Sitting in relative isolation on the shore of the evocatively named Last Hope Sound – an inlet of the Pacific Ocean that winds its way through this part of Chilean Patagonia – the quaint and colourful town of Puerto Natales with its wooden and corrugated tin houses offers a welcome respite to travel-weary hikers settling here for the night after trekking their way through Torres Del Paine National Park.
Puerto Natales was founded in 1911 as a port for exporting wool and cattle from the nearby Puerto Pratt estancia, a ranch built by German explorer Hermann Eberhard. However, the export trade isn’t the only thing that Erberhard brought to this remote region of South America, he is also credited with the discovery of prehistoric remains, those of a giant sloth at the nearby Cueva del Milodon Natural Monument.
Nowadays, the port that gave Puerto Natales its name may have declined, but the town has gained a new lease of life as the gateway to one of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes – Torres Del Paine – establishing it as one of Chile’s top outdoor destinations. Even without the national park though, on a clear day, when Seno Ultima Esperanza is clear of mist and the snowcapped mountains are visible beneath the wide Patagonian skies, Puerto Natales can be stunning in its own right
How to Get to Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales has a tiny airport situated 5km out of town that is served regularly by LATAM from Santiago during the summer months. Expect to pay anywhere from £40 – £100 for the 3 hours 20-minute long flight. It is more common for backpackers to travel by bus to Puerto Natales from either Punta Arenas, 241km to the south, or the Argentinian town of El Calafate.
From Punta Arenas
The bus journey from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales runs regularly and takes just 3 hours. There is no central bus station but the buses tend to leave from their respective offices. Bus Sur run 5 buses per day (£8) between the two cities but it is best to book at least one day in advance as tickets do sell out.
Check prices and availability of buses between Punta Arenas and Puerta Natales.
From El Calafate
During the summer months, there are 2 – 3 buses each day running between El Calafate and Puerto Natales. Marga Taqsa buses leave at 7.40 and take 6 hours while the Cootra buses leave at 7.30, 7.40, or 7.50 depending on the day and take around 5 and a half hours. Tickets are approximately £20.
Check prices and availability of buses between El Calafate and Puerta Natales.
Getting Around
The majority of the town’s restaurants, bars and hostels centre around Plaza de Armas, so if you are only staying a short while and don’t plan on visiting the attractions outside of the city centre, you will likely be able to get everywhere on foot. Most hostels rent bikes but you will probably only need one if you want to cycle to Cueva del Milodon. Otherwise, taxis are widely available.
Where to Stay in Puerto Natales
Being a tourism-hub, there are no shortage of great hostels, B&Bs and budget hotels in Puerto Natales. The majority of hostels will happily store your luggage while you embark on multi-day trips to Torres Del Paine National Park and some of them have equipment rental stores where you can pick up gear for your hike.
Erratic Rock
A perennial favourite amongst backpackers in this region of Patagonia, Erratic Rock has a laidback vibe perfect for people looking to mingle with other travellers as well as a great kitchen and wonderful breakfasts included. Not only is this a fantastic hostel, but they also host a daily seminar, nicknamed the 3 o’clock talk. You can join their expert guides each day at 3pm for a cup of coffee and a seminar that covers everything you need to know about Torres Del Paine. This includes current weather conditions, accommodation, equipment, trail routes and transportation. The hostel also has a rental store where you can hire any equipment you will need for multi-day hikes in the park.
Their bar and cafe – Basecamp – is known for doing some of the best, and most reasonably priced pizzas in town.
Check prices and availability
Factoria Patagonia
Run by Vertice Patagonia, the same company that is in charge of both Paine Grande and Refugio Grey in Torres Del Paine National Park, Factoria is an up-scale hostel in the historic centre of Puerto Natales. As well as cosy and modern dorm rooms, they offer twin rooms with private bathrooms for those looking to get a little extra comfort. A fantastic breakfast from the hostel’s on-site café is included in the price.
Check prices and availability
TREAT YOURSELF
The Singular
Occupying a former cold storage warehouse on a remote fjord, the Singular is Puerto Natales most luxurious hotel, with floor to ceiling windows in each room overlooking the magnificent Last Hope Sound. The hotel’s restaurant serves the best food in town and there is an on-site spa where you can relax after a hard day of hiking.
Check prices and availability
The Best Things to do in Puerto Natales
The main draw of Puerto Natales is the fact that it is a gateway to South America’s most spectacular national park and the multitude of hiking possibilities contains within. With that in mind, don’t expect the town to be a destination in itself, but its setting on the shores of Last Hope Sound is stunning and there is enough of a backpacker buzz to entertain you either side of a trip to Torres Del Paine.
