Ferry through the Patagonian Fjords

From Caleta Tortel, we drove our last stretch of the carretera austral to Puerto Yungay, a tiny port with a waiting room and small kiosco. Here you can make a shorter 45 minute ferry trip to connect you to the end of the 1247km carretera austral road where the last town Villa O Higgins is situated or a 41 hour ferry to Puerto Natales which runs only once per week. The Puerto Natales ferry 'Crux Australis' is a relatively new route only starting in 2016 with subsidies from the government in order to connect the Aysén and Magallanes regions, fulfilling a wish of the inhabitants of both regions to be able to connect through Chilean territory and without the need to detour through Argentina.

While we waited to board the 'Crux Australis', we cooked up some leftover lentil curry with some orange stemmed vegetables from Lily's garden and shared an empanada from the kiosco. This is an important detail as the first night aboard we both got a bout of horrific food poisoning. On the boat we had tried so hard to get tickets for, I felt so sick I was praying to be anywhere else but on it. Luckily our camper was conveniently parked close to the deck toilet ... Whether it was the empanada or the weird orange stemmed vegetable we will never know!

Never the less the next day we started to feel a little better and enjoyed having no internet connection to read and watch some films. We also met Dan from England, one of the only other tourists on the boat. The ferry route passes through a labyrinth of fjords on the west side of the Patagonian Ice Fields although the mist, rain and wind only allowed us glimpses. We did get a good view of Villa Puerto Edén from the upper deck when the ferry stopped to drop off supplies, a tiny village on wellington island, considered one of Chile's most isolated inhabited places. We read some people previously on board were lucky enough to see orcas or humpback whales during their crossing but the only animal we saw was a lone seal. Most of the journey we spent thinking of our next meal with portions on board quite small and served up like prison food. Overall, the ferry took 50 hours due to some strong winds and choppy waters on the second night. Never the less we enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to fully complete our trip through chile.

Recommendations:
Bring snacks
Book long in advance
Fry your breakfast sandwich in the camper

25/02- 27/02Read more