Introduction: El Calafate to Puerto Natales
El Calafate is in Argentina, Puerto Natales in Chile. Yet the easiest way to get from El Calafate to Puerto Natales is by bus. There is a total of 270km between the two cities and one border.
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Buying the bus ticket from El Calafate to Puerto Natales
There are a couple of companies doing the trip. When we arrived the previous day in El Calafate around noon, we directly bought ours in the bus terminal.
We opted for Cootra ltda with a departure at 7:40am for 1300 pesos cash (1500 pesos CB).
The other option was Zaahj turismo for 1800 pesos plus 10 pesos tax for an 8am departure (no discount for cash payment). At that time, we didn’t notice it but there was also bus Sur that offers this service and their office is located at Andesmar counter.
Trip from El Calafate to Cancha/Carrera border
As we had our bus scheduled for 7:40am, we woke up around 6am, got breakfast and walked to the bus terminal as our hostel was 5min from there. If you are interested, here is the link to Folk Hostel.
The bus left at 7:50am. It was comfortable, had AC, WC, each seat has an USB charger and where reclinable. It was a standard single decker 2+2 seat.
We arrived at 11:30am at the border. At first, the bus was waiting in a line of other vehicles, then we ultimately reach the border around 11:40am. A custom officer came and told us only to bring our passport to the immigration office.
We went in, lined up, waited a few minutes, got our exit stamp from Argentina and went back to the bus at 11:48am and by 12pm the bus left for the next border.
Trip from Torres del Paine to Puerto Natales
Now we were driving between the 2 borders. Strangely it was a dirt road when you would expect a real one. But well, we arrived at the Chilean border for 12:12pm. There we had to bring our backpack (the one with us not in the luggage compartment), our passport and a document we received earlier on the bus.
We went out of the bus, lined up, got our entry stamp, and waited to get our backpack scan in an x-ray machine. We were back on the bus for 12:30pm.
We then kept on driving and arrived at 1:32pm in Puerto Natales bus terminal.
“Work, travel, save, repeat.” – Anonymous
Where to stay in Puerto Natales
- Budget: Puma House
- Mid-Range: Toore Patagonia
- High-Range: Hostal Boutique Factoria Patagonia
