with a red horizontal band. Hector F. Garrido has a closeup photo, Trabas has Capt. Theo's distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Ruins on the ground are from a former light. The light guides vessels westbound across the Bahía Posesión. Located atop a high hill about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Punta Delgada. Site and tower closed, although there is a good view from the highway nearby. Admiralty G1412; NGA 111-2516.


Punta Düngeness Light, Strait of Magellan, January 2010
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Pable Yañez

** Punta Delgada
1902 (George Slight). Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical metal tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white bands, rising from 1-story signal station. Trabas has a closeup photo by Hendrik Martin Porath, Alejandro Arcuri has a 2023 photo, Wikimedia has a closeup photo by Serge Ouachée, Tobias Kollewe has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. The light may have been moved ato a mast atop the building. There is a small maritime museum in the building. This lighthouse is part of a coast guard base that includes a pilot station and vessel traffic control center for the Strait. The lighthouse is at the western end of the Bahía Posesión, marking the entrance to Primera Angostura (First Narrows), the first narrow part of the Strait and the closest approach of Tierra del Fuego to the mainland. The terminal for the ferry carrying the Pan-American Highway across the Strait to Tierra del Fuego is adjacent to the light station. Site and museum open, tower closed. . ARLHS CHI-015; Admiralty G1414; NGA 111-2496.
Bajo Satélite
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) triangular pyramidal skeletal tower painted red. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on north side of the western entrance to the Primera Angostura. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1419; NGA 111-2488.

Central Strait of Magellan (Punta Arenas Area) Lighthouses
This central section of the Strait runs north to south past Punta Arenas, the regional and provincial capital and a city of about 130,000 residents. Near Punta Arenas the strait is about 25 km (15 mi) wide, but to the south it narrows to 8 km (5 mi) between Cabo San Isidro and Isla Dawson. The east side of the strait is in Tierra del Fuego Province and the west side in Magallanes Province.
Isla Isabel Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This range guides vessels northward from Punta Arenas. The front light is on a 4 m (13 ft) tower. Located on the south side of Isla Isabel, an island about 25 km (15 mi) north northeast of Punta Arenas. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1431.1; NGA 111-2455.
Cabo Thorax (Isla Isabel)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three white flashes every 9 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower colored white with a red horizontal band. The light is seen on the far side of the channel in André Bonacin's distant aerial view and Google has a satellite view. Located at the southwestern tip of Isla Isabel across from the Punta Arenas oil terminal. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1432; NGA 111-2452.
Isla Magdalena
1902 (George Slight). Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted with horizontal red and white bands. The 1-story keeper's house, white with a red roof, is now a national park visitor center with resident caretakers. Jean-Luc Montagner's 2019 photo is at right, Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's closeup photo, a 2008 photo is available, Ilaria Cinotto has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. The building has been restored; formerly it was in poor condition, largely unroofed. The island, home to a large colony of penguins, is frequently visited by ecotours; in 1982 it was included in the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument. Located on an island in the center of the Strait about 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Punta Arenas. Site manager: Los Pingüinos (Penguins) National Monument. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS CHI-031; Admiralty G1428; NGA 111-2448.


Isla Magdalena Light, Strait of Magellan, February 2019
Google Maps photo by Jean-Luc Montagner

* [Punta Santa Ana (Puerto del Hambre, Fuerte Bulnes)] (2?)
1944. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 10 s. 5 m (17 ft) square concrete pillar, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's closeup photo, another closeup is available, Dan Chirica has a distant street view, and Google has a satellite view. The plaque on the light honors Bernardo O'Higgins, the hero of the Chilean War of Independence. Built in 1843, Fuerte Bulnes was the first Chilean settlement on the strait. Located on Punta Santa Ana, a sharp headland at Puerto del Hambre, about 60 km (38 mi) south of Punta Arenas. Accessible by road; tours are available from Punta Arenas. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1444; NGA 111-2384.
Cabo San Isidro
1904 (George Slight). Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a large 1-story keeper's house. For a long time the lantern was in ruins but still contains an active light, as seen in Jorge Benavente's photo. Lighthouse painted white with one red horizontal band. The keeper's house has been refurbished as a lodge and visitor center. Paul Cid's 2023 photo is at right, José Huenante Barria has a closeup, Rodrigo Gutiérrez Goudeau has a 2018 photo, Trabas has Jim Smith's view from the strait, Diego Arredondo has a 2017 street view, and Google has a good satellite view. A 2022 photo by Silvia Diaz shows that a new lantern has been installed. This is the southernmost traditional light station of mainland South America. Located about 20 km (13 mi) south of Puerto del Hambre (Port Famine) and 80 km (15 mi) south of Punta Arenas. Ecotours to this site are available from Punta Arenas. Access requires a hike of about 3 hours from the end of the road. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Hosteria Faro San Isidro. . ARLHS CHI-010; Admiralty G1446; NGA 111-2380.

