Patagonia en bus: desde Punta Arenas a Puerto Natales 🇨🇱⛰️

Patagonia en bus: desde Punta Arenas a Puerto Natales 🇨🇱⛰️

Hello everyone, and welcome to this new video in which we travel from the beautiful city of Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales on a breathtaking journey of almost 250 km and just over three hours through Chilean Patagonia. Join me on this adventure. We made this trip on February 2, 2025, aboard a Bus Sur bus company. The trip began promptly at 2:00 p.m. from the bus terminal of the company I mentioned, which is located on Cristóbal Colón Avenue, just two blocks from the city’s main square. At the beginning of this trip, we traveled briefly along Hernando de Magallanes Street. We crossed over the Río de las Minas until we reached Manuel Bulnes Street. One of the first places of interest we’ll see on this trip is the Punta Arenas Municipal Cemetery, inaugurated in 1894. This cemetery is well known for its rows of cypress trees that adorn its streets and also stands out for its imposing and beautiful facade, which we’ll see through the bus window. It was funded by benefactor Sara Braun, after whom the cemetery owes its name, as it is also known as the Sara Braun Cemetery of Punta Arenas. Since November 12, 2012, the Punta Arenas Municipal Cemetery has been a Chilean National Historic Monument. From my perspective, and from what I saw, this cemetery is undoubtedly a must-see on any visit to Punta Arenas. We now pass in front of the University of Magallanes, also known as “UMAG,” the main educational center in the region, founded in 1961. This university offers more than 30 undergraduate programs, as well as postgraduate courses such as master’s and doctoral programs. The University of Magallanes also has campuses in Puerto Natales, Puerto Williams, and also in Coyhaique. [Music] After passing the University of Magallanes, we crossed in front of the free trade zone. The Punta Arenas free trade zone was founded in 1977 and is characterized by the fact that the products sold within it are tax-exempt. However, when I arrived in Punta Arenas, the taxi driver who brought me to the city told me that at first it was convenient, but now the prices are, at least according to what the taxi driver told me, similar to those of regular stores. At least on this trip, I wasn’t able to visit this site, so if you know anything about it, feel free, of course, to comment on your experience there. After passing through the free trade zone, we passed Villa Torres del Paine, “Asmar” Magallanes, the Chilean Navy, and also in front of the Frecia torpedo boat located in the Plaza de la Sovereignty, just outside Punta Arenas. We’re now on our way to Puerto Natales, and well, the bus left punctually at 2:00 p.m. as scheduled. We hope for a smooth ride and that we arrive around 5:00 p.m. Our first stop is Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport. However, only passengers boarded here, but no one got off, since taxis are the only means of transport between Punta Arenas and the airport, and vice versa. Buses can only pick up or drop off passengers coming or going from Puerto Natales. Well, now we made a stop at the airport. From what I see, about four or five passengers boarded here, and after that, we continued to Puerto Natales. I don’t know if there will be more arrests, but if there were, I’d still let you know what’s happening. We’re now crossing the Strait of Magellan, which separates continental Chile from the mainland of Tierra del Fuego. This will be the only time we’ll see the strait, which, at approximately 570 km long, is one of the most recognizable and important areas in our country. This strait was initially known as the Strait of All Saints when it was discovered on the feast day of the Virgin Mary. It currently bears the name of Admiral Ferdinand Magellan, who discovered it in 1520 during the Spanish Molluscs expedition. Further ahead, 28 km north of Punta Arenas, we find the “Cabo Negro” industrial park. This park is essential for the development of Magallanes, allowing access to high-speed internet, generating electricity from wind power, and positioning itself as a key point in the production of green hydrogen, a fuel produced through water electrolysis that does not emit greenhouse gas emissions. Incidentally, Magallanes is “disconnected,” so to speak, from Chile’s central grid, so this type of project is key to generating jobs in the area and also to ensuring the sustainability and development of this part of the country. Incidentally, the Magallanes region is famous in Chile for lamb farming, which, due to the cold conditions of the area, in addition to the type of grass native to Magallanes, favors the development of firm muscles and a low fat content in the meat. Magallanes lamb offers a high protein content, as well as iron and zinc, and a low fat content compared to other meats or wines. Just 100g of this meat provides 200kcal, covering half of the recommended daily protein intake. So yes, on a visit to Magallanes, you must eat at least a portion of Magellanic lamb because it’s truly delicious and very nutritious. We just saw rheas, which I ‘d never seen before in my life, and it’s incredible because they’re here along the road, and you see them after a while. They’re tremendous; I mean, they’re running birds that can’t fly… In fact, well, you can also see lambs , and the other thing that caught my attention is that you can see guanacos along the side of the road. There are guanacos that you don’t always see. I don’t know, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get a picture of them, but I’m going to try, I’m going to try to get a picture of them if I see them. But