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Channel of Last Hope (Ultima Esperanza)
Puerto Natales, Natales, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region, ChileAbout
A sail through this beautiful Sound offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, and the setting is particularly gorgeous at sunset.Última Esperanza Sound is an inlet stretching from the mouth of Eberhard Fjord to the outskirts of Monte Balmaceda, within the Magallanes Basin. The navigator Juan Ladrillero named it so in 1557, because he felt it was this direction was his last chance to reach the Strait of Magellan. However, he would reach a dead end at a glacier.
This inlet has the characteristics of a tidewater river and drains an extensive basin. It receives the waters of almost all the surface waters of Torres del Paine National Park through the Serrano River. The sound occupies a valley carved by glacial action.
Last Hope Sound along with the Señoret Channel forms a navigation route, which connects Puerto Natales with several protected areas of the region. The Turbio River is a tributary to the Última Esperanza Sound.
In the vicinity of the Eberhard Fjord is located Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument, where remains have been recovered of the extinct Giant sloth along with a settlement of prehistoric man.