Western Strait of Magellan Lighthouses
The western section of the strait runs southeast to northwest to reach the Pacific Ocean. Most of this section of the strait is quite narrow, often 5 km (3 mi) or less in width.

Isla Rupert
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. For westbound ships this light marks the start of a very narrow passage around the north side of Isla Carlos III, the beginning of the Paso Tortuoso (Torturous Strait). Located at the northeastern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-047; Admiralty G1454; NGA 111-2360.

Cabo San Isidro Light, Strait of Magellan, May 2023
Instagram photo by Paul Cid
Islote Cohorn
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower, painted white with a red horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. This light guides eastbound ships approaching the north end of Isla Carlos III. Located on a reef off the mainland coast. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-011; Admiralty G1456; NGA 111-2356.
Isla Centinella (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 5 s. 6 m (20 ft) round concrete tower, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo and Bing has a satellite view. Wikimedia has a 1916 photo of the original lightbeacon. For eastbound ships this light marks the start of the very narrow Paso Tortuoso (Torturous Strait). Located on a tiny island on the south side of the Strait. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G1476; NGA 111-2332.
Islote Fairway
1920. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); white flash every 5 s. 5.5 m (18 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with one red horizontal band. 1-story keeper's house, painted white with a red roof. This is a staffed station. Manuel Arcaya's photo is at right, Alberto Alsina Villalobos has a view from the strait, Agustin Miotti has a 2023 view, and Bing has a satellite view of the station. This lighthouse marks the junction of the Strait with the Smyth Channel (Canal Smyth), the south end of the inland passage through the Chilean fjords. Located in the entrance to Canal Smyth, on the north side of the main channel of the Strait. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-055; Admiralty G1480; NGA 111-2320.

Islote Fairway Lighthouse
Islote Fairway Light, Strait of Magellan
photo copyright Manuel Arcaya; used by permission

Bahía Félix (Isla Tamar)
1907 (Luis Camuzi and George Slight). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 15 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted with horizontal red and white bands. Staffed keeper's house. A closeup photo and a view from the Strait are available, a page for the lighthouse has photos, and Bing has a satellite view of the station. Located on Isla Tamar, a small island on the south side of the Strait opposite the Canal Smyth entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-003; Admiralty G1478; NGA 111-2328.
Evangelistas (Islotes Evangelistas)
1896 (George Slight). Active; focal plane 58 m (190 ft); white flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) cylindrical steel tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on 1-story concrete and stone keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with red trim; lantern painted white, watch room red. 500 mm lens. Keeper's house staffed. Manuel Arcaya's photo is at right, Eduardo Fainé has a 2009 photo, and Trabas has Capt. Theo Hinrichs's 2009 photo, but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the location. This is the landfall light for ships arriving at the Strait of Magellan from the Pacific. A tremendous engineering accomplishment for its day, the lighthouse is perched on a rocky islet about 30 km (20 mi) northwest of the western entrance to the Strait, facing the full force of the "Furious Fifties." It is one of the most exposed lighthouses in the world. The lighthouse complex also includes a telecommunications station and a weather station. The lighthouse was restored in 1995-96; as part of the restoration, the fiberglass lantern then in use was replaced with a replica of the original lantern. Accessible only by helicopter or by boat in heavy seas. Site and tower closed. ARLHS CHI-017; Admiralty G1498; NGA 111-2324.
Faro Evangelistas
Islotes Evangelistas Light, Strait of Magellan, October 2005
photo copyright Manuel Arcaya; used by permission

Seno Otway Lighthouses
Seno Otway is a large sheltered sound hidden in the mountains northwest of Punta Arenas. The sound is connected to the Strait of Magellan by a very narrow passage.

Isla Vivian
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) round fiberglass tower, painted white with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island in the southwestern portion of Seno Otway. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1458; NGA 111-2354.
Termianl Otway
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft) ; quick-flashing white light. 12 m (39 ft) round metal tower painted with red and white horizontla bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Terminal Otway is a coal loading terminal on the central north coast of Seno Otway. NGA has an incorrect Admiralty number for this light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty G1458.3.

Última Esperanza Province Lighthouses

Chile Inside Passage Lighthouses
North of the Strait of Magellan, the coast of southern Chile is deeply cut by numerous fjords. The name of Última Esperanza Province, "Last Hope," seems appropriate for this difficult-to-navigate region. The maritime geography is similar to that of Norway and of British Columbia, and as in those cases a series of channels combine for an "inside passage" protected almost everywhere from the open ocean. There are numerous small lights along the fjords; only the larger and more conspicuous of these lights are listed here. Cruise ships sail the inside passage passing the lights listed below. This listing is from south to north. The listings continue on the Chile: Northern Patagonia page.

