Provincia Última Esperanza

Provincia Última Esperanza brings together impressive ice landscapes with Patagonian steppe, forests and places of special significance in human history. Whether you want to experience glaciers, go hiking or visit an archaeologically significant cave, the different destinations and ways of getting there give your trip its own distinct focus.

Steppe, forests and ice in Torres del Paine

In Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Patagonian steppe, dense lenga forests and the ice masses of Campo de Hielo Sur meet. The park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. If you are looking for nature experiences, you will find a range of options here: ecotourism activities include camping, hiking, mountaineering, boating, river trips, glacier crossings, horseback riding and documentary filming.

A notable destination in the western part of the park is Glaciar Grey. It originates in Campos de Hielo Sur and extends for 28 kilometres to the lake of the same name, where it breaks apart into blue icebergs. Its ice fronts reach a height of 30 metres. You can approach them by boat or walk on the ice with expert guides. There are different ways to experience the glacier—on the water or directly on the ice.

The Lago Grey sector is about 100 kilometres, or approximately two hours, from Puerto Natales via the park’s internal roads. A three-hour boat trip to the ice fronts departs from Hotel Lago Grey. If this experience is a highlight of your trip, you can take the boat trip and the longer journey into account when planning your accommodation and days out.

A cave of archaeological significance

Monumento Natural Cueva del Milodón offers a very different way to explore the region. The cave has archaeological value: around 12,000 years ago, early inhabitants of Patagonia lived there. The approximate date highlights the region’s long history of human settlement, without reducing the cave to its past alone.

From Puerto Natales, you can reach the monument by travelling more than 17 kilometres along Ruta 9 Norte to the Milodón-Cerro Castillo turnoff, then continuing for 8 kilometres along Ruta Y-290 to the car park and entrance. On site, there is an environmental information centre, toilets, picnic areas and trails; souvenirs and snacks are sold. The path to Cueva Grande was designed for people with reduced mobility.

These details help you plan your visit: the drive includes two road sections, and the monument offers several visitor amenities.

Boat trips and remote protected areas

For a full-day boat trip, depart from Puerto Natales, usually from Puerto Bories. The tour travels through the fjords of Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. A place on the tour must be reserved in advance. This is a different kind of excursion from the boat trip at Glaciar Grey: here, the itinerary includes a full-day fjord trip and two glaciers.

Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins also reveals the scale of this ice landscape. Most of the park encompasses Campo de Hielo Sur, Campo de Hielo Dr. Juan Bruggen and Campo de Hielo Patagónico; together, these ice fields cover 1,000,500 hectares. Another protected area, Parque Nacional Kawésqar, is accessible only by sea, including from Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales or Puerto Montt. There are no visitor services or infrastructure for public use there—a key difference to consider when choosing your excursions.

The protected Bien Nacional Protegido Archipiélago Madre de Dios is also accessible only by sea; a day trip there is possible from Puerto Natales. The area consists of 54 islands north of the 50th parallel south and immediately south of the Trinidad Channel. These destinations differ considerably from the road and park access routes around Cueva del Milodón and Torres del Paine.

Puerto Natales as an arrival point and base

The main access to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is via Puerto Natales. Buses depart daily from the city’s bus terminal for the Laguna Amarga, Sarmiento and Serrano entrances; the journey takes about two hours. Puerto Natales can also be reached by seasonal direct flights to Aeródromo Teniente Julio Gallardo. The 250-kilometre drive from Punta Arenas along Ruta 9 takes about three hours; there is also a ferry connection from Puerto Montt.

Puerto Natales is also known for its cuisine, which specialises in lamb and king crab. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can consider whether you would like to use the town as a base for your arrival, excursions and regional cuisine. For further orientation, the pages about Estancia Pudeto, Torres Del Paine and Natales also lead to individual places in the province. Other provinces at the same level: Provincia Antártica Chilena, Provincia Magallanes, Provincia Tierra Del Fuego.

For the broader travel overview: Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena.