After spending two weeks in Patagonia, we travelled northwards through Chilean Patagonia in a rather unusual way: the Navimag ferry.
The Navimag sails back and forth between Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt. The journey takes three days and four nights, with passengers boarding the boat in the evening and setting sail early the following morning.
My Navimag voyage was a highlight of my Patagonia trip. There’s just something about gliding through untouched fjords, face turned against a strong breeze, miles and miles from anywhere, with no WiFi for days…
The Navimag voyage: initial impressions
Once we were out of Puerto Natales, the ship drifted through fjords and the channels between them, some very narrow. Despite the perpetual strong wind, the water was so smooth that you could hardly feel the ship moving at all.
Around us, the landscape had a desolate and abandoned look. We passed rocky, untamed islands, so thick with windswept forest that they looked as though nobody has ever set foot on them in the whole history of time. The tops of the mountains were still coated in snow, and occasionally we would catch sight of a thin waterfall hurling water down a cliff.
The weather was changeable. It was often cloudy but occasionally there would be a burst of heavy rain or bright sunshine. This changeability meant that rainbows were frequent, low on the water and often in a complete arc of strong, bright colour.
Surprising sights: a village
One of the most surprising sights we passed on the journey was on the second day. The boat turned into a narrower channel flanked by mountains topped with patchy snow which had fallen the night before. And there was a village perched on the edge of a desolate-looking island: Puerto Edén.
The travel time to Puerto Edén had been a day and a half of continuous sailing from Puerto Natales. It is even further from Puerto Montt. In other words, Puerto Edén is hundreds of miles from any other settlement. Incredibly, it has a permanent population of 100.
As we were pulling into Puerto Edén, the captain let down the ramp at the stern. This was the signal for three small boats to set sail from the village and make their way over to load and unload the village’s weekly supplies. Once they had finished, they returned to the village and the Navimag turned around and continued its voyage.
More surprising sights: shipwreck
The second unusual sight that day was a listing shipwreck, its rusting deck covered in a coat of green slime. This shipwreck is actually on top of another shipwreck. The earlier one is from the 1920s and was accidental. The upper (visible) one was deliberately wrecked in the 1960s in an unsuccessful attempt at insurance fraud. As we passed, the captain sounded the ship’s horn and a cloud of white birds rose from the wreck and circled above it.
Rougher waters
In the evening of the second day, having until now passed through smooth water in the sheltered fjords, we reached a section of the voyage which took us around the edge of Chile into the open Pacific Ocean. The sea was suddenly choppier. The boat swayed from side to side, and waves bashed loudly against it.
Luckily most of this 12-hour section was overnight and so we took pre-emptive seasickness pills and went to bed early. Our beds were perpendicular to the edges of the ship so we were being rocked from head to toe whilst trying to get to sleep. It was quite an odd sensation!
Arrival into Puerto Montt
The last day was misty and cloudy, with poor visibility. We were unable to see Chiloé Island on our left as we travelled the last stretch of the journey towards Puerto Montt. But soon enough the town loomed in the distance, and finally we anchored in the harbour.
What are the facilities like on the Navimag boat?
The boat has capacity for 220 passengers but my voyage actually only had 45 so it felt very spacious.
Other than sleeping space, the main spaces available to passengers are a large dining hall spanning the width of the ship with windows down each side, a cosy café with windows looking forward, and the outer decks at bow and stern with open corridors down each side.
The voyage is marketed as an opportunity to disconnect. The boat has no WiFi and it travels through the remotest part of Chile so there is no signal either. Passengers can make the most of observing Chile’s wildest landscapes and keeping an eye out for sea creatures, including whales. Various activities are also scheduled, including videos and lectures about the geographical area and the threats Patagonia’s indigenous populations face. There are also yoga classes, bingo, board games, cards… you’re not going to be bored!
The food was also unexpectedly good. Substantial, nutritious meals were available from a canteen in the dining room three times a day. There was also unlimited tea, coffee and juice. So as well as not being bored, nobody goes hungry either.
Unpredictable delays
Something to be aware of when planning to travel on the Navimag is that there can be unpredictable delays so you’ll need to be flexible.
We had factored in three days of contingency time with flexible plans in Puerto Varas after we were due to arrive in Puerto Montt. This was lucky because a storm disrupted the Navimag’s timetable, meaning our voyage departed three days later than originally scheduled. We used the extra time in Patagonia to visit Punta Arenas but this swallowed our contingency time in Puerto Varas.
Our luck and contingency time then ran out as we arrived at Puerto Montt eight hours later than the time specified in my confirmation email. As a result, we missed our flight to Santiago and had to rebook it for the next day and stay the night in Puerto Montt.
So take this as a word of warning to be flexible and schedule more extra days than you think to account for unpredictable delays!
Should you travel on the Navimag?
A resounding yes!
The experience on the Navimag was an ideal way to slow down after a busy section of the trip in Patagonia. Although we did not see a single sea creature other than a solitary jellyfish, we were fascinated by the landscapes we passed, having rarely been anywhere else on the planet as wild and isolated. It felt timeless.
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