Islote Green
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, colored white with one narrow red horizontal band. No photo available and Google has only a very distant satellite view. Located on a small island in the Canal Smyth about 35 km (20 mi) north of the Islote Fairway lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1483; NGA 111-2304.
Islote Pollo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, colored white with one narrow red horizontal band. Sergej Xeon has a distant photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on a reef in the middle of the Canal Smyth (also called Canal Gray in this area) on the east side of Isla Pedro Montt. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CHI-088; Admiralty G1491.5; NGA 111-2280.
Isla Cutler
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, colored white with one narrow red horizontal band. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on the south end of an island in the middle of the Canal Smyth on the east side of Isla Pedro Montt. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CHI-085; Admiralty G1494; NGA 111-2264.
Isla Brinkley (Punta Cork)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (42 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal concrete tower, painted white with a red band. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. South of this light the main inland passage curves southwest around the south end of Isla Taraba, switching from the Canal Sarmiento to the Canal Smyth. Located on the western point of Isla Brinkley, an island in the Canal Sarmiento on the east side of the Isla Taraba. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-067; Admiralty G1504; NGA 111-2236.
Isla Queña
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, colored white with one narrow red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a tiny island in the Canal Sarmiento about 20 km (13 mi) north of Isla Brinkley. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-087; Admiralty G1506; NGA 111-2224.
Bahía Gregg
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); three white flashes every 9 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower, painted white with a red band. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the northeast side of the Isla Taraba, marking a sharp S-turn in Canal Sarmiento. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-033; Admiralty G1508; NGA 111-2220.
Isla Bonduca
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 12 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower, painted white with a red band. Larry Myhre's view from the sea is at right and Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on an island in the Canal Sarmiento, part of the inside passage east of Isla Hanover. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-041; Admiralty G1520; NGA 111-2192.

Isla Bonduca Light, Última Esperanza, February 2007
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Larry Myhre
Punta Porpoise
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); green flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a green band at the top. Trabas has Jim Smith's photo (also seen at right) and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This lighthouse is probably typical of the older small lighthouses of the Chilean fjords. There is a 4 m (13 ft) fiberglass beacon on Isla Guard (Admiralty G1527, NGA 2184) opposite the Punta Porpoise lighthouse. Located at a narrow passage of the Angostura Guía, a strait in the Canal Inocentes separating Isla Chatham and Isla Hannover. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-074; Admiralty G1526; NGA 111-2180.
Isla Inocentes
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 12 s. 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower, painted with horizontal red and white bands. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on the east side of the Canal Concepción at the intersection of the Inocentes Channel. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-086; Admiralty G1530; NGA 111-2168.
Isla Stratford
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 10 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a red band. Trabas has Erich Hartmann's photo but vegetation hides the tower in Bing's satellite view of the area. Located on the west side of the Canal Concepción, near the northeastern corner of the Isla Madre de Dios. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-048; Admiralty G1534; NGA 111-2148.
Isla Hernando
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 6 m (20 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, colored white with one narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has Erich Hartmann's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on a small island on the south side of the Canal Trinidad, a channel on the north side of the Isla Madre de Dios leading inland from the Pacific to the inside passage. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G1534.3; NGA 111-2136.
Isla Mason
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 15 s. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a red band. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a small island at the intersection of the Canal Icy and the Canal Wide. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CHI-043; Admiralty G1536; NGA 111-2120.

Punta Porpoise Light, Última Esperanza
photo copyright Jim Smith; used by permission
Puerto Edén (Islote Edén)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three red flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 14 s. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal tower painted red with a green horizontal band. Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's closeup photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island guiding vessels into Villa Puerto Edén, an indigenous village of about 175 residents off the west side of the Canal Messier. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G1546.3; NGA 111-2084.
Isla Daly
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, colored white with one narrow red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a small island in the Canal Messier (Messier Channel), a long north-south section of the inland passage. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G1548; NGA 111-2076.
Bajo Cotopaxi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two green flashes every 6 s. Light mounted on the wreck of MV Leonidas, a freighter that ran aground on the Bajo Cotopaxi (Cotopaxi Bank) in 1968. Miguel Martinez has a photo and Bing has a satellite view of the wreck. Located in the Canal Messier off Isla Wellington at the northern extremity of the Magallanes Region.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Northern Patagonia | East: Argentine Tierra del Fuego | South: Antarctica

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Posted December 2004. Checked and revised July 31, 2023. Lighthouses: 52. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.33