Navimag will take over ferry routes for passengers from November 2021.
Sailing along all of Patagonia, between fjords and channels, the new ferry Esperanza invites you to marvel at the beauty of the continent’s untouched southern fjords and forests.
You can reach Patagonia more quickly by plane. But choosing this cruise to do so gives you the time to unwind, to slow down, to appreciate the discovery of fabulous and completely uninhabited settings, along with thriving fauna. It’s to experience Patagonia by discovering its immensity.
The route connecting Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales (or inversely) is an excellent alternative to arrive in or depart from Patagonia and for those of you who also want to visit Torres del Paine National Park. Take your time, you won’t regret it!
Puerto Mont or Puerto Natales
Navimag has ferries that are cargo ships adapted for the transportation of passengers and vehicles (cars, trucks, camping trailers, motorcycles and bicycles).Each ship has a wide variety of accommodations, ample space for recreation and relaxation, along with a crew that is ready to give you the best service.
Check-in is available from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm in Navimag offices located at Holiday Inn Express Hotel located in Juan Soler Manfredini Ave. S/N, First Floor, Costanera Mall You can drop your luggage and our ground personnel will keep it until boarding starts. All passengers shall embark at 2:00 pm. Once onboard, crew members will give a welcome talk and additional information for a safe and fun journey. Departing at 4:00 pm and sailing through the Patagonian Fjords.The adventure begins in the Reloncaví Sound, Gulf of Ancud, in the evening we enter the Apiao Channel and then the Gulf of Corcovado.
At dawn we sail through the southernmost part of the Gulf of Corcovado, The Captain, according to the weather ,tidal current information of the channels shall decide the most appropriate route to continue the journey, having among others, the following choices for going out into the open ocean: 1.- Boca del Guafo, 2.- Ninualac Channel, 3.- Pulluche Channel. If he decides to sail through the Pulluche Channel, we will pass through the Moraleda channel, a transit area for remarkable sailors and canoeists from the Los Chonos and Chiloé Archipiélagos, to later sail the Errázuriz Channel and then the Chacabuco Channel, to later enter the Pulluche Channel – the most lush in vegetation (Lenga or Southern Beech and Patagonian Cypress forests), and with luck, we will see marine bird, sea lions, and native dolphins called “Toninas”.In the evening we will start sailing though the open sea, to enter Golfo de Penas at night. The open ocean crossing lasts about 12 hours with good weather and it is possible to see humpback, Minke, and blue whales (depending on the time of year and the weather).
We wake up sailing through the fjords and crossing the Messier Channel with a depth of 1,270 meters, the deepest of the zone; in this channel we will be able to see the cargo ship Capitán Leonidas, which has been shipwrecked since the 1970’s on a sunken islet called “Bajo Cotopaxi”. Later we will cross the English Narrows, to reach the village of Puerto Edén where the last indigenous Alacalufes reside. Puerto Edén is located on Wellington Island, which forms part of the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, the largest in Chile. After a short stay in this port we start sailing through the Patagonian channels Sobenes Pass (the southernmost of the route), Escobar Doxrud Pass, and Morla Vicuña Channel.
In the early morning we will sail through the Santa Maria Channel, to then reach the narrowest pass of the route, Angostura White, called “While Narrow”, only 80 meters wide. Later we will navigate across the Unión Sound to then enter the access channel to the city of Puerto Natales, where our great adventure comes to an end.
This trip was designed from our knowledge of the region, and our own tastes. You can want it differently, by removing or adding a day, by combining it with another tour. Everything is tailor-made, according to your vision of your trip in Patagonia! This itinerary can also be done with different categories of hotel, transport by regular bus or with vehicle rentals, group excursions or accompanied by a private French or English speaking guide, there are many possibilities.
Please tell us in the message what your expectations are so that we can get back to you with your quote.
