A Quick Guide to Torres del Paine Patagonia - GETTING THERE (especially for Rock Climbers)
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Approaching Torres del Paine National Park from the south. Photo © by Erik Orton. All rights reserved.
Have you dreamt of climbing the massive granite cliffs of Torres del Paine? Climbing in this wonderland is a dream come true for many rock climbers, myself included. But the logistics of getting there and navigating the bureaucracy can be daunting. I was stoked to finally visit this mythical place, learned a ton and wanted to share the information I gathered in hopes of making your trip smoother. Here’s a run down:
Getting There:
Fly into Santiago and catch a flight on SKY or LATAM down to Punta Arenas (~3 hour flight).
From Punta Arenas you can catch buses almost hourly to Puerto Natales (~2 hour ride), which is the entry town to Torres del Paine National Park. LATAM airline has very limited—and more expensive—flights directly into Puerto Natales. Either way, you’ll want to get to “Natales” as the locals call it.
Think of Puerto Natales like Canmor is to Banff, or Mariposa/Oakurst are to Yosemite. Natales is the last major town before heading into the boon docks. Natales has everything a climber, trekker or outdoor enthusiast might need. The town is set up for outdoor tourism. I found rock climbing shoes, approach shoes, rain gear, butane for my camp stove, quick draws, ascenders, haul bag swivels, climbing helmets, ice axes, crampons, headlamps. They have nearly everything you might need. Click [LINK] here for more info on gear and rental shops.
Punta Arenas
After a long day of travel from the U.S., we opted to stay one night in Punta Arenas before continuing on to Natales. (Please note: you can catch a bus directly from the airport to Puerto Natales. On my next trip, that’s probably what I’ll do. More info on that below.)
Sign in the Punta Arenas airports for buses going directly to Puerto Natales. (I love the mistranslation on the top left: “ our destinations” translated as “our fates.” Choose wisely : )
The easiest way into Punta Arenas from the airport is via taxi: $10,000 CPL / $13 USD. It’s about a 25 minute ride. We withdrew cash from the ATM immediately outside baggage claim. The taxi drivers are waiting right there and are happy to help you with information and carry your bags. (Although in my case our driver let me carry my haul bag : ) Once in town, there are grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, etc. If you’re just passing through, I would recommend staying close to the Statue of Magellean which is near the bus stations.
Our haul bag in the front seat of the taxi.
In Punta Arenas, we stayed at Hostal La Morenitain that we booked through AirBnB. ($16/night per person; breakfast was included). It was a perfectly comfy stay for one night, but it was a long-ish walk to the bus stations with all our gear.
From Punta Arenas, you can easily catch a bus to Puerto Natales:
The Bus Sur depot.
All forms of payment are accepted.
Timetable: 7:00am, 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 13:00pm, 14:30pm, 16:00pm, 17:00am, 18:30am, 19:15pm, 20:00pm, 21:00pm
Price: 7,000 CLP ($11 USD) one way
Address: Armando Sanhueza #745, Punta Arenas
Telephone: +56 (61) 2 242 313
Email: pasajespuntaarenas@busesfernandez.com
Timetable: 10:00am, 12:30pm, 15:00pm, 17:15pm, 19:00pm
Price: 7,600 CLP ($12 USD) one way
Address: Av. Colón 842, Punta Arenas
Telephone: +56 (61) 2 614 224
Email: info@bussur.com
Bus Pacheco – was closed when we dropped by.
All buses stop at the Punta Arenas airport on their route to Puerto Natales, so you can decide if you want to leave from town or directly from the airport. The bus ride is about 2.5 hours from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales. You can also rent cars in Punta Arenas. Rates are comparable to the U.S.
It is also possible to store luggage and items you may not want to take with you into the National Park. This is especially helpful if you will be camping and/or backpacking. They make it easy to travel light.
Baggage storage inside the Bus Sur station in Punta Arenas.
Our Bus Sur ride from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales.
Puerto Natales
Buses arrive at the Rodoviario (Bus Station). You can catch buses from that same location into the park. Immediately across the street are rental car huts, and many others are scattered throughout the town.
We stayed at two AirBnBs and one hostel in Natales.
There are loads of options in both Hostels and AirBnB’s. I would recommend staying close to the bus station (if you’re just passing through) or closer to the main grocery store (Unimarc Supermarket) if you’re needing to run errands, arrange gear or book a guide. The town is small enough that you can walk where you need to go, but taxis are available if you have heavy luggage.
For hard core climbers, you can stay at the Red Point Hostel, which is only a few blocks from the bus station. NOTE: it is affordable but they only accept cash. Eduardo and Ruth run Red Point. They are super friendly and helpful. Ruth is really good at getting climbing permits and Eduardo knows the mountains and climbing scene extremely well. We stayed for $10,000 CLP ($12.25 USD)/person per night. Breakfast of bread, eggs and coffee/tea/hot water was included.
There are plenty of options to get from Natales to the National Park. Rental car offices abound in Natales and there are regular buses every day at regular hours. It’s about a 1.5 hour ride or drive into the park. Buses will take you to the eastern Lago Amarga entrance. We ended up renting a car and drove in through the southern Serrano Entrance. Both have amazing views as you approach the park. NOTE: the park entrance fee is 25,000 CLP / ~$31 USD and must be paid in CASH. This is one of the rare instances when debit/credit cards cannot be used.
The beautiful drive into the park. Approaching the southern serrano entrance.