it’s incredible. I’ve never seen rheas or guanacos before. Well, I was a little excited in the video because it was the first time I’d seen guanacos, so I was super happy with the trip. And well, along the side of the road you can find rheas, non-running birds, very similar to ostriches. Rheas grow to a height of between 1.50 and 1.80 meters, so you can imagine them as birds with a large wingspan. Guanacos, on the other hand, grow to a height of up to 1.60 meters and weigh up to 90 kg. Guanacos used to be distributed throughout the Chilean Andes, but unfortunately, due to habitat and human pressure, they are currently restricted to Patagonia and some areas in the north of the country. We are now passing through Renoval, a small town with only 103 inhabitants. According to the muninatales.cl website, Vía Renoval is a town located 64 km south of Puerto Natales on the road to Punta Arenas. Historically, Vía Renoval has been a town linked to timber and cattle ranching. It’s administratively under the jurisdiction of the Natales municipality, and in terms of its social organization, it has a neighborhood council and a rural drinking water committee. [Music] [Music] We recently passed through a town called Villa Renoval, and aside from some ranches, I’d say it’s the only human settlement we’ve seen that we’ve crossed here. Something interesting is that practically on the other side of this hill is Argentina. I mean, we’re almost crossing the border between Chile and Argentina because here the distance is meters, right? It’s not even kilometers. So, we’re practically moving along the border between Chile and Argentina right now . So, it’s very likely that the forests you can see there in the background are from Argentina. According to the map, there’s a small lake on the other side, and where the lake ends is Argentina. So, basically there, I don’t know if you can see it in the video, but where the water ends , let’s say, that’s Argentina. I mean, here we are, but we’re practically traveling along the border between Chile and Argentina, as I’m telling you. [Music] Well, here we’re passing through the Casas Viejas sector. So, this is a border control. Here, we have a customs office, the Casas Viejas customs office. Yeah, well, We’re almost at Puerto Natales, so our arrival is almost here. We’re already starting to approach Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales, according to “chilego.cl,” is a Chilean city and port located in the southern part of Chile. It stands out as an important tourist center, as hundreds of thousands of tourists come here each year to visit Torres del Paine National Park, which is impressive for the famous Torres del Paine and the Cuernos del Paine. Within the park, there are many landscapes to explore, such as lakes, lagoons, and glaciers. It’s truly a must-see (spoiler alert). In the next videos, we’ll be visiting Torres del Paine itself. Puerto Natales offers a very good tourist infrastructure with cafes, restaurants, a casino, and a history museum that showcases the most important attractions of this area. The entire surrounding area is home to cattle ranches and vegetable and other organically grown produce . Among the most typical products you can find in Puerto Natales are seafood such as lobster, oysters, clams, and of course, spider crab. A typical product of Magellan. Incidentally, these types of products are affordable and can be eaten in a variety of preparations. Meats also have a strong presence in the cuisine of the far south. Asado al palo (spit-roasted meat) accompanied by boiled potatoes is one of the most typical dishes of the area, along with Magellanic lamb loin. Finally, in Puerto Natales, you can find the most characteristic fruit of the far south: calafate. A fruit that falls into the category of berries and at first glance resembles a blueberry and can only be found in this part of the world. Calafate is used to make many preparations, from sauces, jams, cujenes (sweetened condiments), and even alcoholic beverages to beat the cold, like calafateer. Well, we didn’t even realize it, and we were already arriving in Puerto Natales. We entered Puerto Natales via Avenida Libertad. We crossed in front of the municipal sports center, the Baudilia Vendaño school, and other residential areas of the city. We continued along Avenida Libertad until we reached Avenida Santiago, almost reaching the Puerto Natales bus station. As a final note about this trip, I can tell you that Puerto Natales has a little over 24,000 inhabitants and, at least in my experience, is a much colder city than Punta Arenas, even though this trip was made in February. So if you plan to travel to Puerto Natales, consider packing winter-appropriate clothing, even if you’re traveling in summer, because the city is truly chilly. In fact, the first night we slept here, I literally felt numb. Luckily, the hostel had heating, and by the second night I turned it on, used the heater, and also asked for more bedding, and I was able to sleep well. So, keep that in mind. Puerto Natales is a very cold city in winter. It must be, but it literally froze because I traveled in February and I was really cold one night because I wasn’t prepared, and keep that in mind. And well, we’ve finally arrived at the Puerto Natales bus station. [Music] Puerto Natales on the bus station. So with this, we’re wrapping up the video. I hope you liked it, and well, if you did, I would appreciate it if you supported me with a like and subscribed for more content. Of course, this adventure won’t end here; we’ll continue with new videos and new trips. So I hope you’re all doing great, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

