As I have mentioned I needed to get to Puerto Montt for the ferry to Puerto Natales. It leaves once per week (on Fridays). It is a 4 day, 3 night trip through the channels and fjords of Patagonia as well as Pacific Ocean āas the glacier area is impassable to ships. I have included the route in the pictures.
Day 1 of our trip was check in and sail. We left approximately 17h30. The weather in Puerto Montt was sunny with blue skies. This is of course great as you could see all the volcano peaks in the area.
In the afternoon of day 2 we hit the Pacific Ocean. The paramedic came around to offer us all sea sickness tablets. Most people took them, and those that didnāt immediately before hitting the ocean took them later. The tablets have a side effect of drowsiness- so much of the shipā travellers also passed out. The sea was relatively calm- but the swells were obviously larger than in the channels. I felt fine, but sleep alluded me this night.
Day 3 was a rainy day- a pity as the fjords would have been a sight to behold. However the constant drizzle and low cloud cover did not allow for this. The weather cleared a bit in the afternoon, so we were fortunate to view fjords after rain- which means that there are many waterfalls. We dropped off a few passengers, and picked up some new ones in the tiny village of Puerto Eden. This is the most remote of Chileās community- the 120 odd people are only serviced by the Navimag ferry. There are no cars or roads here. The wind howls through this channel and though beautiful, I cannot imagine the cold of a winter here! There is also a naval base here.
Day 4 was Christmas Eve, and the day we disembarked at Puerto Natales. It was also on this last day that we crossed the narrowest of the fjords- made tricky by the dotting of little islands throughout the channel- this is called āWhite Passā. This is one of the critical points of the cruise, where slack water must be available and high tide is a must. It can also only be passed during daylight hours.Ā
There is a faster way to get to Puerto Natales- by bus. This slower, and more unique way was my preferred option- and I am glad I took it. At the end I spoke to most of the passengers on board, made some new friends, got to experience some bone chilling winds and had good company for Christmas Eve dinner- a first for me -Pizza ! About 12 of us from the ferry met up and had an orphan Christmas at a great pizza place- Base Camp.