The bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales is the easiest way of getting between these two important places in southern Patagonia and onwards towards Torres del Paine National Park.
Luckily, buses in Chile are very straightforward compared to other places in South America and can often be booked online in advance to allow you to plan your Patagonian vacation more easily.
Taking the bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales
With a distance of 155-miles (250km) between the two places, the bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales is the easiest and cheapest option. Be aware that with no centralized bus terminal in Punta Arenas, to board the bus, you must instead go directly to the offices of the transport company you are using.
Bus companies that serve the route between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales
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: [email protected]
Timetable: 11:00am, 18:00pm
Price: 7,000 CLP ($11 USD) one way
Address: Avenida Colon Nº 900, Punta Arenas
Telephone: +56 (61) 2 242 174 or 2 225 527
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
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: [email protected]
Getting to Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas can be reached with a domestic flight from Santiago Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. Each day, six flights serve this route, operated by LATAM and Sky Airlines. The flight has a duration of three hours and twenty five minutes.
Punta Arenas Airport is situated 14-miles (23km) north of the main city. If planning on going directly to Puerto Natales from Punta Arenas Airport, it may not be necessary to travel into Punta Arenas as some buses stop at the airport on their way to Puerto Natales; confirm this when booking your ticket.
It is recommended to reserve flights in advance as prices increase or flights are sold out in the high summer season.
Traveling on from Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales
Punta Arenas is well situated for visiting plenty of attractions in this part of Patagonia:
- Isla Magdalena and other islands on the Magellan Straits: Home to penguin and sea lion colonies, these islands can be visited by day trips or on cruise ship tours.
- The Chilean fjords: The remotest part of Patagonia, the Chilean fjords are home to huge glaciers and pristine, subAntarctic forest. They are only accessible with expedition cruise ship tours.
- El Calafate: A three and a half hour bus ride from Puerto Natales brings you to El Calafate, where the great bulk of the impressive Glacier Perito Moreno awaits.
- Ushuaia: Cruises from Punta Arenas connect Chilean Patagonia with its Argentine neighbor. They sail along the fabled Beagle Channel to dock at the harbor of the world’s southernmost city.
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2 comments
20 November, 2017 2:55 am
Thank you for this guide! Just FYI, the correct email address for Buses Fernandez is [email protected].
2 July, 2018 12:50 pm
Do you have any recommendations for traveling from Puerto Natales to El calafate in July (specifically, 7/17)? We are trying to get there and cannot seem to find any bus routes to take us there. Is private transportation an option if there are not any established bus lines for that route? If so, are there any private transportation companies you recommend?
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