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Navimag ferries passengers, cars and goods from Puerto Montt to and from Puerto Natales

Navimag Ferries
Ferry route P. Montt - P. NatalesThe Navimag Experience

We are not a cruise, but a ferry, that is to say, a transport vessel of goods and passengers. Although we could say that we are a hostel that navigates across Patagonia.

Our service is designed for people who are not looking for luxuries, but rather an authentic journey. For slow travelers and backpackers who want to enjoy the romanticism of traveling in a vessel from the 70's worthy of the the memorable filmed voyages of Jacques Cousteau, and who wish to live the adventure at the end of the world including inclement weather, the disconnection and relaxation that only a remote area can offer, no phone signal, while contemplating the majestic beauty of the Patagonian fjords in southern Chile, some of them untouched areas.

We have cargo ships adapted for the transportation of passengers and vehicles (cars, trucks, camping trailers, motorcycles and bicycles).
Each ship has a wide variety of accommodations, ample space for recreation and relaxation, along with a crew that is ready to give you the best service.

For prices and itineraries please check their website (link provided below)

From Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales

Check in and Sailing - Puerto Montt
Check-in is available from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm in our offices located at Holiday Inn Express Hotel located in Juan Soler Manfredini Ave. S/N, First Floor, Costanera Mall You can drop your luggage and our ground personnel will keep it until boarding starts. All passengers shall embark at 2:00 pm. We will guide you in loading your vehicle if you are traveling with one.

Once onboard, crew members will give a welcome talk and additional information for a safe and fun journey. Departing at 4:00 pm and sailing through the Patagonian Fjords, with final destination Puerto Natales.

Day 1: Puerto Montt

Departing at 4:00 pm the adventure begins in the Reloncaví Sound, Gulf of Ancud, in the evening we enter the Apiao Channel and then the Gulf of Corcovado.

Day 2: Moraleda Channel - Ocean Area - Golfo de Penas
At dawn we sail through the southernmost part of the Gulf of Corcovado, The Captain, according to the weather ,tidal current information of the channels and the positions of celestial bodies such as the Moon and Sun, shall decide the most appropriate route to continue the journey, having among others, the following choices for going out into the open ocean: 1.- Boca del Guafo, 2.- Ninualac Channel, 3.- Pulluche Channel.

There is also the possibility of accessing other channels, depending on the visibility conditions and traffic of other ships. If he decides to go into the open sea through the Boca del Guafo, we will immediately sail between the Archipelago de los Chonos and Isla Guafo, to quickly enter the Ocean Area.

If the choice is to go through the Ninualac Channel, sailing all morning through the Moraleda Channel, we will approach Tuap Island, where we will turn towards the West and begin to navigate through the Ninualac Channel, entering the open sea in the afternoon.

On the other hand, if he decides to sail through the Pulluche Channel, we will pass through the Moraleda channel, a transit area for remarkable sailors and canoeists from the Los Chonos and Chiloé Archipiélagos, to later sail the Errázuriz Channel and then the Chacabuco Channel, to later enter the Pulluche Channel - the most lush in vegetation (Lenga or Southern Beech and Patagonian Cypress forests), and with luck, we will see marine bird, sea lions, and native dolphins called “Toninas”.

In the evening we will start sailing though the open sea in the area immediately north of the Golfo de Penas, to enter it at night. The open ocean crossing lasts about 12 hours with good weather and it is possible to see humpback, Minke, and blue whales (depending on the time of year and the weather).

Day 3: Bajo Cotopaxi - Puerto Eden
We wake up sailing through the fjords and crossing the Messier Channel with a depth of 1,270 meters, the deepest of the zone; in this channel we will be able to see the cargo ship Capitán Leonidas, which has been shipwrecked since the 1970’s on a sunken islet called “Bajo Cotopaxi”. This ship is presently used as a lighthouse and reference point for sailors.

Later we will cross the English Narrows, to reach the village of Puerto Edén where the last indigenous Alacalufes reside. Puerto Edén is located on Wellington Island, which forms part of the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, the largest in Chile.

