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Welcome to Puerto Natales, Chile. This town is the gateway to Torres Alpine National Park, and it's a must stop on any southern Patagonia itinerary. Most visitors to Puerto Natales are avid multi-day trekers looking to tackle the W track or the O circuit. But even dayhikers can enjoy seeing the turquoise lakes and the jagged granite peaks known as the horns of Bay. In this video, we're going to share what you can expect to see on an action-packed day at Torres Edina National Park. We're talking lakes, waterfalls, and a beach where you can spot icebergs. Plus, we'll highlight some sites along Puerto Natales waterfront, nearby attractions like the Myodon Cave, places to eat, where to
stay, and practical info like how to get there. So, if you're planning a trip to this corner of Chilean Patagonia, stick around. First, let's talk about how to get to Puerto Natales because you have a few different options. Puerto Natales has a very small airport Julio Gadardo airport code PNT and it receives flights from Santiago de Chile and Puerto Mont. Alternatively, there are bus connections to Puerto Natales via Punta Arenas on the Chilean side and Ilcalafat on the Argentine side. We traveled by bus and crossed over from Argentina after spending time in Elcalafat in Elchalen. This is a popular choice
with travelers with multiple bus connections per day. Now, let's chat about what there is to see and do in Puerto Natales. First and foremost, this destination is the gateway to Torres Elpine National Park. If you're a hardcore treker, then you probably have two circuits on your brain. the W track, which can be done in 3 to 5 days, or the more challenging O circuit, which takes 7 to nine days to complete. We felt like we had walked our legs off in neighboring Elchin, Argentina, so we skipped the overnight tracks and opted for a day visit. The journey from Puerto Natales to Torres Elpine National Park is about an hour. Unlike Elchaden in Argentina where the town is inside the national park and you can walk right up to the trail heads, on the
Chilean side, you need to organize your transportation. This means either renting a car or joining a guided tour to Torres Elpine as we did. Heat. We are off to see the floating icebergs. They sure are. Oh my. Well, floating. Of course they float. They're icebergs. So, there's an area. It's basically kind of like a beach is leading out there, isn't there? Isn't it? It's like a strip
of uh strip of sand. Sandy strip. You've got the lake and the icebergs. And we've been given an hour and 40 minutes for lunch and to complete, you know, this little walk down the trail. Go see the icebergs. Get back. Just enough time, right? Just enough time. And hopefully the weather cooperates while we're out. It's holding. Like our guide said today, prepare for four seasons. All in one. All in. Look at that. That's majestic. That is. We followed the gray lookout trail across the bridge over the Rioingo and we reached this beachy area
where we could see icebergs. Yes, those are blue ice giants floating in front of us. And the clouds were blowing over top the mountains at crazy speeds. And that for me was the most epic moment of our visit to Torres Alpine. This is what we saw in one day in Torres Alpena National Park. We had planned to come back again the following day, but Patagonian weather intervened. The heavy winds and rain didn't make trekking so appealing. But there is a lesson here, and that is the importance of building a buffer in your Patagonia trip, especially if you're planning or outdoor activities.
The Myodon Cave is a natural monument and a massive cave system where the remains of a Myodon were found. If you've never heard of this creature, don't worry. Neither had we. The Myodon is a prehistoric ground sloth that once lived in this region. It was a planteating toothless mammal that moved on four legs and weighed approximately one ton. It had powerful claws and a thick coat of fur that allowed it to withstand the low temperatures of the time. Now, a fun story. Apparently, the myodon state of conservation was so good that when they found its remains, they believed it was that of a living animal. This launched a small wave of early 20th century expeditions in search of a living, breathing myodon. Well, that search
didn't yield any fruit. The samples were eventually dated back about 10,000 years. They were just in excellent condition because of the extreme cold and the cave stable conditions. Inside the cave, there's a circuit to follow and it ends with a statue of the mileadin which of course we had to pose with. Well guys, we just finished visiting the mileadin's cave. This was a prehistoric creature kind of like a giant sloth that measured up to 2 m. And its remains were found in this cave. They were discovered by a German explorer. We were able to walk around the cave. It was pretty cool.
