Puerto Natales is best known as the base for Torres del Paine, but it also has worthwhile fjord, estancia, horseback-riding, paddling, and fishing tours that do not require a park day. These are especially useful before or after a trek, or when weather changes your plans.
TLDR: Choose Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers with Estancia Lunch for the classic fjord day; Estancia La Península with Horseback Riding for a more active ranch visit; Cerro Benítez Condor Watching Trek for local wildlife; Eberhard Fjord Half-Day Kayak for an accessible paddle; or Kaweskar Route for a multi-night Southern Ice Field cruise.
Our tour price bands use the current regular or entry price per person, divided by the full calendar duration. They provide a broad comparison and are not live quotes.
- $: Under $150 per person per day
- $$: $150 to $299 per person per day
- $$$: $300 to $599 per person per day
- $$$$: $600 or more per person per day
Prices were checked on August 15, 2026. Rates can change by departure date, accommodation type and party size.
Best Fjord and Estancia Tours from Puerto Natales
The fjord navigation and estancia day are the most useful choices for visitors who want a classic day out without heading into Torres del Paine.
Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers with Estancia Lunch
The benchmark full-day option from Puerto Natales: a long fjord sailing, Balmaceda from the boat, a short walk to Serrano and a substantial estancia lunch before returning to town.
Balmaceda & Serrano Half-Day Navigation
The time-efficient glacier choice: it covers the same core fjord and glacier scenery as the longer tours but returns around lunchtime and omits the estancia meal.
Estancia La Península with Horseback Riding
The strongest all-round estancia choice for active travellers, combining the fjord crossing, roughly two hours on horseback, lamb barbecue, sheepdogs and shearing in one polished day.
Estancia La Península with Trekking
The best La Península version for non-riders: the same remote boat-only setting, barbecue and working-estancia demonstrations, with a landscape walk replacing the horseback route.
Estancia La Península by 4x4
Choose the 4x4 version when comfort and access matter most: it reaches the estancia's private viewpoints while retaining the fjord crossing, barbecue and livestock demonstrations.
Tour Entorno Natales
The best-value orientation beyond the town centre, linking the Milodón cave with Laguna Sofía, the historic ports and several fjord viewpoints for less than most single activities.
Best Local Outdoor Tours Near Puerto Natales
These short outings work well around a trek schedule, from horse riding and condor walks to kayaking close to town.
Puerto Natales Heritage Bike Tour
A low-cost, low-effort way to understand Puerto Natales as more than a gateway, using the waterfront and surviving industrial-era buildings to tell the town's story.
Laguna Sofía & Sierra Señoret Horseback Ride
The clearest direct-booking ride at Laguna Sofía, with a long enough route to feel substantial while remaining explicitly suitable for first-time riders and children from four.
Cerro Dorotea Horseback Ride
The best-value panorama-led ride near town, climbing Sierra Dorotea for open views over Puerto Natales, Última Esperanza and the Argentine steppe.
Cerro Benítez & Laguna Sofía Trek
A useful private alternative to park trekking: six kilometres around Cerro Benítez and Laguna Sofía, with strong condor prospects and a materially lower per-person price for groups of three or four.
Cerro Benítez Condor Watching Trek
The most focused local wildlife outing in the cluster, trading a steeper Cerro Benítez walk for prolonged viewing around the cliffs used by Andean condors.
Cerro Benítez Private Rock Climbing
A genuinely specialist local option with a certified bilingual guide, private instruction and all climbing equipment, on a large conglomerate-rock sector overlooking Laguna Sofía.
Eberhard Fjord Half-Day Kayak
The most straightforward bookable Eberhard option, with a three-hour paddle, full cold-water equipment, birdlife around Puerto Prat and a warm local snack before returning to town.
Full-Day Eberhard Fjord Kayak Traverse
The serious Eberhard choice, linking Puerto Consuelo to Puerto Bories in a long point-to-point paddle through the province's earliest settlement sites rather than looping near one beach.
