Puerto Natales Things to Do Tips by swesn

CRUISE ALONG THE CHILEAN FJORDS

To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed with this trip because I had had huge expectations for it.

The thing is, the area is indeed pretty, with stunning mountains and green islands all around you as you cruise down the channels for 4 days and 3 nights. The scenery is NOT of the dramatic, plunging fjords I had imagined.

However, the trip was dogged by rains and howling winds (hey, it’s Patagonia!) that made it difficult for one to be standing on the deck and enjoying the view. Around the Golfo de Penas, there is a VERY ROUGH crossing as the ferry sails around the peninsula, across the gulf. The route can take from 12 to 20 (like what happened to ours) hours.

During this period, if you look at the window, at one moment, you see the entire SKY, then, the next, you see the entire SEA. If you have sea-sickness, you will feel HORRIBLE. If you do not, like me, you will perhaps find the day mildly amusing as everything seemed to be happening in slow-motion around you.

TORRES DEL PAINE : SUGGESTED ROUTE B

As you can imagine, there are many ways of doing the hike, it really depends on the number of days you can afford, your fitness and interests.

Naturally, if you have injured yourself, you should try to head to CAMP PEHOE, which is your best bet to get help to head back.

DAY 1 : Do not camp at CAMP LAS TORRES. Hike with your main backpack all the way to either CAMP CHILENO or, if you can endure longer, to CAMP TORRES about 1.5 hours more.

DAY 2 : Staying the night at CAMP CHILENO or CAMP TORRES will give you the chance to hike up to LAS TORRES early in the morning when the morning sun directly spotlights LAS TORRES. Truly a magnificent view!

But this means, that you either spend today, hiking down with your gear to camp at CAMP LAS TORRES.

Or, you can hike down and do everything in ROUTE A / DAY 2 to reach CAMP ITALIANO.

This is possible during summer when the days are longer and if you are very fit and have high endurance.

DAY 3 : If your last camp was CAMP LAS TORRES, do the same as ROUTE A / DAY 2.

If you last camp was CAMP ITALIANO, REST today. You deserve it after the very tough hike yesterday. This camp-site is great, anyway.

DAY 4 : Same as ROUTE A / DAY 3.

DAY 5 : Hike the easy route to CAMP PEHOE and endure all the way to CAMP GREY, by the terminal face of GLACIER GREY or CAMP LOS GUARDAS, some 2 hours north.

DAY 6 : An early morning rise to see the royal blue of the glacier. Should be amazing!! Then, head down to CAMP PEHOE.

DAY 7 : Hike south around Lago Pehoe to CAMP LAS CARRETAS for the night.

DAY 8 : Head to SEDE ADMINISTRATIVA for the bus-ride back to Puerto Natales.

Remember : Listen to your body. Do what your physical fitness allows. This is NOT an expedition. This is NOT a competition. This is NOT an ego-race.

ENJOY!

TORRES DEL PAINE : SUGGESTED ROUTE A / DAY 4 & 5

DAY 4 : Leave your things at CAMP PEHOE, hike up along Lago del Grey to CAMP GREY for a fantastic view of GLACIER GREY.

It should take about 4 hours to get within sight of the glacier. If you do not wish to go all the way to CAMP GREY, there is a mirador to view the glacier about halfway through the route.

Total hiking time = about 5-8 hours.

DAY 5 : Catch the boat from CAMP PEHOE across LAGO PEHOE to CAMP PUDETO. The buses, which you have bought round-tickets or which you can buy tickets here, pick hikers up at various alloted times.

Now, return to Puerto Natales to shower, have a well-deserved rest, show off your new thigh muscles and leave your laundry with the professionals.

TORRES DEL PAINE : SUGGESTED ROUTE A / DAY 3

DAY 3 : Leaving your tent and main backpack at CAMP ITALIANO, hike up the route to Valle de Frances or The French Valley with your day-pack. It takes about 3.5 hours.

First, you walk along the beautiful river with the melting glacier from the amazing mountain at the top. The route will ultimately get you BEHIND this mountain.

The hike up is mostly sheltered through the woods. Follow the marker as at some points, the route is not obvious. Finally, you reach CAMP BRITANICO.

You will soon arrive at an open flat space surrounded nearly 300 degrees by gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous string of mountains. Spin round and round here. It is a magnificent view.

You need about 30 minutes of more hiking to reach the Mirador. There is a fantastic, breath-taking view there but there is not much room available. Savour the ecstasy of reaching this point.

The route back to CAMP ITALIANO is the same.

If you are up for it, pack up your tent and walk 2.5 hours through marshy flat grounds to CAMP PEHOE.

Total hiking time = about 9-10 hours

TORRES DEL PAINE : SUGGESTED ROUTE A / DAY 2

DAY 2 : Take the left path after crossing the bridge. You pass through flattish lands with gorgeous mountains.

After 1 to 1.5 hours, you should arrive at the beautiful turqoise-coloured Lago Nordenskjold, surrounded by snowy mountains. Take a breather here and soak in the view.

The next section is through undulating rocky paths, between shrublands. Find a spot around this point for your lunch.

Soon, you will arrive at a rushing river. The speed of the river is very fast and there is no way to rock-hop across. Boots off!

The next section is nearly up a gentle slope all the way. Watch out for a peninsula that juts into the lake. Once you have passed it, you should be 1 to 1.5 hours to CAMP LOS CUERNOS.

Suddenly, you will see the very impressive and unique mountains - LOS CUERNOS. Take a moment and let the reality of knowing how lucky you are alive to see this sink in.

