At Puerto Montt, take one of the Naviera Austral ferries toward Chaitén http://www.navieraustral.cl/itinerarios-y-tarifas#ruta-chaiten.

Typically, the Jacaf ferry leaves from Puerto Montt every Monday, Thursday, and Friday at 11 p.m. The trip takes around 9 hours, including a short stop in Ayacara, which means that if weather is good you should arrive at Chaitén around 8:00 a.m. You can take the opportunity to spend some time in town and, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see the magnificent Corcovado Volcano, part of the National Park of the same name. Corcovado National Park doesn’t have public access infrastructure yet, but you can appreciate its beauty at a distance along the route.
From Chaitén, continue 17 miles south along the paved road until you arrive at the town of El Amarillo. We recommend spending this afternoon exploring some of the shorter trails in the southern sector of Pumalín Park, such as Ranita de Darwin or El Mirador.

At night, you can stay in El Amarillo––there are various options for lodging in the town––or in one of the two campsite areas in this part of Pumalín Park (Camping Grande and Ventisquero; note that the latter is only accessible in 4×4 vehicles).

9 hours in boat from Puerto Montt to Chaitén

20 minutes in car from Chaitén to El Amarillo

Spend this day exploring Pumalín Park’s trails. We recommend the Ventisquero Amarillo trail, which brings you very close to the glacier that sits on the Michinmahuida Volcano. The trail begins 6.8 miles from the entrance to the El Amarillo sector. To round out your afternoon, you can relax in one of the municipal thermal baths at El Amarillo, located just 2.8 miles from the intersection with the Carretera Austral, then stay one more night in the town.

20 minutes in car from El Amarillo to the beginning of the Ventisquero trail

7 minutes in car from El Amarillo to the thermal baths

Today, continue south on the Carretera Austral. Roughly 13 miles after El Amarillo, you’ll reach Puerto Cárdenas, a town with beautiful views of Lake Yelcho, which is known worldwide as a must-visit destination for fly fishers. Later, begin ascending the Moraga slope to then descend to the Frio River Valley, where you’ll find the town of Santa Lucía. Drive carefully, because this route was affected by a major mudslide in 2017. Although the road is open, it is gravel and can have muddy parts, especially after rain.

Around 43 miles south of Santa Lucía, you’ll arrive at La Junta, where you can tank gas and stay for the night, or continue 28 miles south to Puyuhuapi, a town that also has a wide range of lodging available and various options for visiting thermal baths.

If you’ve got time and would like to explore a bit, you can take Route X-11 east from La Junta and visit the beautiful Barros Arana Range and the Claro Solar Lagoon.

2.5 hours in car from El Amarillo to Puyuhuapi

Starting from Puyuhuapi or La Junta, set out to explore the various trails in Queulat National Park and admire the beauty of its hanging glacier, which you can see from the Carretera Austral.

If you’d like to do a longer hike, we recommend the Mirador del Ventisquero trail, or––if that is not an option––hiking the Laguna Témpanos trail to the lagoon, where in summer you can find boats that will take you to the ice floes.

In the evening, you can camp in the privately-managed campsites in Queulat Park, or return to Puyuhuapi, where you’ll find various options for lodging as well as for visiting the thermal baths in the area.

30 minutes in car from Puyuhuapi to the entrance to Queulat National Park, Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier) sector

Continue south along the Carretera Austral and begin to ascend the Queulat slope. Enjoy its 33 curves, exuberant vegetation, and beautiful views of the fjord and the Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier). We recommend stopping at the Bosque Encantado trail, although be sure to check first if it is open, as it was still closed for maintenance in July 2018.

From Villa Amengual, it’s 91 miles to Coyhaique, where you’ll find a wide range of lodging and other services.

4.5 hours in car from Puyuhuapi to Coyhaique

We recommend spending this day exploring Coyhaique’s surroundings and visiting the Río Simpson National Reserve or the Coyhaique National Reserve before continuing on to your next destination, whether that’s leaving from Balmaceda Airport, driving back, or crossing into Argentina via Coyhaique Alto.