After a short stay in this port (only for residents embarkation purposes) we start sailing through the Patagonian channels, called Paso del Indio, Paso del Abismo, the Wide, Concepción, Inocentes Channels, Guía Narrows, Sarmiento Channel, Farquar Pass, Collingwood Narrows, Unión Channel, Sobenes Pass (the southernmost of the route), Escobar Doxrud Pass, and Morla Vicuña Channel.

Day 4: Angostura White - Puerto Natales
In the early morning we will sail through the Santa Maria Channel, to then reach the narrowest pass of the route, Angostura White, called “While Narrow”, only 80 meters wide. Later we will navigate across the Unión Sound to then enter the access channel to the city of Puerto Natales, where our great adventure comes to an end.

From Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt

Check in and Sailing - Puerto Natales
The check-in is available from 9:00 AM to 6 PM (day prior departure) in our offices located on Ave. España 1455, office #2 – Rodoviario, Puerto Natales where you can drop your luggage and our ground personnel will keep it until boarding starts. We will guide you in loading your vehicle if you are traveling with one.

Passengers embark at 9 PM (day prior departure). Once onboard, crew members will give a welcoming talk and additional information for a safe and fun trip.

Day 1: Angostura White and Santa Maria Channel
Anchor will be weighed at 6 AM and we start our journey through the Patagonian fjords, with final destination at the city of Puerto Montt.

We enter the Unión Sound to navigate through the narrowest part of the route, only 80 m wide, called “White Narrows”, to later sail through the Santa María channel.

Day 2: Puerto Eden - Bajo Cotopaxi
We sail through the Patagonian Channel, Morla Vicuña, Escobar Doxrud Pass, Sóbenes Pass (the southernmost of the route), Unión Channel, Collingwood Narrows, Farquar Pass, Sarmiento Channel, Guía Narrows, Los Inocentes, Concepción, and Wide channels, Paso del Abismo, and Paso del Indio to arrive at the town of Puerto Edén*, where the last population of native Alacalufes live.

Puerto Edén is located on Wellington Island, one of the largest islands in Chile that forms part of Bernardo O´Higgins National Park.

After a short stay in this port (only for residents embarkation purposes) we continue our journey towards the north going through the English Narrows, a narrow pass that allows the passage of only one ship at a time.

We continue through the Messier Channel, where we will see the cargo ship Capitán Leonidas, shipwrecked since the 1970’s on a half-sunken islet called “Bajo Cotopaxi”. The wreck is currently used as a navigation lighthouse and point of reference for sailors.

Day 3: Golfo de Penas - Ocean Area - Moraleda Channel
At sunset we start the ocean navigation in the area of the Penas Gulf, an approximate 12-hour crossing, where it is possible to see humpback, Minke, and blue whales, (depending on the time of year and climate).

At dawn, the Captain will assess the weather information received, and with the information on the tidal currents in the channels and the positions of celestial bodies like the moon and the sun, he will decide the most appropriate route to continue the journey with the following options to leave the open Ocean Area: 1.- Pulluche Channel, 2.- Ninualac Channel, 3.- Boca de Guafo.

There is also the possibility of accessing other channels depending on the visibility and the traffic of other ships.

If he decides the Pulluche channel, the most lush in vegetation (Southern Beech and Patagonian cypress forests), with luck, we will see marine birds, sea lions and native dolphins called “Toninas”.

We enter the Chacabuco Channel, and then sail through the Errázuriz channel, and finally sail through the Moraleda channel, a transit spot for notable sailors and canoeists from the Chonos and Chiloé archipelagos. If the choice is through the Ninualac channel, we will reach the area around Isla Tuap, later entering the Moraleda Channel.

Finally, if the option is to continue in the open sea through the Boca del Guafo, we will sail amongst the Chonos Archipiélago to continue our route towards Puerto Montt.

Day 4: Puerto Montt
Continuing our journey north, we sail through the Gulf of Corvocado, then through the Apiao Channel, Ancud Gulf, and Reloncaví Sound, arriving at Puerto Montt in the morning, the city where this great adventure comes to an end.


Important! Disembarking in Puerto Edén and the trip through the channels is done only if the weather, ocean conditions, and itinerary permit and is always at the Captain’s discretion.