Torres del Paine National Park in Chile receives over 250K visitors annually and they all pass through Puerto Natales. Prices are expected to be high for a town that relies heavily on tourism and I recommend traveling there during the shoulder months (September/October or March/April), since December to February are swarming with tourists.
What brought on this travel memory?
I am always thinking of traveling to South America during the winter months in the US (since it is summer there). My first trip to Puerto Natales was in late October 2015 (see image below).
How to plan a trip to explore Torres Del Paine National Park
I recently helped one of my friends with award booking flights to Chile (review) and planning a trip to explore Patagonia (review). In my opinion, Torres Del Paine is the heart of Chilean Patagonia and must be explored first.
Flight from Santiago to Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales has its own airport (PNT) and flying there saves a 2-hour drive time from the more popular Punta Arenas (PUQ) airport (Google Flights). However, flight and rental car prices are cheaper when you fly to PUQ airport.
PNT Airport Rental Car
I recommend using momondo (link) to find rental cars at PNT airport, since you are not going to find any results from traditional search engines like Kayak.com.
You may find more rental car options by searching for “Puerto Natales” instead of PNT and you can arrange for the company to deliver you the car at the airport for a small additional fee.
Puerto Natales Avis
Avis has a Puerto Natales branch, but you can never find any availability when searching on Avis.com.
However, Avis rentals show up on 3rd party booking sites like Rentalcargroup.com (see image below).
Puerto Natales Other Car Rentals
One option is to reach out to a highly rated local car rental companies like Magallanes Rent a Car (https://magallanesrentacar.cl/home) and LYS Car Rentals (https://www.lys.cl/).
Europcar Car Rental is another option, but I read a Reddit review that they may cancel your booking at the last minute during busy season due to having insufficient cars.
Puerto Natales Accommodations
Booking.com has several accommodations in Puerto Natales (link) and I recommend spending time to pick a suitable property that suits your budget and taste.
Capital One Travel has a few properties in Puerto Natales and Venture X bookings earn 10x points there.
Puerto Natales Dining
The town has enough restaurants to satisfy your appetite during a week long stay and you can easily drive in a rental car and park on a nearby street for dining.
Should you stay in Puerto Natales or Torres Del Paine National Park?
Torres Del Paine (TDP) accommodations are significantly more expensive compared to staying in Puerto Natales and are not suited for budget conscious travelers. However, prices inside the park are reasonable if you travel in low season (September or October).
Driving from Puerto Natales to the TDP National Park
The national park has two main entrances named Portería Serrano and Portería Laguna Amarga and the road there will be a mix between paved and gravel along with several potholes.
Puerto Natales Things To Do
In addition to exploring TDP National Park, one can find several different activities in Puerto Natales on the official tourism webpage (link).