From a long weekend to twelve days. Each one tells you where you sleep and how much you drive.
3 daysThree days to understand why Aysén calls itself the “reserve of life”
Arrive on Friday, head up to Cerro Castillo on Saturday and come back down along the Río Simpson on Sunday. All based out of a single hotel, with no repacking.
6 daysSix days that end facing Laguna San Rafael
Coyhaique, Cerro Castillo, the drive down to Puerto Aysén and the boat trip to the San Rafael Glacier, the northernmost point where an ice field reaches the sea.
7 daysSeven days between the history of the strait and Chile's most famous park
Punta Arenas with its cemetery, its penguins and Fuerte Bulnes; then Puerto Natales, the Cueva del Milodón and two days in Torres del Paine.
6 daysSix days to cross the strait and get farther south than almost anyone
Porvenir, the king penguins of Bahía Inútil and then Puerto Williams, on the Beagle Channel, with the Museo Territorial Yagán Usi and Cerro Bandera.
12 daysTwelve days driving from one region to the other, crossing into Argentina and back
The long trip: the Carretera Austral, the border crossing into Argentina at Coyhaique Alto, Route 40 heading south and the entry into Magallanes at Cerro Castillo, with Torres del Paine before the end.
Pick the towns in the order you want to travel them and how many nights you stay in each. The kilometers and hours follow real roads, not straight lines: there is no Chilean highway between Aysén and Magallanes, and the planner knows it.
Start by choosing where you arrive in Patagonia.
Reference figures per person per day, to help you decide. Not a quote.
Simple hotel or cabin, lunch out, the odd tour and a shared rental car.
Pick at least one town above and the estimate appears.
Whatever you tick is saved in this browser, so you can come back to the list while you pack.
Road and timetable kilometers and hours, not straight lines. Every leg works in both directions; where there is no direct one, the route builder chains the ones you need.
| Leg | How | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyhaique – Puerto Aysén | By car | 66 km | 1h |
| Route 240, fully paved, follows the Simpson River through the hills. It's the busiest road in Aysén: besides driving yourself, there are buses throughout the day. | |||
| Coyhaique – Punta Arenas | By car | 1,376 km | 20h |
| Through Argentina, because no road links the two regions inside Chile: you leave through the Coyhaique Alto pass, head south on Ruta 40 to Río Gallegos and cross back into Chile at Monte Aymond. The twenty hours are time behind the wheel; with stops and border crossings, it really takes two or three days. A rental car needs a notarized permit to leave the country and Argentine insurance, both arranged in advance. | |||
| Coyhaique – Punta Arenas | By plane | — | 5h |
| Flights leave from Balmaceda, 55 km (34 miles) from Coyhaique, almost always with a connection in Puerto Montt or Santiago: the nonstop flight comes and goes with the season. The five hours are door to door, including the layover and the ride to the airport. | |||
| Coyhaique – Puerto Natales | By ferry | 570 km | 2d 12h |
| The inland route, without setting foot in Argentina. TABSA's ferry links Puerto Natales with Puerto Yungay in about 41 hours of sailing through the fjords, with stops at Puerto Edén and Caleta Tortel; from Puerto Yungay it's another 570 km (355 miles) of Carretera Austral to Coyhaique. It sails once a week in season, you need to book well ahead, and there's little room for vehicles. Check the operator's timetable | |||
| Punta Arenas – Puerto Natales | By bus | 247 km | 3h |
| Route 9, paved end to end. Several companies run buses from the Punta Arenas terminal throughout the day, and it's the easiest trip in all of Chilean Patagonia. | |||
| Punta Arenas – Puerto Natales | By car | 247 km | 3h |
| The same Route 9. In winter, snow and crosswinds make the drive longer: it's best to set out in daylight. | |||
| Punta Arenas – Porvenir | By ferry | 35 km | 2h 12m |
| The crossing of the Strait of Magellan, between the Tres Puentes terminal and Bahía Chilota, ten minutes from Porvenir. Just over two hours, with several sailings a day and always at the mercy of the wind: a cancellation due to a storm is part of the plan, not a surprise. Check the operator's timetable | |||
| Punta Arenas – Porvenir | By car | 320 km | 6h |
| Overland, going around the Strait: about 170 km (105 miles) to Punta Delgada, the short Primera Angostura ferry (half an hour) and another 150 km (95 miles), much of it gravel, to Porvenir. It's the way to go when the direct crossing is full or canceled. | |||
| Punta Arenas – Puerto Williams | By plane | — | 1h 12m |
| A small plane over the Cordillera Darwin, just over an hour, operated by Aerovías DAP. Seats are few and the wind has the final say: leave a buffer day on either side of the flight. | |||
| Punta Arenas – Puerto Williams | By ferry | — | 1d 8h |
| TABSA's Yaghan ferry through the channels, about 32 hours. It sails once a week each way and is a highlight of the trip in itself: you pass glaciers that can't be seen from any road. Check the operator's timetable | |||
Reference figures per person per day —where to sleep, eating, getting around town and an activity or two— depending on how you travel. Travel between towns is not included.
| Town | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyhaique | CLP 40,000 | CLP 119,000 | CLP 265,000 |
| Porvenir | CLP 34,000 | CLP 92,000 | CLP 200,000 |
| Puerto Aysén | CLP 33,000 | CLP 107,000 | CLP 250,000 |
| Puerto Natales | CLP 56,000 | CLP 162,000 | CLP 365,000 |
| Puerto Williams | CLP 54,000 | CLP 137,000 | CLP 292,000 |
| Punta Arenas | CLP 45,000 | CLP 130,000 | CLP 293,000 |
| On what | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to sleep | CLP 18,000 | CLP 55,000 | CLP 130,000 |
| Eating | CLP 12,000 | CLP 28,000 | CLP 55,000 |
| Getting around | CLP 4,000 | CLP 12,000 | CLP 30,000 |
| Things to do | CLP 6,000 | CLP 25,000 | CLP 60,000 |
Travel between towns is not included. A ferry, a light plane or a tank of fuel depend on the date and the operator, and putting a number here would mean inventing one. The link on each leg takes you to whoever does know. Figures last checked in .