*We do not make equipment reservations. Erratic Rock can supply you with any piece of gear that you may be missing for Torres del Paine, or upgrade an existing component you may already have. Our international staff of climbers and trekkers will help you decide what you need for Patagonia, and what you don't. We love our job and we take outdoor fun very seriously. There is always someone ready to answer your equipment questions and supply you with what you will need. Rental Prices in Chilean pesos per day: Puerto Natales is a town in Chile, the gateway to Trekking in Torres del Paine or Bernardo O'Higgins National Parks. It offers good infrastructure, especially a few trekking shops (although you'd do better to get your gear in Punta Arenas) and not-so-cheap supermarkets. There are probably only a few reasons to be in this town. Puerto Natales features a couple of characteristics that visitors should be aware of. One is that the population is largely descended from immigrants from Chiloé, and the "chilote" tendencies (cooking, building style) are evident.

Another characteristic is that there are very strong leftist affiliations in this town, so take this into account by being careful with your conversations involving related politics. Aside from the chilotes, you will find many surnames for British and Croatian descendants. Daily buses arrive from El Calafate (Argentina) (about six hours). It's not allowed to bring fruit, vegetables or animal products from Argentina into Chile. Chilean border officials sometimes check the luggage.stm ranger 11 laptop backpack It is possible to drive from Rio Gallegos, Argentina, to Puerto Natales. mountain dax backpack reviewThis takes 5 hours and the road is entirely paved.best 50-60 liter backpack

Buses arrive and depart several times a day from Punta Arenas, Chile. The trip takes about three hours. There are several companies including Bus Fernandez [1] (who do not seem to reply to emails, and are often the most booked). Frustratingly it does not seem possible to pre-book tickets direct from the airport without visiting the ticket office in person. Those who can may be able to get the regular bus diverted via the airport saving them a trip to Punta Arenas centre. backpack lordosisMost bus companies will do this,but you should ask when you purchase your ticket.heshe backpackThey will ask for your full name, date of birth, passport info, date you want to leave, and then send you a paypal request. gooie backpack saleAfter you pay, they will send you the tickets for $15 USD each.

Schedule wise, this is convenient because these buses can pick you up at the airport outside of arrivals. Their website says their current schedule is 7:00, 10:00, 12:30pm, 15:00, 17:15, 19:00, 21:00. What this means is it departs Punta Arenas at this time, but arrives at the airport about half an hour later. So if you book a 10am ticket, you should be at arrivals at around 10:15am to be picked up to avoid heading into town. If you have any further questions you can call their Punta Arenas office at: +56 (61) 2 222 938. Buses and tours depart to Torres del Paine, El Calafate and El Chalten through several agencies in town, during summer book ahead. This is a small, waterside town that is easily accessible by foot. Do not for any reason take the Maria Jose busses to the National Park. They are worse and more expensive than the J.B.A. company, which is located at Arturo Prat number 258. JBA is at least 20% less expensive, has the same schedule, and will pick you up from your hostel.

Everyone in town is selling comparable bus services, this is the cheapest by far. The Cueva de Milodon is probably around 40 km or so out to the site and the road isn't paved all the way. The milodon is an extinct 12 foot tall giant sloth. This was its home. Of course, not all the milodons were 12 feet tall. Some of the younger milodons weren't even 11 feet tall. There's a scenic interpretive loop trail. 4 km NW of Natales is the old freezer plant ("frigorifico") at Puerto Bories, constructed in 1913 and the reason for the existence of Puerto Natales, which served as the lodging and supply point for the frigorifico plant. It was a museum and national monument until 2010. As of December 2010 the site was a construction zone for the new hotel that is going up within the old brick walls of a part of the of plant. The frigorifico is the best preserved and largest of the freezer plants related to the sheep industry that was the basis for much of the economy of southern Patagonia until WWII.

See the harbour, do a trek in Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno, Milodon Cave, catch a boat on one of the lakes. There are guided rentals of motorcycles (Kawasaki KLR650) for adventure tours of southern Patagonia, including Tierra del Fuego. The owner has been riding Patagonia since 1978 and takes clients to points that many tourists would miss including scenic spots; also good breaks in places with good cappuccino). Update: the service for 2010-2011 season will not start in January 2011 and advance planning is necessary. You must be an experienced off-pavement rider in good physical and mental condition and have a motorcycle cert on your licence. You must plan ahead and bring your own riding gear. Some client fotos [ here [3] and [ here [4]] 200.89.47.54 18:31, 24 October 2013 (EDT)* The city museum: Museo Histórico Municipal, on Bulnes 285. Foreigners pay twice as much for entry as Chilean residents, similar to entry to Torres del Paine national park (welcome to Chile).

Hours vary by season but usually 0830 to 1230 and 230 to 600 in the afternoon on weekdays. Mirador Cerro Dorotea: This is a local short hike up the nearby Cerro Dorotea which looms over the town to the north east. It's about 5km outside of town. Getting there is easy by cab (approx 4,000 pesos), or you can hire a bike to get to the entrance. Don't walk - it would take too long, and it's down roads and so is an entirely unpleasant walk. Alternatively you could hitch hike. The entrance is well signposted on Ruta 9 out of town to the North East, so you are unlikely to miss it. Entrance to the private trail is 5,000 pesos, which seems steep, but you get a brief intro by one of the people who owns the farm and upon returning to the beginning of the trail you are fed tea/coffee and snacks etc. The trail itself is a medium ascent through meadows and woodlands up to the mirador which gives fantastic views across the town and the mountains in the distance. It is about 1 1/2 hours up, and an hour return.

Ensure the weather is calm before leaving - the winds at the top are strong in any weather.Food is not typical of the local region, because the owners are a Zambian and Chilean couple who have some thing different offer apart from the other typical food of the region. small but nice and cosy! The water quality in Natales is not particularly good, though it is considered safe and healthy by the government. It has a high concentration of dissolved mineral content. The Natales municipal water is pumped from wells and the raw water is rather silty, with high tannin and other organic content. The water does not come "from the glaciers" which in any event are more than 40 km away and dump their icemelt into the brackish waters of the fjord. There are plenty of hostels and residentials around the town. There are also many Hospedajes. The (mostely) women of the hospedajes wait for the bus to come and try to talk tourists into their home. They have really good deals! There is a second new location "Erratic Rock II" at 732 Benjamin Zamora between Miraflores and Yungay streets, three blocks from Erratic Rock 1, 4 blocks from buses Fernandez, 3 blocks from Bus Sur, and an 8 minute walk from the main plaza.