Natales: City History and Fjord Views

Puerto Natales is considered the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. But the city itself also offers inviting glimpses: along the Costanera Pedro Montt, views of the Seno Última Esperanza and the Patagonian Andes meet traces of local history. If you’re looking for a vacation rental in Natales, you can tailor your stay to your interests—from museums and city history to excursions on the water or trails nearby.

Fjord Views and City History

Within the city, the Costanera Pedro Montt offers views of the Seno Última Esperanza and the Patagonian Andes. Another viewpoint is Mirador de la Cruz on Avenida Santiago Bueras: from there, you can see Puerto Natales and the Fiordo Última Esperanza. The two locations offer different perspectives on the city and fjord landscape.

The Museo Histórico de Puerto Natales focuses on the history of the Natales municipality. Its timeline spans from the origins of the area 14,000 years ago to the 1930s. The exhibits in seven themed rooms are labeled bilingually. The collection comprises 331 objects from Aónikenk and Kawésqar cultures, as well as from local everyday life; most of them are European objects from the 19th and 20th centuries. Materials and records also explore the lives of pioneers and settlers from the city’s beginnings as a workers’ and livestock-raising settlement in 1911. Temporary exhibitions are based primarily on accounts from community members.

The museum also offers a virtual 360-degree tour for a glimpse of its exhibition rooms. You can combine an in-person museum visit with a digital tour. The themed rooms and varied exhibits focus on different subjects: early history, Indigenous cultures, and everyday life in Natales.

Traces in the Cityscape

A bicycle tour is one suggested way to explore Puerto Natales. It passes through streets and avenues lined with historic pioneer houses and connects, among other places, the Ether Aike craft village with Plaza de los Cuatro Pueblos. At Pueblito Artesanal Ether Aike in the city center, you can find locally made items crafted from sheep’s wool, leather, and wood. A mural on Phillipi Street tells the story of the Aonikenk and Kaweskar.

Muelle Histórico Braun y Blanchard is also part of the city’s history. The influential livestock company of the same name built it in the early 20th century. During the sheep-farming boom, the pier was the most important commercial shipping point of its time. It is located on Puerto Natales’s waterfront promenade on Pedro Montt Street. At the end of the more than 10-kilometer-long Costanera Pedro Montt is the former Puerto Bories cold-storage complex. It was converted into the five-star hotel The Singular and houses a museum about the history of Natales’s early days.

Excursions on the Water and on Foot

Excursions by speedboat or kayak are available from Puerto Natales on the Seno Última Esperanza and through its fjords. If you prefer to explore on foot, the surrounding area offers both short, easy walks and longer, more physically demanding routes. These differences can help you choose excursions that suit your personal preferences.

At the Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument, the Cueva Grande trail is wheelchair-accessible, with assistance, as far as the viewpoint inside the cave. Near Laguna Sofia, horseback-riding excursions lasting an hour or longer can be arranged through a local provider. Schedules and transfers from your accommodation must be coordinated. If you’d like to include these activities in your trip, they offer different ways to spend days outside the city.

Getting There and Other Destinations

Puerto Natales has a smaller airfield with the code PNT. From Punta Arenas, the city can be reached by taking the 250-kilometer route along Ruta 9. When choosing your vacation rental, it may therefore be helpful to first decide whether you’re mainly interested in exploring the museums and city landmarks or planning excursions on the water and in the surrounding area.

Other destinations: Puerto Natales, Estancia Pudeto, Torres Del Paine.

Back to the main travel overview: Provincia Última Esperanza.