Hike in Torres Del Paine National Park
Rising almost 2000m from the Patagonian steppe, the jagged granite spires of Torres Del Paine dominate this region of Chile and make for one of the most jaw-dropping sights in South America. This Unesco Biosphere reserve is one of the finest national parks in the world, covering 181,000 hectares of turquoise lagoons, glacier-fed waterfalls and verdant forest.
There are plenty of day-hike options for those that want to make a quick stop at the park to take in the views of Torres del Paine’s most famous vistas, but the majority of people visit in order to hike the W-trek, an 80km 4 or 5 day walk that that takes in the park’s most spectacular sights: from the iconic spires of Mirador Las Torres and the enormous Grey Glacier to the steep trail along Valle Francis and the contorted, multicoloured horns of Los Cuernos. It runs up three valleys, creating the W shape that gives it its name. In each of those valleys lies one of the iconic sights of the park
For more experienced hikers, the O-Circuit is a challenging seven to ten-day hike that includes the entirety of the W, with the addition of a trail that leads walkers further north, around the back-side of the Torres. This allows you to catch glimpses of the park’s much-quieter outer reaches as well as have bragging rights over anyone that has hiked the W.
As well as hiking, there is the option of taking a spectacular 3-hour boat ride from the Hosteria Lago Grey hotel up the lake to the glacier of the same name. Wildlife-spotting is also a popular activity, as the park is home to a huge number of guanacos, rhea, and even puma, although the latter is relative elusive and sightings are rare.
Getting to Torres Del Paine National Park From Puerto Natales
Return tickets between the park and Puerto Natales cost CH$15,000. During the high season between September and April, the buses leave Puerto Natales at 7am, 7.30am and 2.30pm, getting to Laguna Amarga at 9am, 9:30am. and 4.45pm respectively and Pudeto at 10:00am, 10.30am and 5.30pm. For the return leg of the journey, buses pick up from Pudeto at 1pm, 1.30pm and 7pm and from Laguna Amarga at 2pm, 2.30pm, 7.45pm each day.
It is worth noting that between the park’s busiest months, Bus Sur also run a 6.40am service that reaches Pudeto at 8.45am, in time for the first catamaran of the day.
Taste Local Gins at the Last Hope Gin Distillery
Run by two Autralians that first arrived in Puerto Natales as tourists in 2015, Last Hope Distillery uses botanicals that are native to Patagonia, such as the Calafate berry, to create their unique gins. Their small distillery produces two different gins and is adjacent to their bar, the Last Hope, in downtown Puerto Natales. They offer free distillery tours every day that the bar is open during high season (5.30pm in English and 6.30pm in Spanish). For every bottle that they sell, they donate CLP$500 to the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund that provides sustainability initiatives to preserve the park.
Where: Esmeralda 882
When: Weds to Sun 5pm – 2am during high season; Fri & Sat 8pm – 2qm during low season.
Museo Historico
For a quick insight into the history of Puerto ales and Chilean Patagonia, you can pay a visit to Museo Historico to check out a number of archeological finds such as a yaghan canoe and other indiginous artefacts. There are also good displays and photographs documenting the town’s time as a major fishing hub. They offer free distillery tours every day that the bar is open during high season (5.30pm in English and 6.30pm in Spanish). For every bottle that they sell, they donate CLP$500 to the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund that provides sustainability initiatives to preserve the park.
Where: Manuel Bulnes 285
When: Daily 9am – 5pm
Walk La Costanera
La Costanera provides a seafront walk along bay of the evocatively named Last Hope Sound along paved walkways and gravel tracks. Look past the myriad bird species that swarm the water and abandoned, desolate piers and you will see stunning snow-capped mountains fringing the horizon. Sunset is the best time to visit, but it can become frigidly cold and wind-swept on the shoreline, so maybe hire a bike to make short work of journey.
Where: Manuel Bulnes 285
When: Daily 9am – 5pm
Climb Mirador Cerro Dorotea
While not as impressive or scenic as the walks you can undertake in Torres Del Paine, the short hike up to the Mirador takes you around 700m up Cerro Dorotea, through lenga forest, to a viewpoint overlooking Puerto Natales and the surrounding mountains. To get there, you will need to take a 10-minute taxi ride out of town to Estancia Dorotea where you have to pay a small fee to enter their property. At the top, you can extend the walk if you wish, following the cattle trails to make this a full-day walk rather than a half-day one.
Cueva del Milodon
German explorer Hermann Eberhard famously discovered the partial remains of a huge, long-extinct ground sloth – the mylodon – in a cave 15 miles northwest of Puerto Natales. Unfortunately, the remains no longer reside in Puerto Natales as they are now split between the British Museum and La Plata Museum in Argentina but you will find a fibreglass recreation in one of the 3 caves. Another hosts evidence of Patagonia’s earliest human inhabitants, dating back 11,000 years. However, if you don’t make it to the cave, you can see a life-sized recreation of the mysterious creature beside the town’s harbour.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU STAY IN PUERTO NATALES?
