Puerto Natales Travel Guide

Puerto Natales is the post-card perfect little town that serves as the gateway to Chile's Torres del Paine National park, which is about a three hour busride away. To get to Puerto Natales, most people will be coming from south of there, from the Punta Arenas airport, though access is also possible by one informal cruise company that uses a converted freighter, as well as from over the Argentine border from El Calafate.

Puerto Natales makes a great base of operations for visiting a number of glaciers, glacial fiords, waterfalls, a historic cave where an example of a milodon (a type of giant sloth) was found, and of course, visiting the park itself. The town is set on the water, where there is a pedestrian walkway for nice days. The plaza is shielded by sculpted bushes, and the commerce is all centrally located. The town has a number of lodging possibilities at every pricepoint, has stores that sell last-minute gear for hiking and camping, a couple of outfitters that will rent you gear (including tents and sleeping bags) for the treks through the park, tour companies, and not a small number of really worthwhile restaurants and pubs.

Where to Go in Puerto Natales