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Puerto Natales
Gateway to Patagonia's Last Frontier
Gateway to Patagonia's Last Frontier
The Serrano Glacier boat trip (full day; CLP 80,000–120,000/person; departs Puerto Natales 8am; returns 7pm; operated by Turismo 21 de Mayo and other agencies) navigates up the Ultima Esperanza Sound through the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park fjord system to the Balmaceda Glacier (a hanging glacier calving directly into the fjord) and the Serrano Glacier (where the boat approaches within 50m of the glacier face; zodiac excursion available to the ice wall). The fjord landscape (condors, dolphins, and occasional sea lions in the channels) is the most accessible of Patagonia’s glacier fjords.
💡 Book the glacier boat trip the day before your Torres del Paine trek departure — it is the finest single activity in Puerto Natales and the most practical pre-trek day if you arrive the evening before. The boat departs Puerto Natales port at 8am; arrive 10 minutes early. Bring waterproofs and warm layers regardless of the morning weather — the fjord channel is 5–8°C colder than Puerto Natales.
The Cueva del Milodon (24km north of Puerto Natales; CLP 5,000 entry; open 8am–8pm; taxi CLP 12,000 return or tour bus CLP 8,000 from town) is a 30-metre-high, 200-metre-deep cave where the fossilised skin, bones, and dung of a Mylodon (a prehistoric giant ground sloth; 3 metres tall; 1,000kg; extinct approximately 10,000 years ago) were discovered in 1896 by German explorer Hermann Eberhard. The discovery made headlines worldwide; a live specimen had been rumoured in the remote Patagonian wilderness. The cave also contains remains of other Pleistocene megafauna.
💡 The cave itself (free to enter the main chamber; the fossil find site is marked with a display; a life-size fibre-glass reconstruction of the Mylodon stands outside; simultaneously informative and slightly absurd) takes 1–1.5 hours to visit. Combine with the lookout viewpoint above the cave (20-minute walk) for a panorama of the Last Hope Sound that includes the park boundary mountains on the horizon.
The Puerto Natales waterfront (the Ultima Esperanza Sound; free; the main promenade) looks west across the fjord to the snowy mountains of the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park — a permanent backdrop of glacier-capped peaks at the end of one of Patagonia’s finest navigable channels. The town itself (the main shopping street: Baquedano and Blanco Encalada; the outdoors outfitters cluster) is where trekking gear rental, last-minute supplies, and the final espresso before the park are all purchased.
💡 Rent any trekking equipment you are missing in Puerto Natales before entering Torres del Paine (the outfitter cluster on Baquedano Street has poles, gaiters, waterproofs, sleeping bags, and stove fuel at Chilean prices). The Unimarc supermarket (Baquedano 831; open 9am–10pm daily) is the best pre-trek food provisioning stop for the W Trek camping option.
The traditional Patagonian asado (barbecued lamb; a whole lamb slow-roasted on a cross over an open wood fire; CLP 12,000–20,000 for a generous lamb portion; available at Estancia la Peninsula, La Mesita Grande, and several waterfront restaurants) is the defining food experience of the Patagonia region — Patagonian lamb is considered among the finest in the world (grass-fed on the wind-swept steppe at low stocking densities; the meat is lean, gamey, and extraordinarily flavourful).
💡 El Living (Arturo Prat 156; tapas + wine; the most consistent restaurant in Puerto Natales; CLP 12,000–20,000; book ahead in peak season) and Afrigonia (Eberhard 343; fusion; excellent; comparable price) are the two finest restaurants. For the lamb: any estancia-style asado restaurant around the waterfront serves the full roasted lamb on the traditional Patagonian cross — the finest single meal of any Patagonia trip.
Puerto Natales has a surprisingly accomplished restaurant scene for its size. The non-negotiables: roast Patagonian lamb asado (whole lamb on a wood cross; the most celebrated regional food; CLP 12,000–20,000 for a generous portion at any asado restaurant). El Living (Arturo Prat; tapas, wine, and the finest cocktails in Puerto Natales; the most consistently excellent restaurant; book ahead). Afrigonia (Eberhard; fusion cuisine with Patagonian ingredients; calafate berry desserts). The Baguales microbrewery (Borries 430; craft beers named after local peaks; pub food; the finest evening casual venue in town). Before entering Torres del Paine: the Unimarc supermarket is the trekker’s resupply; calafate berries (the local wild berry; small, tart, and sweet; sold by the jar at any market; CLP 2,000–4,000) are the Patagonian souvenir food.
The Serrano Glacier boat trip (Day 1; 8am–7pm; CLP 80,000–120,000; book on arrival in Puerto Natales) and the trek logistics day (Day 2; gear rental, supermarket provisioning, park permit confirmation, transfer booking) mean arriving 2 nights before entering the park is strongly recommended.
Bus Sur and Turismo Zaahj operate daily buses from Puerto Natales to the park entrance (CLP 10,000–15,000; 2h; fixed departure times 7am and 9am).
Trekking poles (rental CLP 3,000–5,000/day at any Baquedano Street outfitter) are essential for the Valle del Francés section of the W Trek (the east side descent is steep, loose, and treacherous with a heavy pack without pole support).
The Navimag ferry (Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt; 3–4 days; through the channels, fjords, and islands of southern Chile; CLP 150,000–300,000/cabin; the most dramatic passenger ferry route in the world) departs from Puerto Natales port 3 times weekly in summer.
The CONAF park entry permit (torres-del-paine.cl; CLP 38,000; must be booked online and printed or shown on mobile) should be confirmed working on your phone before leaving Puerto Natales.
Calafate berries (blue-black; small; the wild berry of the Patagonian steppe; slightly tart and very sweet; named after the town of El Calafate in Argentine Patagonia) are available as jam, juice, liqueur, and fresh-frozen from any Puerto Natales market (CLP 2,000–4,000).
7:45am: board the Serrano Glacier boat at Puerto Natales port (book previous evening; CLP 90,000; waterproofs essential). Navigate Ultima Esperanza Sound through O’Higgins National Park fjord (condors; possible dolphins). Balmaceda hanging glacier (11am; walk to viewpoint; 30 mins). Continue to Serrano Glacier face (1pm; zodiac to glacier wall; lunch at the boat canteen; CLP 5,000 extra). Return to Puerto Natales 7pm. Patagonian lamb dinner at a waterfront asado restaurant (CLP 15,000).
9am: taxi to Cueva del Milodon (CLP 12,000 return; 24km; 1.5h visit). Return 11am. Baquedano Street outfitters (trekking pole rental; waterproof seam check; CLP 4,000). Unimarc supermarket (provisioning for W Trek camping; or trust the refugio meals if booked). Confirm CONAF permit on mobile. Baguales microbrewery evening (craft beer + pub food; CLP 8,000–12,000). Early sleep. Next morning: transfer to Torres del Paine 7am.
Download the Magallanes / Patagonia pack offline. Shows Cueva del Milodon and the Last Hope Sound area.
Free
Download Puerto Natales offline for the town navigation and Baquedano Street outfitters.
Free
Check Torres del Paine weather 5 days ahead before entering the park. The weather window determination is the most important pre-trek decision.
Free
Multi-currency CLP card. Use ATMs in Puerto Natales before entering the park — no ATMs in Torres del Paine.
Free
From the Atacama Desert to Patagonia’s granite towers and Easter Island’s moai.