Oh my gosh, I love that creature. It's slightly smaller than the uh than the one in the mega the meggathereum. The megathereum. This is like the half size. Yeah, the 2 m version, not the 5 m version. Yeah. But it's very cool. It adds a very cool element to the cave. And also, it's great. It's a great familyfriendly kind of addition, too. Yeah, the kids would love it. I did. Puerto Natales waterfront is lined with lots of sculptures and monuments that are worth visiting. So that's exactly what we did on our stroll. A few of the highlights included the Puerto Natales
town sign with the mileadon. Then you have Lmano or the hand, an art installation where five giantsized fingers stick out of the ground as though they're ready to grab you. The old pier is another iconic landmark and a popular spot for photos. We saw so many black necked swans here and the views were really nice, so we just stopped to soak it in. We also befriended a few dogs in the process. Lastly, we visited the monument to the wind, a sculpture of a man and a woman blowing in the wind because let's not forget this is Patagonia and the winds are quite something to contend with. And that was our leisurely stroll along the waterfront. Very loweffort, enjoyable, and we got to scout out some places to eat.
Now, let's talk about where to eat in Puerto Natales. Starting with breakfast. Cow cafe and lounge is located in the same building as the cow lodge. And for those wondering about the name, cao means house in the tu language of the people who inhabited Patagonia. This is a great brunch stop. We love their coffees, baked goods, and sandwiches. And it's a really nice location overlooking the water. Another restaurant in Puerto Natales that we hit up a couple of times is Nandu. They had a lot of traditional Chilean dishes on the menu, so that's what drew us in. Chile does seafood dishes very well, and Sam ordered an impressive salmon ceviche.
I love the acidity of it. I love tender salmon. Avocado goes so well with it. Just delicious overall. So, this dish right here is called pastel de Chlo. I thought it was going to be like a corn sheepardd's pie, but it was a lot runnier, somewhere between a stew and a casserole. For dessert, we got the tota manharate, which was decadent. That cake is outstanding. It's one of the most decadent cakes I've had in years. It is basically copious amount of manhar blanco, like a dosa de leche, and then chocolate, layers of chocolate. It's so ridiculously thick and sweet and rich tasting. Oh, it was amazing, guys. Because we were visiting Puerto Nadales during the holiday season, we treated ourselves to a few fancy meals. This one
was at Angelica's restaurant where I got the grilled salmon with a butter sauce and a couscous with black olives and goat cheese. Meanwhile, Sam opted for the homemade with a four cheese sauce and some more Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. The most delicious I've ever tried. This is also the softest noki I've ever tried. I know. That's homemade right there. Gourmet like next level pasta, guys. And for dessert, tiramisu. It was a wonderful meal. Vin House was another stellar meal. We opted for their set dinner menu and started off with a pisco sour for our aitivo. Then homemade brusqueta with pesto and tomatoes for the appetizer, followed by salmon ceviche with mango for the starter. The main dish was Patagonian Guanco
medallions with red cabbage and a potato dumpling. Lastly, dessert was coffee panakotta with passion fruit and orange. As far as accommodations go, we booked an apartment that was a little ways from the downtown core, so I won't recommend it because it was a walk. I would try to choose something close to the waterfront or near Pla de Arma Suro Prat. If you want to stay in Torres Alpine National Park, then look at Eco Camp Patagonia. They are the world's first geodessic dome hotel with a strong focus on sustainability and outdoor adventures. Explorator Elpine is another option to consider if you want five-star luxury in the park. This lodge features a spa with
a heated pool, steam sauna, and open air hot tubs, plus hiking trails at your doorstep. And that is our travel guide to Puerto Natales, Chile. We hope you found this video helpful and that it gave you a few ideas of what there is to see and do in Puerto Natales and nearby Torres Alpine National Park. If you enjoyed this video, we invite you to give it a like, hit subscribe, and join us for more travels across Patagonia. Tata.
