Travel to Puerto Natales

access point to the dramatic fjords of the southern coast

Set in the far south of Chile (in a greater area sometimes referred to as Patagonia), Puerto Natales is a small coastal town set on the shore of Last Hope Sound.

This area was originally inhabited by various native tribes and was first ‘discovered’ by Spanish maritime explorer Juan Ladrillero in 1557, followed by Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1830.

The town was established during the 1800s by immigrants from Germany, England, Wales, Scotland, Greece, Spain and Croatia, followed by an influx of people from the island of Chiloé to the north.

Between them these people managed to establish a very successful economy based on sheep farming, the crowning glory of which was the construction of a huge “frigorificos” or cold-storage plant, which was built in 1913 to serve the refrigerated ships that took their produce around the globe. In 2010 this vast Victorian building was converted into a luxury hotel, The Singular Patagonia.

Since around 2005 the town has really started to focus on tourism and there are now several decent places to stay.

Although this area is sometimes promoted as being a good base from which to explore Torres del Paine, it’s a good 30-40 km away and therefore not at all convenient, especially for repeated visits. The only reason to do this would be because the accommodation in the reserve is all sold out, which is not uncommon during the summer, especially if you are looking to book late.

The positive reasons to stay in Puerto Natales are to experience activities in the immediate vicinity, such as boat trips out to the fjords, including the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. There is also an interesting maritime museum in the town.

Puerta Natales is usually accessed by air from Santiago to Punta Arenas, the most southerly city in Chile, which is around 200 km further south. From there it is a road transfer of around 3-4 hours up to the town, mostly on a good sealed road.

There are also more occasional flights from Santiago direct into Puerto Natales.

The other way to get here is by road from the north, usually starting in Los Glaciares National Park, then overlanding south through Torres del Paine National Park and on to Puerto Natales, a journey of several days duration.

Where to stay

The Puerto Natales area has two luxury hotels, Remota Hotel and The Singular Patagonia, whilst in outlying areas there are also some nice rural estancias that offer off-the-beaten-track hiking and horse-riding.

occasionally deploy nights here on the way through