Most visitors come to Puerto Natales to hike in Torres del Paine National Park

Overview

When travelers, tourists, and backpackers head to Puerto Natales, it’s typically as a home base to explore one of the world’s best national parks for hikers and trekkers, Torres del Paine.  And while you may only be in Puerto Natales for this reason, the town is surprisingly nice and is a pleasant place to spend a few days as you prepare and recover from your trip to Torres del Paine.  Many times towns set up solely for tourist activities are horrid, but Puerto Natales retains a surprisingly laid back vibe that doesn’t have that in your face feel that so many other touristy towns have.

Getting There/Arriving

There are no nearby airports, so taking a bus, renting a car, or arriving by boat are your only options when heading to Puerto Natales.

Bus- Buses leave from company offices scattered around the city.  The city, particularly the center, is very small, so it’s easy to get around.  Remember, if heading to or from Argentina, plan on a few hour delay when crossing the border.  Here are some examples of bus journey times (book in advance during high season–buses run much less frequently during off-season):

• Punto Arenas- about 3.5 hours, several daily
• Rio Gallegos, Argentina- 4-5 hours, 2-3/week
• El Calafate, Argentina- 6 hours, daily
• Ushuaia, Argentina- 15 hours, 3 times a week

Be sure to check back next week for all the information you’ll need for getting to and from Torres del Paine.

Getting Around

Foot- The town is very small, so you won’t need much other than your two feet for getting around.  There are taxis if necessary.

Where to Stay

Hostels and hotels are scattered about this small city, but if you plan on arriving and wandering around with no place to stay during high season, you may have troubles finding room.  Places book up quickly as visitors heading to Torres del Paine need to plan in advance, so don’t wait until the last minute when heading here (if coming from December-February).

Where we stayed- We stayed at two places while in Puerto Natales.  One was horrible (and I honestly don’t remember the name of it), and one was fantastic.

• Erratic Rock 2 (B&B)-Benjamin Zamora 732-  There will more information about the the Erratic Rock hostels (there’s several) in THE Definitive Guide to Hiking Torres del Paine, starting on Monday (Feb. 7),  but let me say for now that if you want to splurge a bit (especially if you’re a couple), then consider staying at the Erratic Rock 2 Bed and Breakfast.  It costs about $60US, but you get a great room, with a great bed, cable TV, free wifi, a spectacular breakfast, free bag storage for when you’re hiking TDP, and absolutely top notch customer service.  Well worth the costs, especially if you want to reward yourself for hiking the “W” or the Circuit.

Food and Drink

I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again here.  Chile‘s grocery stores/supermarkets remind me of home.  While that may make you cringe, when you’re preparing for a trek in TDP, then you’ll appreciate having tons of food options at the grocery store when planning your menu for the wilderness. And this area of Patagonia is one of the most expensive, so being able to save a few bucks by cooking your own meals at your hostel is a big plus, too.  So having some nice, big supermarkets with lots of options is a great thing, in my opinion.

If you do eat out, you can still get relatively inexpensive steak and seafood meals.  We only ate out once (in addition to a few street cart meals), but the one meal we had was exceptionally good.  And as we later found out throughout all of our Chilean adventures, the food, especially the seafood and fish, was outstanding.  We wished we had more time in this wonderful country.

La Tanqura- Manuel Bulnes 579 Town Center- A great little restaurant a few blocks off the main square, La Tanquera does not disappoint.  The seafood and steak options are many, including some specialty dishes for this part of the country.  The food was excellent, the wine and beer cheap and good, and the service excellent.  Like the rest of the town, it has a very casual and laid back feel.  Highly recommended.

Things to Do

Parque Nacional Torres del PaineThe main reason travelers come to Puerto Natales is to explore nearby Torres del Paine National Park.  There is so much to know before visiting TDP, and while there is tons of information all over the web, we found it difficult to get all the information we needed in one place.  So be sure to come back Monday for part 1 of my 4 part guide– THE Definitive Guide to Hiking TDP.  I promise this will be the most comprehensive guide to hiking TDP that you can find on the web.

Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgens-Also known as Parque Nacional Monte Balmaceda, this park can only be reached by boat on the north end of Ultima Esperanza Sound.  A three hour boat ride will bring you past glaciers, dolphins, sea lions, and countless birds.

Museo Historico- A free museum that has displays and photos of early colonizers and a small collection of history and archaeological exhibits.