Use the afternoon in Puerto Natales to buy food and organise your hiking gear.
Expect to see huge, sparkling glaciers and the rearing silhouettes of the granite needles that give the park its name.
Don’t miss the deliciously thick traditional hot chocolates at La Chocolatta (Calle Gobernador Carlos Bories 852).
There’s not much to do in town, so in the afternoon, rent a bike and cycle to Punta Walichu, a cave network that’s home to 7,000-year-old cave paintings.
Take a walk at dawn to Reserva Laguna Nimez, where flocks of flamingos, black-necked swans, and over 70 bird species nest and are most active in the morning.
The shorter trail to Mirador Los Cóndores and Mirador Águila is also worthwhile, with dazzling views of El Chaltén and the national park beyond.