of flights from the UK and elsewhere in Europe to Chile are routed via Madrid (TAM flies via Sao Paulo), and include a fairly lengthy transit time to get from one terminal/gate to another – however, Madrid airport is huge, and the time taken to get between terminals and gates (which usually includes passing through another security check) should not be underestimated.
Alternatively, you could fly to Santiago and continue from there to Puerto Montt (14hrs by bus, 1hr 40mins by plane), and from there take the Navimag ferry (www.comapa.com) down the Chilean coast to Puerto Natales (3 days). The ferry trip provides a spectacular cruise alongside the Chilean fjords, passing glaciers, icebergs and the occasional whale en route. There is one section of the route which passes slightly further out to sea, however, and if the weather’s rough, you can expect a heaving swell.
Another option is to fly to Argentina – via Buenos Aries (17hrs from the UK) and El Calafate (a further 3hrs), which gives you the opportunity to visit Los Glaciares national park (in particular the Fitzroy area near El Chaltén, which unlike the Perito Moreno glacier cannot be visited as a day trip from Puerto Natales), before continuing to Puerto Natales by bus (5hrs), passing through Río Turbio before crossing the border at Dorotea. It is also possible to take a more direct route from El Calafate to Torres del Paine, via the border post at Cerro Castillo, thus completely bypassing Puerto Natales – although in this writer’s opinion it would be a great shame to do so. Note that public transport on the latter route is much more limited, and involves changing buses at Cerro Castillo. Airlines flying from the UK to Buenos Aires include Aerolinias Argentinas (www.aerolineas.com.ar), Iberia (www.iberia.com) and British Airways (www.ba.com, via San Paolo).
For the majority of people visiting Torres del Paine from the UK and Europe, travelling to Chile by air will be the only practical option. However there are a number of cruise ships operating around the coast of South America, including between Buenos Aires and Santiago.
Transport within Chile
Travelling within Chile is a refreshingly straightforward affair. LAN (www.lan.com) covers the country with a comprehensive network of domestic flights, and there is another private airline, Sky (www.skyairline.cl). Buses are comfortable, frequent and reliable, and fares very reasonable; and ferries connect various ports along the coast.
Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales
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