Best Things to do in Puerto Natales, Chile - The Gateway to Patagonia

If you've researched traveling to Chile's Patagonia region at all, you've likely heard of Torres del Paine National Park, which is arguably Patagonia's most famous national park. Now, Torres del Paine is for sure a must-see on any visit to Patagonia. It is, however, kind of in the middle of nowhere, which is what makes Torres del Paine so awesome, but also creates one problem: where do you sleep?

Sure, you could camp inside the park while your tent gets rattled with Patagonia's wild winds, or you could stay in one of the ultra expensive hotels located inside Torres del Paine, but both of these options may not be suited for everyone (or, for the latter, not in everyone's budget). Camping does offer a true experience of the Patagonian wilderness, however you are literally roughing it in the middle of nowhere for a number of days. The hotels in the park are incredible, but, when I looked, their prices were soaring well above $600 CAD a night.

When I went to Torres del Paine, my travel buddy, Greg, and I knew that we didn't want to camp. We wanted a hotel where we could shower, recharge our phones and cameras, and relax after a long day of hiking without breaking the bank. So, we started researching the nearest places to Torres del Paine that offered hotels, restaurants and, of course, bars. That's when we found the small town of Puerto Natales.

What is Puerto Natales - aka the Gateway to Patagonia?

Puerto Natales is a small port town right at the start of the Patagonian mountains, giving it the nickname the Gateway to Patagonia. It is approximately a three hour drive from the Punta Arenas Airport. The drive is literally a flat, boring, three hour drive. As soon as you pull into Puerto Natales you can see the Patagonian mountains start to rise across the town's coastline. This is where the town gets its claim as the Gateway to Patagonia. From Puerto Natales, the drive to Torres del Paine takes about an hour and a half through the mountains, and man is it a beautiful drive.

Aside from the town's fairly close proximity to the national park, one of the other great benefits of Puerto Natales is that it has started to realize that it's becoming one of the go-to spots for tourists visiting Torres del Paine. This means that all sorts of great bars, restaurants and hotels are popping up - and they are all reasonably priced.

After some research on the area, we decided to stay in Puerto Natales for our trip to Patagonia. For three days we trekked to and from Torres del Paine, and it was honestly awesome. The drive through the mountains wasn't bad at all, and the comfort of knowing we had a nice clean hotel room, awesome restaurants, and plenty of bars for post hike drinks was enough to make us forget that we were commuting every day while on vacation.

So, if you're looking to travel to Chilean Patagonia, but don't want to camp or stay in one of the park's ultra expensive hotels, then consider staying in Puerto Natales. The town is growing quickly into a tourist hub, and the commute to / from Torres del Paine is spectacular. If you need more convincing, here are some of the best things to do in Puerto Natales while you're there:

Best Hotel: Indigo Patagonia Hotel

Honestly, any hotel with Patagonia in the name gets me stoked. This hotel, though, lives up to the hype. It is literally located along the water in Puerto Natales. This means that the hotel's restaurant, bar and top-floor spa (yes it has a spa for posts hikes) faces the Patagonian mountains! The rooms also have an incredible Patagonian feel. Our room was filled with rustic photos of Torres del Paine, wooden, cabin-style furniture and enough of a modern vibe to make you feel like you were at a well-maintained, up-scale resort. The hotel also includes a buffet breakfast every morning to get you fueled for your day hikes.

Best Restaurant: Restaurante Kosten

Honestly, there are tons of little unique restaurants serving both authentic Chilean food, and all of the North American and European classics. Maybe it was because we had flown for three hours and then driven another three hours to get to Puerto Natales, but I really enjoyed the restaurant that was in the Indigo Patagonia Hotel, which is called Restaurante Kosten.

Restaurante Kosten is located on the main level of the Indigo Patagonia Hotel. It's also got a second storey bar that you can access from inside the restaurant. The decor matches the rest of the hotel, as rustic wood features line the walls and a wood burning fireplace rests off to the side; it's enough to make you feel like you're dining in a Patagonian cabin. Instead of pictures of Patagonia on the walls like the hotel rooms, the restaurant offers massive windows that overlook the water towards the Gateway to Patagonia. This means that you can stare out at one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, while enjoying a bite to eat. Oh, and did I mention that the food is good too?

If you're planning on staying at the Indigo Patagonia Hotel, definitely grab breakfast or dinner here at least once. If you're staying elsewhere in Puerto Natales, it's still worth checking out.

Best Bar: Beer Gallery

Beer Gallery is a newer bar in Puerto Natales that offers all sorts of different craft beers. It's also got a true beer hall vibe, as the bar is filled with long communal tables, amazing bar snacks, and a chalkboard menu outlining all of the different beers on tap. Even though this bar was fairly new when I went, it was always packed with both locals and travellers. Check this place out when you're done trekking across the Patagonian landscape for the day and you're looking for a solid place to unwind or have a bit of a party night!

So, If you don't want to camp in the Patagonian wilderness and / or the luxurious hotels in Torres del Paine are too expensive, check out Puerto Natales. The trendy hotels, restaurants and bars are all reasonably priced. The drive to and from the park is also easy, beautiful and well worth the commute. When you're there, check out some of the best things about Puerto Natales mentioned in this list, or, even better, go out and find some of the other best things about the town yourself.

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