"Puerto Natales" Top 5 Page for this destination Puerto Natales by vtveen


Puerto Natales Travel Guide: 154 reviews and 320 photos

more than a gateway to Torres del Paine

Puerto Natales is a rather small town (about 20.000 inhabitants) with a lot of colourful houses, most of them with roofs of rusty corrugated sheets, beautifully located on the borders of the Seno Ultima Esperanza. It is the capital of the Ultima Esperanza province.

Puerto Natales has a small centre with most of the shops, banks, travel agencies and restaurants along Avenida Bulnes, Calle Eberhard and some sidestreets. But don’t expect spectacular (gift) shops; we couldn’t find one. Plaza de Armas, the main square, has the cathedral and town hall. Scattered around the town are lots of hostals, guesthouses and hotels. Puerto Natales offers a historical museum and even a casino.
Everything within Puerto Natales is on walkable distance and there is no need to take a taxi.

By far the most important about this town is the fact being the gateway to the national parks Torres del Paine and Bernardo O’Higgins. And most of the tourists are heading as soon as possible to one of these parks and will only stay one or two nights in Puerto Natales.

Puerto Natales is accessible by bus from Punta Arenas and El Calafate (Argentina) and by a (3 night) ferry boat from Puerto Montt (www.navimag.com). Sky Airline (www.skyairline.cl) started in 2009 with flights between Puerto Natales and Santiago and Punta Arenas.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:pleasant and quiet town, gateway to the national parks
  • Cons:an out-of-the-way town
  • Last visit to Puerto Natales: Dec 2005
  • Intro Updated Aug 6, 2009
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (20)

Comments (5)

Post a Comment   Submit Comment  
  • angiebabe's Profile Photo
    angiebabe Dec 30, 2008 at 1:39 AM Report Abuse

    lovely photos as usual! esp the stunning glacier and icebergs - what impressed most about my day in Iceland! and so youre back off to South America again soon?!

  • barryg23's Profile Photo
    barryg23 Jun 26, 2007 at 11:41 AM Report Abuse

    Very helpul tips on Puerto Natales. We're planning to to the TDP hike in December. I hadn't heard of the glacier trip before but it sounds great. We'll try fit that in too. We're planning to camp during our trip here - hope we can handle the cold & wind!

  • Ekahau's Profile Photo
    Ekahau Jan 7, 2007 at 3:58 AM Report Abuse

    Torres del Paine is so so beautiful wonderful photos

  • Sibbella's Profile Photo
    Sibbella Nov 29, 2006 at 6:14 AM Report Abuse

    My goodness no wonder you are bundled up there!! Beautiful pictures though!!

  • tini58de's Profile Photo
    tini58de Nov 21, 2006 at 12:16 PM Report Abuse

    I just started reading your tips - and they brought back some wonderful memories! Great pictures and tips! Well done!

vtveen

“"The beauty lies in the travelling, not in the destination" (The Convent Inn, Val Marie SK, Canada)”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 0 9 3

Badges & Stats in Puerto Natales

  • 20 Reviews
  • 56 Photos
  • 217 Forum posts
  • 5 Comments
  • 3,476PageViews

Have you been to Puerto Natales?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Puerto Natales

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (5)

Latest Puerto Natales hotel reviews

Weskar Patagonian Lodge
48 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2012
Costa Australis Hotel Puerto Natales
37 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2012
Hotel Remota
48 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 2, 2012
Hostal Amerindia Patagonia
44 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 29, 2012
Bories House
4 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 25, 2012
Keoken Patagonia Bed & Breakfast
43 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 14, 2012
Altiplanico Sur
29 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 16, 2012
Charles Darwin Hotel
15 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 17, 2012
Martin Gusinde
2 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 28, 2012
The Singing Lamb
45 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 28, 2012
Casa Cecilia Ltda.
46 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 11, 2012
Juan Ladrilleros Hotel Puerto Natales
3 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 14, 2012
Hotel Saltos del Paine
1 Review & Opinion
Latest: Jan 6, 2009
Cisne De Cuello Negro Hotel
1 Review & Opinion
Latest: Jan 12, 2010