Puerto Natales feels like the edge of the world. The land, and evidence of human endeavor, diminishes against expanses of ocean, distant mountains, and steppe. This is a point of arrival and departure: a gateway to places you’ve read of, dreamt about, and eagerly awaited. It’s also a place we’ve enjoyed staying, usually for two or three nights, to explore the Patagonian coastal areas.
The Last Hope Sound (Seno Ultima Esperanza) lies to the west. The fjord was named by a forlorn Spanish navigator in 1557 and he sought the western entrance to the Strait of Magellan. We’ve explored this channel by sea kayak and high-speed boat. A favorite full-day exploration includes the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers, waterfalls, sightings of imperial cormorants, and an afternoon at a private estancia for lunch, riding, and sheep shearing demonstrations.
Another favorite outing is the Milodon Cave Natural Monument, a short drive from the airport. This natural area is the site of caves, a rock formation, and a forest trail. In 1895, Hermann Eberhard found the mummified skin and hair of a giant ground sloth within the largest cave. The animal likely died more than 10,000 years earlier. Other remains found at the site include those of Pleistocene Epoch camels and saber-toothed felines.
Active travelers will also enjoy biking, trekking, and riding in the Puerto Natales area. Some of our favorite memories are of riding with gauchos and their herding dogs on the working ranches of the area.
Puerto Natales and nearby / contiguous Puerto Bories are the location of The Singular Patagonia and other hotel options.
Puerto Natales receives domestic commercial flights, cutting out two or more hours of drive time (versus Punta Arenas) for travelers heading to Torres del Paine. LANDED also arranges charter flights to Puerto Natales.
The town itself can be crossed in 15 minutes on foot. You’ll find everything a trekker could want, along with shops offering woolen goods, sheep hides, ceramics, chocolate, gaucho essentials, and stickers. Magellanic king crab (centolla) is specialty worth seeking out among the pizza parlors and brew pubs. Our most recent acquisition is an embroidered Magallanes Province flag; we’ll fly it when friends from this part of Patagonia visit our home. The central part of the city is usually our last leg-stretch before flying north to Puerto Montt or onward to Santiago.
“We always enjoy spending time in the Puerto Natales area, usually en route to Torres del Paine. Some of the most restful hotel nights of our lives were spent here. I love waking to views of the Sound of Last Hope and the sight of Upland Geese foraging on the shore. It’s the perfect start to an active journey through Patagonia.” – John Montgomery, Co-Founder of LANDED
“We stay three days in Puerto Natales, enjoying late-night walks under a half-full moon along the bay. The city is small and charming, although obviously catered to tourists. Nonetheless, we feel at home straightaway!” – Isra Al-Thibeh
PRICING NOTE
PUERTO NATALES ACCOMMODATIONS RANGE FROM $350 TO $650 PER NIGHT FOR BOUTIQUE HOTELS AND SMALL LODGES. FULL-BOARD PROGRAMS (INCLUDING EXCURSIONS, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND MEALS) CAN RUN TO $1,000 PER PERSON PER DAY. MANY LANDED TRAVELERS
CHOOSE 2-3 NIGHTS IN THE PUERTO NATALES AREA AS PART OF A TORRES DEL PAINE PROGRAM. PUERTO NATALES HOTELS ARE GENERALLY OPEN OCTOBER THROUGH APRIL.
Request a private consultation with a LANDED travel designer to plan your Torres del Paine and Puerto Natales itinerary.
