Puerto Natales Travel Guide: What to Do, Where to Stay, and Travel Tips
Puerto Natales is a small town in southern Chile, surrounded by dramatic landscapes. It’s accessible via plane – there is a small airport where you can fly into from other locations in Chile, or as we did, via bus from the larger city of Punta Arenas.
Like most other tourists in Puerto Natales, we were there as a gateway to the renowned Torres del Paine National Park. We stayed one night prior to setting out to the park to conquer the O-Trek, and a few nights after to rest our tired and aching bodies.
You can read all about our time completing the O-Trek Circuit in Torres del Paine here:
Even if you don’t want to commit to the 8 day full circuit, you can also break the trek up and do the W portion (the most popular), or day hikes to some of the top sights including Mirador Torres del Paine or the Glacier Grey Lookout.
If you are planning a trip to Torres del Paine to complete the O or W circuit, I would suggest starting off here in Puerto Natales instead of El Calafate. Read more on why in my 'O-Circuit: Know Before You Go' post.
Where we stayed:
Hostal America
Cost per night: AUD$51/USD$34 inc. breakfast
Room type: Double room (double bed) with private bathroom
Website: https://www.hostal-america.cl/
This small family-run hotel was perfect for what we needed on either side of the O-Trek. It’s conveniently located a 10-minute from the bus terminal, where both our bus from Punta Arenas arrived and our bus to and from Torres del Paine National Park left from. They also had free luggage storage which was a must for us, given we weren’t taking all of our luggage on the 8 day trek with us. Breakfast was good but basic, offering cereals, toast and eggs – perfect for pre-hike fuel.
Airbnb
Cost per night: AUD$78/USD$51.20 inc. breakfast (weirdly, it was a lot more expensive to book directly with the hostel so we booked via Airbnb!)
Apartment Type: 1 bedroom loft apartment
Website: View Airbnb listing here
After staying a night at Hostal America upon completion of the O-Circuit, we moved to an Airbnb for a few days. We were craving some home cooked meals, and more space after camping for a week. This place was a great place to unwind – really good value for money, included use of a washing machine on the property, and the best part was the small kitchen with space to host a few of our O-Trek companions for wines and healthy hearty meals.
Where we drank:
Mostly we had home-cooked meals during our stay in Puerto Natales, after eating camp food for the past week. So instead of sharing where to eat recommendations, here is where we drank coffee and booze!
Holaste! Specialty Coffee
What I drank: Flat White
What I spent: AUD$4.70/USD$3.10
They had great coffee here, even for a coffee snob such as myself. I wish I had of been hungry for food – it looked amazing, especially their omelettes!
Helados Hechos En Casa
What I drank: Flat White
What I spent: AUD$3.70/USD$2.50
This place is more known for it’s ice-creams, but when it’s 8 degrees and windy outside, coffee is my preferred option! The coffee was decent, kept me warm and tasted nice– just wasn’t quite strong enough for me.
Baguales Brewpub
What I drank: Pisco Sours (Calafate Style) and Margaritas
What I spent: hmmm… my memory is foggy on this one, but I remember buying a round of Margs because they were so cheap! I think AUD$7/USD$4.70
We joined a bunch of our fellow O-Trekkers for a post-trek celebration a couple of nights after we completed it. Safe to say, after making it through such a grueling and exhausting trek, there was a lot of reason for a celebration and a lot of drinks were consumed! The atmosphere in the pub was pretty loud and rowdy, but that could be due to the 20 or so of us filling up half the room!
Another bonus point for me was for the fact they had the rugby on the TV’s, and not just any game – my two teams from back home (New Zealand home, not Australia) were playing, the Hurricanes vs. Highlanders.
Other Tips:
Puerto Natales is WINDY! On top of Aprils cold weather, we definitely needed to rug up when heading outside. So bring lots of layers and a beanie!
There are a lot of trendy places to eat out - just because we didn't, it doesn't mean you should skip dining out! One of the places I want to try if I go back is Santolla - a seafood restaurant in a beautifully converted shipping container.
If hiring gear for the O Trek, the most popular place is Rental Natales. We found it quite expensive here, so we found a small shop a couple of blocks away where I rented a sleeping bag and crampons for half the price. I don't think they even exist on Google Maps let alone have a website, but if you head to 235 Tomás Rogers you will find it.
What We Did:
Honestly, a whole lot of nothing! And given the fact we just hiked in Torres del Paine for 8 days, I think that's fair enough! The most adventurous thing we did in the few days we were there was walk along the waterfront, which was extremely windy but a nice stroll.
Despite the small town, being so close to Torres del Paine, there are a lot of hikes and viewpoints in the area. It would have been great to have a bit longer and our bodies less sore so we could have hired a car and explored some more.
Prices were what I paid at the time in 2024, please check updated prices when travel planning!
