Puerto Montt: Getting there & around

Lan Chile flies daily to Punta Arenas, Balmaceda/Coyhaique and Santiago. Sky Airlines has cheaper flights to Punta Arenas and Santiago.

From Puerto Montt's bus terminal, there are minibuses to Puerto Varas, Frutillar and Puerto Octay. Long-distance bus companies, all with offices at the bus terminal, include Cruz del Sur, with frequent services to Chiloé; Tur Bus, with a daily service to Valparaíso/Viña del Mar (18hr); Igi Llaima; and Buses Lit. All have buses to Santiago (13-16hr).

Puerto Montt is the main departure port for Patagonia. At the Terminal de Transbordadores, you can find ticket offices and waiting lounges for both Navimag and Transmarchilay. Both companies are primarily commercial transporters, so don't expect a lot of cruise-ship comforts. The most popular trip is Navimag's M/N Magallanes , which sails on Monday to Puerto Natales (and back on Friday), a popular three-night journey through Chile's fjords. Chaitén Transmarchilay leaves on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday to Chaitén (10hr). The same company runs the ship from Parqua to Chacao on Chiloé. Cruceros Skorpios is a legitimate cruise, which travels to Laguna San Rafael and the Chilean fjords. Catamaranes del Sur focuses on shorter, faster trips and offers great service to Chaitén.

The main bus terminal is on the waterfront, about 1km (0.6mi) southwest of Plaza de Armas. Terminal de Transpordadores, for the Navidad ferry, is about 500m (0.3mi) further on. ETM buses go from the bus terminal to Puerto Montt's Aeropuerto El Tepual, 16km (9.5mi) west of town. There are also taxis and door-to-door shuttles for the trip.

Car rental agencies Hertz and Full Fama's can help to get permission to take rental vehicles into Argentina, but insurance can be tricky.