Cueva del Milodón Southern Patagonia

In the 1890s, German pioneer Hermann Eberhard discovered the partial remains of an enormous ground sloth in a cave 24km northwest of Puerto Natales. The slow-moving, herbivorous milodón, nearly 4m tall, was supposedly the motivation behind Bruce Chatwin's book In Patagonia. The 30m-high Cueva del Milodón pays homage to its former inhabitant with a life-size plastic replica of the animal. It's not exactly tasteful, but still worth a stop to appreciate the grand setting and ruminate over its wild past. An easy walk leads up to a lookout point. Torres del Paine buses pass the entrance, which is 8km from the cave proper. There are infrequent tours from Puerto Natales; alternatively, you can hitch or share a taxi colectivo (CH$20,000).

Outside of high season, bus services are infrequent.