Crossing over both the Chilean border and the Argentine border is very easy. You just need to remember that you can’t take fruit and vegetables into either country and they do sometimes check your vehicle. You park up and go into the office. You have to be stamped in at one counter then go to another counter for border control and they will check your vehicle. There’s usually toilets at the checkpoint and sometimes even a restaurant too.

14th collect campervan 0800 hrs – Go shopping. There are lots of supermarkets in Puerto Montt – we used Líder, you can find most of everything you need there. Buy as much as you can as the further you drive south, the less choice you have and the more expensive everything gets. We bought 3 trollies full of food, water and wine for Ooward!! The freezer in the campervan works great.
Pedro does put absolutely everything into the camper that you will need, sheets, towels, all cooking tools, chairs, table etc. You just need your necessities like food, water, wine and beer and anything else you think might make your trip more comfortable.
We took mosquito repellent with us but only used it once. Apparently there are along of flying inserts in some places as the weather gets warmer and it reaches peak season.

There’s two routes you can take to go south. If you have the time (and I wish I had done it this way), you can drive the 7. Google says it will take you about 6hrs 30 mins to reach Caleta Tortel, however, there are some little ferries to take and you will need to check the ferry times for these. You will need to pre book the ferry at Hornopiren.

The other way is to take the ferry from Puerto Montt to Chaiten which is what we did. It runs every evening and there’s a noon ferry on a Monday. Of course, this could have changed so you need to check with Navimag Austral. The ferry takes about 8hrs 30 mins or so. The beauty about the ferries we did in Chile is that you can stay in the comfort of your vehicle if you so wish. You still have to book seats anyway so if you decide to use their seat then you have that option too. You can book on their website. When you book they will ask you to put in the registration number which Pedro will give to you and it’s really important that you put in the length, width and height of your vehicle as this is how it’s charged. Again, Pedro will give you this information. If you get it wrong they will charge you the difference so it’s not too much of a problem. This is a freight ferry and not a luxurious ferry though the seating are is very comfortable. You will get lots of nice views along the way.

We got the 12 Noon ferry at Puerto Montt  – it arrives at 2030 hrs ish the same day

Tips Take cash out of any ATM that you come across. ATMs can and do run dry along the Carretera Austral and you may well find that they don’t accept your card. stock up with Chilean pesos before reaching the Carretera Austral and also bring plenty of US dollars with you. US dollars are generally accepted throughout Patagonia and will often grant you a tax discount on tours if you pay with them. They’re also the easiest currency to exchange at exchange houses. ATMs are currently available in: Chaitén, Futaleufú, Coyhaique, Chile Chico, and Cochrane.

15th – october. We arrived and drove straight to Caleta Gonzalo for hike first thing in the morning. When you get off the ferry turn left. There wasn’t much parking space at the trailhead to not be too close to other campervans, there was only about 4. We turned around, drove a little back towards Chaiten and found a really large parking area to stay the night about 10 mins away. The road was really quiet or I was really tired!
All the trailheads at Pulmalin have camping sites and somewhere to park overnight.
It had been raining when we got onto the ferry and still was raining in Chaiten. Early the next day we were up nd ready and eager to do our first hike, the cascades, it was misty, rainy and everywhere was very wet with some parts extremely muddy.
We were the first hikers on the Cascadas trail. The trail was quite slippy with some broken wooden steps due to the humidity. We were very careful but we did slip a little. The trail was really nice even though it was misty and drizzling with rain.
About a 10 minute drive towards Chaiten on the right is another trail called the Tronador. We did not go all the way to the lake as it was still quite slippy an d even muddier than The Cascades trail. We walked quite slowly and carefully for about 3 hours then decided to turn round. We were about 1 hour from the end of the trail when I slipped on a jutting out rock and fell and hurt my arm. We eventually arrived back to our vehicle and decided to get it checked out at Chaiten hospital because Ooward (my husband) said that he thought it was broken. Just before we left a group of 4 younger people returned to their vehicle, one of them had slipped too but he had only lost his sunglasses which he never found. At the hospital it was confirmed that I had indeed broken my arm. An hour late, with the biggest plaster cast you have ever seen, we were off on our travels again. Driving was a bit difficult at first but I soon got used to it..
We did a few more Pulmalin shorter hikes on the way, they are so beautiful. Make sure you read the information on each hike to be sure you can do it as some are much more difficult than others. We would have stayed here longer had it not been raining. It was still one of my favourite parks on the trip.

