How to get to Aysen

The main gateway airport to Aysen is Balmaceda (airport code BBA), close to Coyhaique in the very centre of Aysen. There are no direct international flights: travellers must travel via Santiago. Balmaceda is around 2½ hours by air from Santiago. Flights are operated daily by LATAM. There are also connections to Santiago with Sky Airlines, with Balmaceda included as a stop on their service between Santiago and Punta Arenas.

Flights from Punta Arenas (airport code PUQ) to Balmaceda connect Torres del Paine to Aysen. Flights are operated by Sky Airlines and Aerovias DAP. There are no direct flights from Puerto Natales to Aysen.

A very scenic option for those who prefer slower travel is to take the Navimag ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt in the Chilean Lake District, and make the short hop by air or road to Aysen from there. The ferry takes four days/three nights to slowly make its way north along the Chilean Fjords. The endlessly dramatic scenery and chance to see whales, dolphins and marine birdlife along the way make this one of the most breath-taking ferry rides in the world – and one of Chile's great travel secrets.

The Chilean Lake District is well connected to Aysen, both by air and by road to the northern part of the region.

Daily flights connect Puerto Montt (airport code PMC) with Balmaceda, with flights operated by LATAM and Sky Airlines, and taking just over one hour. Puerto Montt also has small plane flights to Chaitén airport (WCH), taking just 15 minutes and putting you close to Pumalín National Park, the traditional starting point of the Carretera Austral highway.

Puerto Montt is also the start and end point of the Northern Patagonia Fjords Cruise that tours Aysen's spectacular coastline and Chiloé island, including a day at San Rafael Glacier.

There are no direct flight connections between Argentina and Aysen.

Adventurous travellers with plenty of time may wish to see more of Patagonia by travelling overland, either from El Chaltén in Los Glaciares, or Bariloche in the Argentinian Lake District. For more information see below.

Road trips to Aysen from the Chilean Lake District start from Puerto Montt, taking you along the northernmost stretch of Chile's Route of the Parks. 

With a hire car or driver, you make your way down through the Chilean Lake District on the start of the Carretera Austral, skirting the coast and Alerce Andino National Park en route.

The highway here is broken in three places by car ferries. The first is a 30 minute crossing of Reloncavi Sound between La Arena and Puelche, followed by a six hour crossing from Hornopirén National Park to Leptepu Fjord. Finally, there is the short hop from Largo Fjord to Chaiten, close to Pumalín National Park. 

From Bariloche, pick up your hire car to join the famous Ruta 40, the highway that runs parallel to the Andes, from the border with Bolivia to Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America.

It's a 12 hour journey past lakes and mountains to the vast Patagonian steppe. Leaving the highway at the town of Perito Moreno, the road heads west to the border crossing at Los Antiguos and the town of Chile Chico on the shores of Lago General Carrera.  From here, you can either take the ferry north to Puerto Ibañez and continue to Cerro Castillo, or continue along the southern shore of the lake all the way to Puerto Guadal and beyond, to Cruce El Maitén on the Carretera Austral.

To get to Aysen from the south, your road trip must begin in Argentina rather than Chile. Fly to El Calafate and pick up your hire car before heading north on Ruta 40 via El Chaltén. You will need to stop for the night in one of the estancias along this remote section as you have nearly 380 miles (600 km) before the turnoff towards the Chilean border at Perito Moreno town (as you will have started your trip in the Los Glaciares region, it's important to note this is not near the Perito Moreno Glacier).

The border crossing at Los Antiguos leads to the town of Chile Chico on the shores of Lago General Carrera. Take the ferry from here to Puerto Ibañez for Cerro Castillo, or turn south for Puerto Guadal along the Carretera Austral.

An alternative and very adventurous route to Aysen from southern Patagonia is the ferry route to Villa O'Higgins. This is usually attempted by mountain bikers or backpackers as boats only take foot passengers. 

Starting in El Chaltén, you transfer to Lago del Desierto, and cross the lake by boat. From here it's just under eight miles (12 km) across the border to Candelario Mancilla (it's possible to have your bags carried on horseback) where you must spend the night. The next morning, take the ferry across Lago O'Higgins to Villa O'Higgins.

From Villa O'Higgins, it's a six hour bus trip to Cochrane (the first town in southern Aysen where it's possible to hire a car). 

Exploring Aysen by car along the Carretera Austral offers the ultimate freedom, but prepare for a mix of paved and unpaved roads and surfaces often damaged by extremes of weather. For this reason, we always recommend hiring a 4x4 and always ensure that there is a spare tyre included: punctures are not uncommon.

Before starting any journey, check where fuel stops are along your route as places to refuel are few and far between. Depending on where your journey starts and ends, you may not be able to return your car with a full tank: local hire companies are used to this and will charge you the cost of the missing fuel on returning the car.

It’s possible to travel around Aysen by comfortable public bus. The largest number of connections run through Coyhaique, Aysen’s main transport hub, with the best run by the nationwide operator Sernatur.

Sample travel times from Coyhaique include Villa Cerro Castillo (1½ hours), Cochrane (7-10 hours), Chile Chico (1½ hours) and Puerto Montt (23 hours). The latter two connections include sections on a ferry. Outside the main towns, services tend to be few and far between, and require a flexible mindset and itinerary.