Puerto Natales

Bringing fruit, vegetables or animal products from Argentina into Chile is not allowed. Chilean border officials always check luggage, especially if you are a tourist, and if they find anything which is not declared in the form you are asked to fill in, you will have to pay a fine and will have your goods confiscated.

By plane

There is a small airport about 10 km from the city center, on the road to the Torres del Paine National Park. During the high season, i.e. from September to April, there are flights connecting the city with Puerto Montt and Santiago.

By bus

Buses arrive and depart from Rodoviario Puerto Natales, a 10 minute walk away from the central area.
Daily buses arrive from El Calafate, (Argentina) (about six hours).
Buses arrive and depart several times a day from Punta Arenas, Chile. The trip takes about three hours. There are several companies including

On foot

This is a small, waterside town that is easily accessible on foot. Most services are found between a sort of triangle formed by Manuel Bulnes street to the west, Pedro Montt street (costanera) to the north and Bernardo Philipi to the southeast. In the junction of Philipi and Bulnes streets, there's Baquedano Street, where you can find fruitshops, internet cafés, pharmacies and call centers. If you keep walking you find Plaza O´Higgings between Miraflores and Yungay, around which you can find budget lodges.
The Plaza de Armas (square) is a large open area between Eberhard and Bories, around which you can find the municipal buildings, the church, the post office, some pubs and restaurants and a bank.
If you walk up along Miraflores street to the "sector alto", you will reach Santiago Bueras Avenue, where you can get nice views of the city and the scenic beauty that surrounds it.
Following the coast direction to the harbour, there is a boat cemetery.

Colectivo

Taxis colectivos are shared taxis, although entirely black (taxis have a yellow roof), running on fixed routes like buses (which are not found in this city) with a roof sign indicating the destination. They charge about CLP$400. Since the bus terminal is far on foot from downtown Natales, colectivos are a good option to get there because they are cheaper than taxis (which tend to charge more to tourists).

Taxi

Also known as radio-taxis, are fast in case you feel asleep and don't want to miss your bus to Punta Arenas or El Calafate and are also a good option to visit Mylodons Cave or Cerro Dorotea (Dorotea Hill). They usually charge CLP$1000 during the day and CLP$2000 at night, for destinations within the city. They are not metered as in Santiago or Punta Arenas, so always ask ¿Cuánto cuesta la carrera? (How much is the ride?) so that you agree upon a fare in advance.

Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking works very well in Puerto Natales. Easy to get a ride to Torres del Paine (start early, around 8am), Cueva del Milodon or even direction to cerro Dorotea and Punta Arenas.
To go into the park, its better to go by Cerro Castillo. The road is nicer from Cueva del Milodon but its easier to enter without paying from Laguna Amarga

See the harbour, do a trek in Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno, Milodón Cave, catch a boat on one of the lakes.
There are guided rentals of motorcycles (Kawasaki KLR650) for adventure tours of southern Patagonia, including Tierra del Fuego. The owner has been riding Patagonia since 1978 and takes clients to points that many tourists would miss including scenic spots; also good breaks in places with good cappuccino). Inquire via patagonia2004@hotmail.com You must be an experienced off-pavement rider in good physical and mental condition and have a motorcycle cert on your licence. You must plan ahead and bring your own riding gear.

• Walk to the boatyardSouth on Pedro Montt, about 1 km beyond the Navimag pier. Wooden fishing boats are hauled ashore for painting, repair, or sometimes just abandoned. Don't forget your camera. There is also a "Navy pier" adjacent to the Navimag pier with benches to sit and enjoy the scenery.

The two larger supermarkets (Unimarc and Don Bosco) stock foods that are needed by trekkers/backpackers, including lightweight soups, precooked "ramen" noodles, hard cheeses, gorp components (dried fruits and nuts), Snickers bars, and powdered drinks. Freeze-dried products are available in several outdoor shops for about 10US$ per package.

• Miriam Parra handicraft, Manuel Bulnes. Great handicrafts excellent quality situated on one of the main roads in Natales. Everything from sheep skin to wooden craft.

The water quality in Natales is not particularly good, though it is considered safe and healthy by the government. It has a high concentration of dissolved mineral content. The Natales municipal water is pumped from wells and the raw water is rather silty, with high tannin and other organic content. The water does not come "from the glaciers" which in any event are more than 40 km away and dump their icemelt into the brackish waters of the fjord.

There are plenty of hostels and residentials around the town. There are also many Hospedajes. The (mostly) women of the hospedajes wait for the bus to come and try to talk tourists into their home. They have really good deals and will usually serve breakfast and store your luggage while you are trekking. Spanish language skills are useful if you choose a hospedaje.

Budget

• Punta Arenas
• El Chalten
• El Calafate