Hiking trails in Pumalin Park The main activities in the park are hiking and observing nature. There are several day hiking trails of different lengths and difficulties, all trails start near the campsites. The park is divided into two parts; the southern and the northern part. The main access to the northern part is through Caleta Gonzalo. This part can be accessed from Chaiten, the entrance is around 13 km north of the town. The access to the southern part is through the El Amarillo entrance, 25 km south of Chaiten, turn left onto the gravel road that will take you deeper into the park (there is a big wooden Parque Pumalin entrance sign you can’t miss).

These are the southern Hikes   –  we could maybe do these in 1 day if we set off early  – check order to do them in 

The rain had stoped and we were getting beautiful blue skies.

PUYUHUAPI 2 hours 40 mins – 22km north from the park base ourselves here

***Do this on day 5 so we can have the full amount of time to hike all day as it shuts at 1630***
Queulat National Park Enter the park to do the glacier on DAY 5
The park has 3 sectors. The first is Angostura, located 7.5 miles to the north of Puyuhuapi, where there’s a park ranger’s house and access to the Laguna Los Pumas Trail. The second, and most-visited, is the Ventisquero Sector, located 12 miles south of Puyuhuapi, past the Ventisquero Bridge. The third is the Portezuelo Sector, 32 miles south of Puyuhuapi, past the curves that wind up to the pass.
From Chaitén, head south toward La Junta (93 miles approx). Around 19 miles south of La Junta, you’ll reach the first sector of Queulat Park.
Allow about 4 to 5 hrs for hiking to Laguna Tempanos and Ventisquero Colgante.
You will also need to add travel time between the park and your departure point.
CAR When traveling by car, follow Road 7 south of Puyuhuapi for approx 22 km.
Once you reach a small intersection with an inconspicuous-looking bus stop and a small restaurant, turn left onto a narrow dirt road. You should also see Parque Nacional Queulat – Sector Ventisquero Colgante sign on your left-hand side. Carry on, and after another 800 mtrs, you will arrive at the park’s entrance and a ticket booth. After that, you can drive for about another km to the parking lot, where all the trails begin. NOTE – When it rains in Queulat, the Hanging Glacier is usually hidden behind a thick layer of clouds.

Entrance Fee The entrance fee to Queulat National Park is 9.000 CLP for international travellers

**** Remember **** you have to reserve your ticket online at the official CONAF ticket sales system **** (aspticket.cl). If you want to see the glacier, make sure to pick the Ventisquero Colgante area during the reservation process. *** Buying the ticket at the ranger booth at the park’s entrance is no longer possible.

You can only enter the park between 9:00am and 14:30pm (you can stay within the park until 16.30pm) and you must bring your reservation code on your phone or printed off to show at the park entrance. RESERVE TICKET
We did nearly all the hikes and the boat trip – it all was so worth it.

Simpson River National Reserve  25 km north of Coyhaique  –  for a one hour hike  –  Do this on the way too

Marchant Viewpoint    8 km before arriving to Coyhaique   Quick Stop

We recommend a stop at this viewpoint.  From here you can see the city of Coyhaique in the distance with the background of the mountains and surrounded by a lot of green product of the forests that surround it.  There is a place to park the car at the lookout point. Beware of the wind, which tends to be very strong in this place.

COYHAIQUE     3 hrs      

This is where we need to restock on food,  fuel. – money if necessary  All of the other towns only sell the very basics – you will particularly struggle to find fresh food. Prices are also significantly elevated outside of Coyhaique.   Its quite a large town.

So the day we arrived here it was quite windy. We organised a boat trip for the next morning to the marble caves which was a little calmer. We bumped into our 4 friends again. Two days prior they had done a really difficult hike and one of them had fallen and broken two of his fingers. They told us they kayaked to the caves early morning and it was really calm. This trip is really worth doing.