🇨🇱 El 2 de febrero de 2025, emprendimos nuestro viaje en bus desde Punta Arenas rumbo a Puerto Natales, recorriendo unos 250 kilómetros en aproximadamente 3 horas. El pasaje costó 8.000 pesos chilenos. Nuestro bus salió a las 2:00 de la tarde y llegamos a las 5:00 pm, atravesando la inmensa pampa patagónica.

🗻 A la salida de Punta Arenas, pasamos por lugares emblemáticos como el Cementerio Municipal, uno de los más bellos y visitados de Chile; luego vimos las instalaciones de ASMAR Chile, el astillero naval de la ciudad, y la histórica Torpedera Fresia, embarcación de gran valor patrimonial. También cruzamos frente al Aeropuerto Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, principal puerta de entrada aérea a la región.

Al dejar atrás la ciudad, pasamos por Cabo Negro, zona industrial donde se ubican plantas de gas y petróleo, y más adelante por la Villa Reunoval, una pequeña localidad rural en medio de la pampa.

Durante el trayecto, el paisaje nos regaló estampas únicas de la Patagonia austral: vimos guanacos en grupos familiares, ñandúes corriendo en la estepa, y también corderos magallánicos pastando, símbolo de la tradición ganadera de la región. Todo acompañado de la vasta geografía de pampas infinitas, con cielos amplios y un viento constante que da carácter a esta tierra.

Finalmente, tras tres horas de ruta, arribamos a Puerto Natales, la pintoresca ciudad portuaria que sirve de antesala al Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, uno de los destinos más importantes de Chile y del mundo

Capítulos
00:00 Introducción
00:30 INICIO DEL VIAJE
01:03 Cementerio de Punta Arenas
01:45 Universidad de Magallanes
02:15 Zona Franca de Punta Arenas
02:50 Asmar Magallanes y torpedera Fresia
03:25 Comentarios
03:48 Aeropuerto Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
04:42 Estrecho de Magallanes
05:16 Parque Industrial Cabo Negro
06:05 Corderos Magallánicos
08:30 Villa Renoval
09:43 Borde Chile-Argentina
10:55 Casas Viejas
11:30 Puerto Natales
14:16 Rodoviario de Puerto Natales
14:50 Despedida

✈️ Vuelo desde Punta Arenas a Santiago 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/9c170R_yzcw
🚍 Viaje desde San Javier a Santiago 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/CfcZoq9QGZ8
🗿 Vuelo desde Puerto Montt a Concepción 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/ZIMmNT_KSh4

#puntaarenas #puertonatales #viajeenbus