The majority of people staying in Puerto Natales stay for just a couple of nights, one prior to their visit to Torres del Paine National Park and one after. This is usually enough to see what the town centre has to offer but it may be work staying a couple more nights to explore the surrounding area.
The town itself has more than enough good pubs and eateries to make it a pleasant and relaxing place to hang out for a few days and unwind with friends and it is worth noting that if you need to pick up equipment before embarking on a multi-day hike, you may want to spend an additional couple of nights in Puerto Natales to shop and attend the 3 o’clock talk at Erratic Rock.
Where to Eat & Drink in Puerto Natales
This being a tourist-heavy town in Patagonia, prices in restaurants are a little elevated but not to the same extent as the Argentinian Towns of Ushuaia and El Calafate. The large number of backpackers that make their way through Puerto Natales on the way to Torres Del Paine means that there are a number of great cafes and bars offering reasonably priced budget options. Just make sure to try the Patagonian lamb before you leave.
To save a little money, you can shop at the town’s main supermarket, Unimarc on Manuel Bulnes, and cook for yourself in your hostel’s kitchen. It’s also a good place to pick up snacks and food to take with you to Torres Del Paine.
Gelatería Artesanal Aluen
Taking the title for the best gelato in Puerto Natales, if not in the whole of Patagonia, Gelatería Artesanal Aluén serves up handmade ice-creams and sorbets made in the best Italian tradition while using local fruits, herbs, and flavours. If you want to sample more of the town’s gelaterias, Patagonia Dulce is your second-best option (Weds – Sun 1pm – 7pm). This quaint, wooden cabin on Barras Arana also serves a delicious range of artisan chocolates and cakes for those wishing to really indulge their sweet tooth.
Where: Calle Barros Arana 160
When: Tues to Sat 2pm – 8.30pm; Sun 3pm – 7.30pm
Cerveceria Baguales
Although craft beer and microbreweries are commonplace in the far southern reaches of South America, it all started in 2010 with Cerveceria Baguales, Patagonia’s first brewpub. The idea was born when the owners, 2 Chileans and an American met while climbing in Joshua Tree National Park and set about creating beers that straddle their two nations with Chilean malt and hops imported from the Pacific Northwest of the US. Their restaurant, located in an old wooden house on Plaza de Armas, has a warm and cosy atmosphere and serves fantastic pub food.
In a similar vein to Baguales, Cervecería La Vertiente (Tomás Rogers 169; Open daily 12pm – 12am) have a good selection of beers that are brewed on the premises, plus a tasty range of burgers and Mexican food.
Where: Carlos Bories 430
When: Mon & Weds to Sat 5pm – 2am; Sun 2pm – 10pm
Beer Gallery
The newest contender to Puerto Natales’ brewing crown, Beer gallery, is situated in a modern building on Barros Arana and has 15 taps serving up the best of Chilean and international beers.
Where: Barros Arana 88
When: Daily 5pm – 1am
El Living
The best, and possibly only, real vegetarian spot in Puerto Natales is a friendly and relaxed café catering to veggies, vegans, and those looking for gluten, wheat, and dairy-free food. The specials change daily but you can always rely on them for good sandwiches and smoothies.
Where: Arturo Prat 156
When: Sun to Fri 11am – 9pm
Mesita Grande
Always packed with hungry hikers, the best Pizzeria in Puerto Natales serves up cheap, thin-crust pizzas to the crowd of customers that squeeze onto the two long tables inside, making for a friendly, communal dining experience.
Where: Arturo Prat 196
When: Mon to Sat 12pm – 11pm; Sun 1pm – 9pm
When is the Best Time to Visit?
If you are visiting Puerto Natales in order to hike in Torres Del Paine, the summer season – between November and March – is the most popular time, with late December and early January being the busiest months in the park. During the summer, you will have more chance of clear views along the trails but places in refugios and campsites get booked up quickly, often by the start of October.
Alternatively, you can trek during the shoulder months when the trails are quieter and it is easier to book accommodation.
During the winter months of May to September, the park is a very different place: There are far fewer visitors and the wind is calmer, but short days and increased chances of snow make trekking rather difficult. During these months, you are only allowed to hike the W with a guide.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Puerto Natales is a small, friendly town with no major crime or security issues so you shouldn’t need to take any more safety precautions than you usually take. If you need help or information, the tourist information centre on Pedro Montt (Mon to Fri 8.30am – 1pm and 2.30pm – 6pm; Sat & Sun 10am – 5pm) is very helpful.
There is a Santander Bank on Blanco Encalada that accepts most international debit and credit cards.
