From the minute we landed in Puerto Natales, I was thrilled. There isn’t even another way to describe it. Walking down the steps of the plane and seeing the mountains surrounding us on all sides, realizing that we were near the end of the earth, it was an incredibly exciting feeling. We had booked Patagonia for the first time in 2020. Needless to say, we didn’t get to Chile that year, or the next, so this trip was 3 years in the making for us and the excitement was real!
How to get there
Flying into Puerto Natales from Santiago was a breeze, and the flight itself felt like a tour. We flew over incredible landscapes and I was captivated, staring out the window the entire time. We had a very clear day, and as we flew over Torres Del Paine National Park, the pilot made an announcement for everyone to look out to see it! We got an overhead view of the land we were about to be hiking.
We flew directly into Puerto Natales on Sky Airlines with no issues. Many people fly into Punta Arenas and then bus or drive up to Puerto Natales, however, I feel that route is a bit outdated. It can be hard to find current info on Chile and most blogs/websites I read advised flying into Punta Arenas. When searching for our flight down, I discovered that I could fly directly into Puerto Natales, so I did some more research and emailed my hotels and tour company to ask what they thought of flying directly there. They all said that it wouldn’t be a problem at all, though one hotel did advise that we avoid the airline JetSmart, and stick with Sky or Latam.
To be fair, we saw JetSmart flights taking off and landing seemingly as planned during our time there, so I am not sure how much truth there still was to that advice either.
Getting from the airport to the hotel was super easy, we jumped in a cab for about a 7-minute ride into town. Even the views from the cab ride were incredible. You ride right along the water the whole way, and can see horses grazing, mountains in the distance, and lots of cool and different eco-domes, lodges, and housing.
Where to stay
We stayed at Hotel Costaustralis, and it was right on the water. It was so nice to be able to walk right out the door and have incredible views. We walked up and down the water line about 100 times during our two days there, it was picture perfect. We landed on Christmas Eve, so we had prepaid to have Christmas Eve dinner at the hotel. We really enjoyed the dinner, it was 4 courses and all of them were so delicious. With two choices for each course, and being a party of two, we were able to try everything they had to offer for the night along with some great wines. The hotel had tons of areas for lounging and hanging out, and they were all beautiful.
We were also within a few minutes walking distance of anything we could possibly need in town. We had given ourselves a full day in Puerto Natales before the hike just in case we ran into any travel issues, we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss or delay our entry into Torres Del Paine.
Hiking to see Condors
I spent a lot of time researching something to do for our full day in Puerto Natales, and we ended up going with a guided hike of Laguna Sophia to spot condors. It was an incredibly beautiful hike that was only a few hours long, and we were able to see at least 6 condors, spotting them multiple times during the hike. It was a great warm up for the W-Trek and we had the most beautiful day.
Explore the town
When we returned from our day hike, we took some time to explore the town. It was Christmas Day, so the town was less bustling than it probably usually is, but we were still able to pop in a few shops and enjoy a drink and a snack. It was a beautiful, sunny day so we were able to sit outside at Angelicas and have a glass of wine and a beer and people watch, which we really enjoyed.
Dinner at Afrigonia
We had dinner at Afrigonia, and it was one of the best dinners we’ve ever had. The place was adorable and set up so nice and cozy. I started off with king crab 3-ways, which consisted of king crab mousse, king crab au gratin, and fresh king crab meat, it was an incredible dish! We had a homemade cream of vegetable soup, and my husband had a steak while I had the salmon. The meal was perfect from start to finish, and they even gave us Santa hats to wear because it was Christmas. The wine was delightful and the staff were super friendly and helpful.
Where to stay Part 2
When we returned from our trek in Patagonia, we wanted somewhere a little more reasonably priced to stay. We were getting in at around 10:00 PM, and then leaving at 10:00 AM the following morning, so we just needed a warm bed and a nice shower. We stayed at hotel Aquaterra and it was PERFECT. I think it was one of the top shower and sleep experiences of my life! Maybe second to the post-Machu Picchu accommodation, as we were a bit dirtier on that trek. The hotel was very accommodating, even though we didn’t stay there before the trek, they held our luggage while we were out hiking and had it ready in our room upon arrival. The bed was incredibly cozy and we were so happy to be staying there.
Dinner at El Brisket
The restaurant, “El Brisket”, is attached to the hotel and we ran in to see if we could get a quick 10:00pm dinner. Luckily, they accommodated us and were so incredibly kind. We really enjoyed our meal of a brisket salad, ceviche, and vegetable soup, all three were delicious. We wished we’d found this place sooner so we could have had another meal there. The kindness of the staff and the warm welcome were so amazing after 4 days of hiking and sleeping in tents. The wine was divine and we had such a happy night here warming up, eating, and getting ready for our cozy bed!
Watch the sunset
One major thing not to be missed in Puerto Natales are the sunsets. Although, in December they happen very late (around 11pm), they are worth the wait. The colors were unreal over the water and the mountains, and we stayed up each night just to see it. Luckily, at Hotel Costaustralis we were able to see the beautiful view from the lounge area as well. It was so nice to sit inside, protected from the wind, while sipping wine and chatting about our upcoming hike with the sun setting out in front of us.
Don’t just pass through
Overall, Puerto Natales is considered a “pass through” town for travelers on the way to Patagonia, so you will likely find yourself here at least for a day or two, and it is a really nice place to stop. There were also people who we were doing multi-day treks, that drove into the National Park each day and then came back to their hotel in Puerto Natales in the evenings. Being only about an hour or so from the park, this is another great option if you want to experience Torres Del Paine, but you don’t want to camp in tents or sleep in a refugio. It does, however, limit your ability to do certain hikes in the park, but is a nice option for families or those who may be older or more limited in hiking abilities.
I have a whole post about the entire process of hiking the w-trek here. And a list of reasons why I think you should go for it here!
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