WE MADE THE DECISION TO GO AND SEE CALETA TORTEL, IT’S A TOWN THAT IS ABOVE THE WATER AND ONLY HAS BOARD WALKS, THERES NO CARS.
IT REALLY WASN’T WORTH IT AND WE WISHED WE HAD STUCK TO THE ORIGINAL ROUTE. YOU WILL SOMETIMES SEE THE SAME PEOPLE ON YOUR TRAVELS. WE HAD 4 LOVELY 30 ish YEAR OLDS AND THEY WENT OUR ORIGINAL WAY AND SAID IT WAS A LONG DRIVE BUT WORTH DOING.

There’s 2 famous very very long hikes called the W and the O treks. We didn’t do them as we wanted to see so many things and if you want to see everything I wouldnt advise to do them plus they are supposed to be extremely strenuous

SÓ, IF YOU REALLY DON’T HAVE TIME AND JUST WANT TO FLY IN TO SEE SOME OF PATAGONIA THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE. FLY INTO PUERTO NATALES OR PUNTAS ARENAS AND HIRE A PEDRO CAMPERVAN FROM THERE. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO EL CHALTEN. HERE YOU CAN DO SO MANY WONDERFUL HIKES AND IF ITS CLEAR YOU CAN SEE THE MOUNT FITZROY.
DOING IT THIS WAY GETS THE BIG DRIVE OUT OF THE WAY AND YOU CAN WORK YOUR WAY BACK MUCH CALMER DOING ALL THE OTHER STOPS ON THE WAYNBACK. IT’S A GREAT SCENIC DRIVE ANYWAY
We drove all the way to Caleta Tortel. There are no motor vehicles here. you park your vehicle on the road as you drive to the top of the town and the work your way down to the waterfront via all the steps and boardwalks looking at the fascinating connecting houses along the way. There are many little offshoots that you can take to various view points which are worth seeing. You can walk quite along way along the water front on the boardwalk which takes you into a little nature reserve type place. There wasn’t much open when we were there (we did visit in the shoulder season). Just remember you have to walk back up all of those steps!
From here you can continue on the 7, take the ferry over from Caleta Yungay to Rio brava the drive all the way down to Villa O Higgins (the end of the road) but remember, you have to come back the same way.
We decided it would a fun adventure to take the ferry from Puerto Yungay to Puerto Natales. Its booked through TABSA. you need the measurements for your vehicle. This ferry takes approx 44 hours. You can stay and sleep in your campervan so it’s not too bad. It is more of a cargo boat and not a luxurious ferry. The fare includes all meals. It rained constantly for the first 2 days so you had to be really eager to go and see the views or wildlife. The motion of the boat didn’t make us seasick but we never slept. On the third day it did stop raining and we got blue skies so it was much better. We never saw any whales but we did see lots of different sea birds and some dolphins. Some of the views were really beautiful.
When you go for the ferry at Puerto Yungay please note there is absolutely nothing there except a small hut type place where you queue up for the ferry. There are no shops, no houses nothing at all except the tiny ferry port. If you look on google maps satellite you will see about 5 houses over to the left on the bend that can’t be seen from the road which must be the workers houses. We actually turned up a day earlier thinking we could find a nice place to stay for the night, maybe have some hiking around the area. We got the biggest shock when we turned the bend to literally just see a tiny ferry port and nothing else. We turned around and drove for over an hour looking for somewhere to stay the night.

