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Chilean Patagonia

Coyhaique     Chaiten     Lake General Carrera     Punta Arenas     Puerto Natales     Torres del Paine National Park    

To see an itinerary that starts from, or includes, one of the places mentioned above, just click on the name.

What follows below is a brief introduction to the places we include within our Patagonian itineraries. Scroll down or Click on the section below to get directly to the information.

Climate Patagonian Region

Chilean Patagonia begins at Chaiten (approximately 1,300 kms south of Santiago) and runs south to Punta Arenas (3,090 kms south of Santiago), beyond which is Tierra del Fuego - the southern tip of the continent. Within Chilean Patagonia is the famous Torres del Paine National Park. The climate in this zone is cold-temperate with long, cold and wet winters and short, cool, often rainy summers, always unpredictable and often windy. Punta Arenas, which is often windy, is exceptional in having a very low annual rainfall because it is sheltered from the wet, westerly winds by the southern Andes.

NOTE: Distances in this part of the world are BIG!

Carretera Austral

Nearest Airports: Puerto Montt or Coyhaique
The drive along the "Carretera Austral" is nothing short of absolutely spectacular. If you ever wanted to know what planet Earth was like when it was formed, a visit to this part of the world with give you a glimpse. The surrounding walls of nature team with examples of greatness of which only a privileged few have witnessed. There are ancient forests formed from trees that date back 5,000 years (no that is not a typing error!), glaciers that "hang" high above, gripping to the mountain valleys where their icy-blue cliff-face walls glint in the summer sun as fresh, ice-cold water gushes down to form the source of high-altitude water falls that feed into stunningly powerful rivers that, in turn, feed into the numerous lakes - home to wild salmon trout.

To see this part of the world you need to get to Coyhaique, from where you can go south, double back and go north to Chaiten or begin at Chaiten and go south to Coyhaique and beyond to Cochrane before returning to Coyhaique.

Quite simply this part of the world is the "Garden of Eden".

Coyhaique

Coyhaique is the principal city of this region and offers itself as a base from which to explore this incredible zone. It is also the only city with an airport with connections to Puerto Montt, although the actual airport is called Balmaceda and is about 45 mins from Coyhaique.

Chaiten

Chaiten is a very small village located approximately a quarter of the way down the "Carretera Austral" (from Puerto Montt). It is accessible by road and two ferry crossings from Puerto Montt, by air from Puerto Montt or by driving down through the island of Chiloe and taking a ferry from Quellon. The ferry from Quellon takes about six hours and often runs "out of scheduled times". Chaiten is the start or end of the drive along the "Carretera Austral".

Termas de Puyuhuapi

Located about 240 kms north of Coyhaique.
A modern but "cosy" and well built hotel on the sides of a tranquil fiord offering excellent "hot spring" facilities. Surrounded by nature and amazing geographic scenery.

Lake General Carrera

Located about 250 - 300 kms south of Coyhaique "Lago General Carrera" runs west to east for a length of around 160 kms between Chile and Argentina. It is an extremely large body of water, surrounded by incredible, draw-dropping scenery.

San Rafael Glacier

Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael
Nearest City with Airport: Coyhaique.
Location: South-west of Coyhaique. 5 hrs. by catamaran from Puerto Aisen (see our Terms de Puyuhuapi itinerary) or few days by boat from Puerto Montt (see our Crucero Skorpios itinerary). To fly over is 1hr 30mins by light aircraft from Coyhaique.

What to See: The park covers an area of 1,742,000 hectares and includes the Glacier San Rafael which, as it slowly recedes, breaks off into huge icebergs that float in the San Rafael Lagoon. The size of the glacial wall and the massive chunks that break off draws travellers from all over the world.
Departures are from Puerto Montt or the closer port of Chacabuco (near to Coyhaique). All boats pass between the archipelago channels and passengers can enjoy a beautiful scenic journey going to and returning from the glacier.

Punta Arenas

Flight: From Santiago the flight time is about 4 hrs, often via Puerto Montt.The city of Punta Arenas is not known for its beauty or anything of particular interest, however, it is a stop off place for those arriving off the cruse ships that dock here as well as a resting stop for people who wish to take their time when exploring the area. There are some excursions to penguin colonies from Punta Arenas.

Puerto Natales

Located about 254 kms from Punta Arenas, which is about a 3 hr drive from Punta Arenas airport.A small town sitting on the shores of the "Canal Senoret" serving as a base from which people can rest prior to continuing on to Torres del Paine National Park, which is about a 3 hr drive away. The scenery facing the town is stunningly beautiful and tranquil.

Torres del Paine National Park

Nearest City with Airport: Punta Arenas
Location: 6 hours drive north from Punta Arenas. Nearest city is Puerto Natales, which is a 3hr drive.

What to See: Covering 182,000 hectares, this is the park everyone wants to see. Containing the very impressive "Cuernos del Paine" (two upright towers of rock) along with many lakes, glaciers, flora and fauna. True Patagonian country. Note that the weather in the park changes in minutes. It is usually windy and often raining.