Puerto Natales Bay Kayak
The only option in this shortlist centred on Puerto Natales' own bay, useful when you want a substantial paddle without first driving to Laguna Sofía or Eberhard Fjord.
Best Specialist Adventure Tours from Puerto Natales
Choose one of these for a longer or more physical experience on the fjord, bike routes, or water.
Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Kayak Expedition
A rare step beyond the catamaran day trip, combining two days of paddling around the Balmaceda-Serrano system with an overnight in the remote fjord landscape.
Cueva del Milodón & Laguna Sofía E-Bike Day
The most ambitious way to combine two of Puerto Natales' key northern sights, using e-bikes to make the distance realistic while keeping the day meaningfully active.
Estancia Perales E-Bike Day
A niche, active alternative to sailing to an estancia, with the destination providing a clear purpose to a full day of riding through Última Esperanza's open country.
Cerro Dorotea E-Bike Day
The most local of Baguales' full-day rides, using e-assistance for the long climb toward Dorotea's fjord-and-steppe panorama rather than spending much of the day in a vehicle.
Puerto Natales Jet-Ski Half Day
A high-cost but genuinely distinctive alternative to sightseeing boats, aimed at travellers who value speed and hands-on control more than wildlife interpretation or a relaxed cruise.
Última Esperanza & Balmaceda-Serrano Jet-Ski Day
The outlier adventure product in this cluster: an expensive full-day personal-watercraft journey through Última Esperanza toward the glacier system, suitable only for travellers comfortable with exposure and uncertainty.
Best Fishing, Cruises, and Long Day Trips
These are specialist additions for anglers, cruise travelers, and visitors willing to take a very long trip to Perito Moreno.
Full-Day Private Fly Fishing
The strongest transparent day-fishing option for small parties, with private water access, a maximum of three anglers and essentially everything supplied from licence to lunch.
Natales Fly Fishing Private Day
A highly tailored private day from an Orvis-endorsed local outfitter, particularly strong for beginners or couples who want the guide to select the best water for that day's wind and flows.
Puerto Natales 3-Night / 2-Fishing-Day Program
The practical short fishing package for travellers who still want Puerto Natales restaurants and flexibility, combining three hotel nights with two fully guided private days.
All-Inclusive Natales Fly Fishing Day
A long, generous fishing day whose distinguishing feature is the fully inclusive approach: private access, equipment, transport and a proper riverside meal with drinks.
Kaweskar Route Southern Ice Field Cruise
The one major wider itinerary retained in this cluster: five days deep in the Southern Ice Field, reaching glaciers and fjords that cannot be accessed on ordinary Puerto Natales day trips.
Perito Moreno Glacier Day Trip from Puerto Natales
A legitimate wider tour rather than a Puerto Natales-area experience, retained because it solves a specific itinerary problem: seeing Perito Moreno without moving hotels to El Calafate.
How We Chose These Tours
We compared current, bookable products by the actual decision they solve, including wildlife focus, activity level, transport, group size, and time commitment. Near-identical versions were only retained when they offer a clear practical difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do in Puerto Natales besides Torres del Paine?
Balmaceda and Serrano, an estancia day, horseback riding, local hikes, and paddling all make good independent day trips from town.
Is the Balmaceda and Serrano cruise worth it?
It is the main non-park glacier and fjord experience from Puerto Natales. Choose the full-day estancia-lunch version for a longer outing, or the half-day navigation if time matters more.
Can I do a horseback-riding tour near Puerto Natales?
Yes. Estancia La Península offers a fuller ranch day, while Laguna Sofía and Cerro Dorotea are practical shorter riding options close to town.
Are Puerto Natales tours suitable before or after the W Trek?
Short local outings work well around trek logistics. Avoid scheduling a demanding activity too close to an early bus or after a long final hiking day.
Can I visit Perito Moreno from Puerto Natales?
Yes, but it is a very long cross-border day trip. It is best for travelers who cannot overnight in El Calafate.