EL CHALTÉN Stay 3 full days We loved this little town and did almost everything.
Just before you enter the town you will see a sign on your left for the visitor centre, directly opposite on the right you will see a large parking area. Its probably got loads of parked campervans in it. This is where we (and many others) stayed. It’s a perfect location, just a short 10 minutes walk to the town and some of the trailheads..
We did some washing in this town, it was so expensive!! We never came across a laundrette, you have to leave your laundry to be done and I usually goes by weight.
Maybe Some day trips too? Lagoon of the 3 and Mount Fitzroy – Cerro Torre etc
Hikes around Fitz Roy suggestions Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
Laguna de Los Tres is most scenic (8 hrs) Laguna Torre or try to combine into one hike with Los Tres.
Set on the northern edge of Los Glaciares National Park, this town is within striking distance of plenty of Patagonia’s most famous hikes.
Laguna de los Tres Hike to the base of Mounty Fitzroy , this 13km round trip is the best ever, despite its long distance the hardest part of this hike is the last km – start 7am as its crowded at 9am – The trailhead is right in town Just as people hike to the Laguna de los Tres to admire Mount Fitz Roy, people also hike to Laguna Torre for its amazing views of Torre Mountain. In fact, the Laguna Torre hike from El Chalten is equally as popular, so many people in El Chalten plan to hike to both.
Laguna Torre Hike, flatter and less challenging route – 11 miles, both of which give astounding views of the iconic Cerro Torre (the inspiration for the clothing brand, Patagonia’s, logo). Can see woodpeckers here if go early in the morning there’s no toilets – there is a sign about half way that points toa toilet but its just a well covered spot, no loo.
Mirador Los Cóndores and Mirador Águila Hike its 2km in total – it is a shorter trail – it is also worthwhile, with dazzling views of El Chaltén and the national park beyond. The trail starts from the National Park Visitor Center just on the outskirts of town and is free to hike. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous you can continue hiking on this trail for another 1 km (0.6 mi) to the Las Aguilas Viewpoint. This trail starts about 10 mins before the Los Condores Viewpoint and leads to panoramic views of Viedma Lake.
TAKE THE HIKE BEHIND THE TOURIST INFO CENTRE, BY THE WAY, THE GUY IN THERE IS A WORLD FULL OF KNOWLEDGE AND CAN ADVISE YOU ON WHAT DAYS TO DO WHAT HIKES, GO ALONG THE PATH AND TURN LEFT, KEEP GOING ALL THE WAY FORWARD. AND DON’T TURN TOWARDS THE VIEW POINT. YOULL COME TO THE END AND YOU CAN SEE LOADS OF CONDORS. YOU TSKE THE OATH UP AND OVER THE SMALL HILLY MOUNTAIN THING, ITS NOT HARD JUST CAN BE WINDY, THIS COME OUT AT THE VIEW POINT ON THE OTHER SIDE BUT YOULL HAVE HAD MUCH BETTER VIEWS THAN THEM.

DAY 19, 20 & 21. Stay 4 nights

The drive into the park is an adventure in itself, you pass so many views of the blue ice filled lake on the way. This was the first time I actually saw ice bergs floating on a lake, not just any lake, the most stunning blue lake I have ever seen!

DAY 21 Drive to Torres Del Paine National Park – Arrive Day 21. Rest

DAY – 22, 23, 24 & 25 4 DAYS 5 NIGHTS
TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK 3 hrs 20 mins – **** STAY IN THE PARK OR VERY CLOSE – drive through Cerro Castillo to get there – see above

As of the summer of 2022, you can either enter Torres del Paine National Park on a day pass (good for up to 3 days) or 3+ day pass. If you only plan on going for the day or up to 3 days, the cheaper day pass is the best option. If you plan to do multiple days of different Torres del Paine tours or day hikes and think that you will spend more than 3 days here cumulatively, you should purchase the 3+ day pass to save money overall. Tickets can be printed or shown on the phone if you buy them ahead of time at the Puerto Natales bus station, where you will find a small ticket booth or online. With these options, you can pay with a credit card or cash. Please note that you still have to line up to watch a safety video and show your ticket, so this does not save you time. You also have the option to purchase tickets at the park itself. However, at the park, they only accept cash in either USD or CLP I personally find buying the ticket in person at the entrance gate to be the best option. If you wait and do it in person, the clerks speak English and help you with your booking. In-person you must pay in cash with CLP or USD.

Within the national park, there are many different day hikes including the most famous Las Torres Viewpoint,

SÓ IF YOU JUST NEEDED A SHORTER TRIP THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN FLY BACK OUT TO GO TO YOUR NEXT PLACE

On way Visit Reserva Natural Pinguina Rei. – check its open Take the Y71 towards Cruce Onaissin Turn right onto Y85 1hr 40 mins 4hrs 22 mins from Penguins to Ushaia. Need to make a reservation

TIERRA DEL FUEGO The southernmost city in the world. Tierra del Fuego visitors will often start the day with a hike to the scenic Glacier Martial and then venture out by water to spot Gentoo penguins and sea lions on the Beagle Channel and beyond. Adventurers visiting Ushuaia in Argentine Patagonia have plenty to do, from seafaring in the Tierra del Fuego and meeting penguin colonies to climbing windblown peaks above the shipwreck-dotted San Pablo Cape.

Return back to Puntas arenas over ferry from Porvenir again. *** We will cross the border back to Chile ***