Beyond here, the route is round mountains or across passes. The wind can get very, very strong and vicious! Everything becomes survival-instinct by now. Personally, this was the most dangerous part for me.

You should arrive at CAMP LOS CUERNOS after a hiking time of 4 to 5 hours. You deserve a good, long rest here.

As the campsite here stinks, it is best to head 2 more hours to CAMP ITALIANO.

But the last 2 hours are NOT EASY. At one point, you are right by the beach of Lago Nordenskjold. If the weather is very windy, down by the beach is EVEN WORSE. Be prepared to be whipped around like a rag-doll.

Then, it is TOUGH uphill climb up muddy paths until finally you peter out to a flat grassland. Follow the path into the woods and soon, you will arrive in CAMP ITALIANO. Congratulations.

Total hiking time = about 6-7 hours but can take up to 10 hours, if you include rest time

TORRES DEL PAINE : SUGGESTED ROUTE A / DAY 1

Below is the suggested day-to-day ROUTE A for the 'W' Circuit.

DAY 1 : The minibus will transport hikers to the first camp-site CAMP LAS TORRES. Set up your tent and leave your main backpack there.

After crossing the bridge, there is a rocky path on the right upslope. It takes from 1.5 to 2 hours steadily up an exposed slope which can become very windy to reach CAMP CHILENO. Have a rest and a quick lunch there.

Then, it is another 1 to 1.5 hours through forests and certain exposed areas. At the exposed areas, it can get very chilly.

Finally, you see a sign that reads '45 minutes to Las Torres'. How can you turn back now? This last scramble, 45 minutes to 1 hour, is up a rocky slope with huge boulders. The wind is very vicious here. You cannot rock-hop as you do not know when the savage wind will come and slam you against the boulders! Best to crawl up slowly, with your arms out-stretched in front, for cushioning effect.

When you finally reach the top, you will surely gasp at the sight that unfolds before you - LAS TORRES. It was pure poetry.

Some people do the 'W' circuit the other way, saving the BEST for LAST. But if you are unsure whether you will make through the hike alive, it is better to save the BEST for FIRST.

After savouring LAS TORRES, it is the same 4-hour route back to CAMP LAS TORRES.

Bring a bottle. Water can be obtained as you pass a few streams. Always refill the bottle when you pass a stream. As you are only carrying your day-pack, the going is moderate today.

Total hiking time = about 8-9 hours.

TORRES DEL PAINE : THE 'W' CIRCUIT

Torres del Paine is the reason why SOME tourists fly all the way to Chile to visit. It has one of the most spectacular natural scenery in the whole wide world. There are impressive peaks, glaciers, lakes of turqoise, green, etc... colours and gorgeous valleys.

Entrance to the park is 8000 Ch Pesos, where volunteers will brief you on the treks, the camping sites and the precautions to take. There is another bus (1500 Ch Pesos) to catch from the entrance to the first camp-site. Either that, or you walk 6km there.

'The Circuit' is a route around the park in a circle. This takes between 5 to 10 days. Lone hikers are not allowed and camping gear must be carried. The circuit is not easy and some sections can be blocked or washed away.

The shorter route is the 'W' Circuit. Allow me to explain more on the 'W' Circuit, which takes about 4 to 5 days.

Starting from right to left of the alphabet 'W', the first vertical section up is to view the three famous towering, near-vertical mountains that gave the name 'Torres del Paine' the 'Torres' (towers) bit for they are called Las Torres (The Towers). This would be, to many, the HIGHLIGHT of their hike here.

Then, one has to head west, walking the horizontal bit of the 'W'. After that, the second vertical section is along Valle de Frances, where one could see beautiful ranges of mountains, including the unique-looking Los Cuernos (The Horns).

Finally, after heading west again and up to the third vertical section of 'W', one could see the impressive Glacier Grey. At the bottom of this third vertical section was Camp / Refugio Pehoe where one can take a boat ride (9500 Ch Pesos) back to Refugio Pudeto to catch a bus back to Puerto Natales.

PUERTO NATALES : MAGNIFICENT NATURE ALL AROUND

Puerto Natales is even more wind-swept and bleak than what I remembered about Punta Arenas. I could not stay out for long amidst the tossing wind. I either had to stay in my hostel or sit tight in a cafe to avoid the wind.

One has to be here to prepare for one's hike to Torres del Paine or embark on the Navimag cruise, going to Puerto Montt, or disembark from the Navimag cruise, coming from Puerto Montt.

There are many bus companies to Torres del Paine. The one ('Maria Jose' bus) I got seemed cheaper. It cost 8000 Ch Pesos (Around 700 Ch Pesos = 1 US$) to / fro Torres del Paine National Park but there is only 1 departure time from Puerto Natales and 1 departure time from Refugio Pudeto.

The bus-ticket can be bought from a camping equipment rental-cum-internet shop located on Av M Bulnes, between Magallanes and Tomas Rogers. The wall of the shop is yellow in colour.

Tents, sleeping bags and stoves are available for rent everywhere but this same shop provides 1-man tent (not so common) and seems to have more reasonable rates.

The prices per day for a 1-man tent and stove are 2000 Ch Pesos and 500 Ch Pesos respectively. Sleeping mat and pots and plates are provided free.

For camping gas, most shops sell at around 2500 Ch Pesos. Walk down Av M Bulnes towards the water channel. There is a large camping store at nearly the last block. The burners are on display at the window and are sold at 1650 Ch Pesos each.

There are a few supermarkets near the east side of the Plaza de Armas, around the Av Baquedano and Av M Bulnes to stock up on groceries for your hike.