Things to Do in Puerto Natales

Milodon Cave (Cueva del Milodón is a Chilean Natural Monument and site of paleontological interest. It was here that, in 1896, German explorer Eberhard Hermann found the fur and bones of a Mylodon, an extinct huge ground sloth. With a small museum and displays, the site pays homage to its former inhabitant.

Tumbling into Grey Lake (Lago Grey) in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, massive Grey Glacier is almost 100 feet (30 meters) high at its peak. An arresting backdrop of snowcapped mountains adds to the glacier’s frozen enchantment.

In the early 20th century, Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskjold discovered a blue alpine lake that would later be named after him. Located within Torres del Paine National Park, the lake is famous for its beautifully colored waters, as well as its outfall, the Salto Grande waterfall.

While the national park is famous for its multi-day hiking circuits, visitors can make a shorter, easier day hike to Mirador Nordenskjold, an overlook offering stunning views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The trail passes through fields of wildflowers in the spring, and it also brings hikers up close to the Salto Grande waterfall.

In spite of its ominous name, the Channel of Last Hope (Ultima Esperanza is a calm inlet stretching from Eberhard Fjord to Monte Balmaceda in Chilean Patagonia. The 16th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ladrillero gave it its name in the belief that navigating it was his last opportunity to reach the Strait of Magellan.