Chile
Puerto Bories sits on the shore of Última Esperanza Sound—the "Last Hope Sound"—in Chilean Patagonia, a name bestowed by the nineteenth-century navigator Juan Ladrillero, who entered these waters as his final attempt to find a passage to the Pacific. The settlement, now essentially a suburb of the nearby city of Puerto Natales, preserves the remains of a once-thriving meat-processing plant built by the Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego in 1913—a complex of red-brick industrial buildings that has been designated a Chilean National Monument and partially converted into the Singular Patagonia hotel, one of the most atmospheric lodgings in South America.
The setting is pure Patagonian drama. The sound stretches westward toward a wall of snow-capped peaks that include Monte Balmaceda and its hanging glacier, visible from the waterfront on clear days. To the south, the flat, wind-scoured steppe rolls toward the Torres del Paine massif, whose granite towers and turquoise lakes constitute one of the planet's most visually stunning national parks. The wind—Patagonia's constant companion—sweeps across the sound in gusts that can reach hurricane force, bending the lenga beech trees into permanent angles and creating whitecaps on the dark water. The light at these southern latitudes is extraordinary: low-angled, golden, and constantly shifting as clouds race across the immense sky.
The cuisine of Puerto Bories and the broader Puerto Natales area draws on the Patagonian tradition of asado—whole lamb roasted over an open fire in the manner of the gauchos and sheep ranchers who settled this frontier in the late nineteenth century. The cordero patagónico (Patagonian lamb), raised on the wind-swept grasslands and slow-roasted until the exterior is charred and the interior is meltingly tender, is one of the great meat experiences in South America. The cold waters of the sound and the Pacific fjords supply centolla (king crab), merluza austral (southern hake), and congrio (conger eel)—seafood that reflects the extreme conditions in which it is harvested. The Singular Patagonia's restaurant transforms these ingredients into refined dishes served in the atmospheric setting of the restored industrial complex, with enormous windows framing the sound and the mountains beyond.
Torres del Paine National Park, seventy-five miles northwest, is the region's undisputed star attraction. The park's granite towers (torres), horns (cuernos), and the vast Grey Glacier create a landscape that has earned comparisons to the Himalayas and Yosemite while remaining distinctly Patagonian in its fierce, wind-blasted character. The W Trek, a four-to-five-day hiking circuit, is one of the world's great multi-day walks, passing beneath the towers, along the shore of Lago Grey, and through the Francés Valley. Wildlife includes guanacos (wild relatives of the llama), Andean condors, pumas, and the rare huemul deer. Zodiac excursions on the sound to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers provide a day-trip alternative for those not undertaking the multi-day treks.
Puerto Bories is accessed through Puerto Natales, which receives flights from Santiago via Punta Arenas. The best time to visit is the austral summer, November through March, when daylight lasts up to seventeen hours and temperatures—while still cool (averaging 50–60°F)—are the most comfortable. The shoulder months of October and April offer fewer crowds and dramatic weather. Winter (June–August) closes many facilities and trails but offers a stark, quiet Patagonia of snow-covered peaks and empty landscapes that appeals to the most intrepid travelers.