Travel guidePuerto Aysén

The port of the fjords and the gateway to the San Rafael glacierProvincia de Aysén · Región de Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

Population: 27,644
Founded: 1928
Elevation: 10 m

For decades, Puerto Aysén was the region’s front door: settlers, wool and everything else came in through here.

When the river silted up, the port moved to Chacabuco Bay, about fifteen kilometers away, and the town was left with its suspension bridge, its history and a rain that never lets up.

Today it is the departure point for Laguna San Rafael National Park and for the fjords that open up to the west. Anyone who comes looking for a city will be disappointed; anyone who comes looking for water —rain, river, fjord, glacier— will find exactly that.

What to see and do

6 handpicked spots in and around Puerto Aysén, with the distance from the center and how long to set aside for each.

Nature

Laguna San Rafael National Park

A glacier that calves straight into a lagoon, at the foot of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field.

The San Rafael Glacier flows down from the Northern Patagonian Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Norte) and ends in a lagoon full of icebergs, reached by boat through fjords and channels. It is a Biosphere Reserve and one of the few places on the planet where a tidewater glacier can be seen at this latitude. The day trip leaves from Puerto Chacabuco, with about five hours of sailing each way.

200 km awayFull dayOfficial site

Season: October to April

Gillermo Adolfo · CC BY 3.0

History

Puente Presidente Ibáñez

A 210-meter suspension bridge over the Aysén River, a Historic Monument since 2002.

It spans the Aysén River with a length of 210 meters. Construction began in 1961 and Eduardo Frei Montalva inaugurated it in 1966, when the river was already silting up. It has been a Historic Monument since 2002 and is still the city’s postcard view: the river below, the hills behind and the tin-clad houses on either side.

In town30 minutes

Season: Year-round

Davidlohr Bueso from Santiago, Chile · CC BY 2.0

Culture

Puerto Chacabuco

The region’s working port: ferries, cruise ships and departures to the fjords.

Fifteen kilometers from Puerto Aysén, tucked between hills and the Aysén Fjord. From here, ferries leave for Puerto Montt and Quellón, catamarans for Laguna San Rafael, and cruise ships sail the channels. It has a viewpoint over the fjord and good seafood.

15 km awayHalf day

Season: Year-round

Michelle Maria · CC BY 3.0

Nature

Parque Aiken del Sur

A 250-hectare private reserve with trails, waterfalls and evergreen forest.

Fifteen minutes from Puerto Chacabuco, with four marked trails, boardwalks over the rainforest and viewpoints over Lago Riesco. It is an easy way to see well-preserved Valdivian forest without spending a whole day hiking.

20 km away3 to 4 hours

Season: October to April

Gillermo Adolfo · CC BY 3.0

Nature

Termas de Chilconal

Hot springs above the Aysén Fjord, reachable only by boat.

Hot springs on the shore of the Aysén Fjord, in the area of the Cinco Hermanas Natural Monument, reached by boat from Puerto Chacabuco. Soaking in hot water with the Patagonian rain falling overhead is, for many, the best memory of the trip. It is worth asking the operator how long the boat ride takes, which months it runs and what the pools are like.

Viewpoints

La Virgen Waterfall

A waterfall beside Route 240, among ferns and moss.

It sits right beside the road between Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén and requires no hiking: you park and look. The water runs down a wall covered in vegetation and, when it rains, its flow doubles.

30 km away20 minutes

Season: Year-round

Gaston39-123 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Where everything is

The town in green, the sights in orange. The zoom fits the farthest one on the list.

Loading map…

The weather, month by month

It is one of the rainiest places in Chile: more than 2,200 millimeters a year spread across every month, with May and June the worst. Temperatures are mild —it rarely drops below freezing and summer highs are around 19 °C— but the humidity is constant. Here rain gear is not an accessory; it is the basic kit.

Average highAverage lowRainfall

2256 mm a year

Average temperatures and monthly rainfall
Month	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
High	18.8°	19.2°	16.5°	13.3°	10.4°	7.5°	7.7°	9.4°	11.4°	14.2°	16.5°	17.6°
Low	10.4°	10.3°	8.5°	6.6°	4.5°	2.3°	2.2°	3°	3.9°	5.4°	7.7°	9.7°
Rainfall (mm)	160	128	157	178	256	253	224	219	146	173	187	174

Temperatures: 2016-2025 average from the climate yearbooks of the Chilean Meteorological Service (Dirección Meteorológica de Chile), Puerto Aysén aerodrome station. Precipitation: 1991-2020 climate normal from the same station.

Getting to Puerto Aysén

By car

from Coyhaique

Sixty-six kilometers along Route 240, paved and in good condition, through Río Simpson National Reserve. It is a picture-postcard drive, worth doing in daylight.

50 minutesOpen year-round

By bus

from Coyhaique

Buses and minibuses leave the Coyhaique terminal throughout the day and drop you in downtown Puerto Aysén. It is the cheapest way to get there.

1 hourSeveral departures a dayBuses Suray, Buses Ali

By ferry

from Puerto Montt and Quellón

The ships dock at Puerto Chacabuco, fifteen kilometers away. It lets you arrive with your own car from the north without crossing into Argentina.

24 to 30 hoursSeveral departures a weekNaviera Austral

By cruise ship

from Patagonian channels

Puerto Chacabuco is a regular port of call for cruises through the fjords between Puerto Montt and Laguna San Rafael.

Summer season

Getting around once you are there

The town is walkable. Shared taxis (colectivos) run frequently to Puerto Chacabuco during the day; for Parque Aiken del Sur and the surrounding area, your own car or a booked tour is the best option. The catamarans to Laguna San Rafael depart from Chacabuco, not from Puerto Aysén.

Before you set off

What locals take for granted and visitors find out too late.

It’s going to rain

More than 2,200 mm a year and not a single dry month. A truly waterproof jacket, shoes that can handle water and a change of clothes in your daypack.

Boat trips depend on the weather

Trips to Laguna San Rafael and the hot springs are canceled when the sea is rough. Leaving a spare day in your itinerary keeps you from missing the glacier.

The port is in Chacabuco

Ferries and catamarans don’t leave from Puerto Aysén but from Puerto Chacabuco, fifteen kilometers farther west. Shared taxis (colectivos) run frequently, but it’s best to leave with time to spare.

Last reviewed November 1, 2026

The directory

Where to eat and stay in Puerto Aysén

51 restaurants, cafés and places to stay on the portal, with opening hours, menus and locations.

Browse the directory