Punta Arenas Travel Forum

We plan to fly into Ushuaia ( from El Calafate ), and then go into Chile ( presumably through Punta Arenas ), see Torres del Paine, and then fly to Santiago.

The general question is how should we do it?

The particular questions are:
1) Is it easy to rent a car in Argentina and drop it off in Chile?
2) What is the best way to get from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas? Car/ferry? Bus/ferry? Fly? ( not interested in cruise ship )
3) Where is a reasonable place to stay while visiting Torres del Paine? Puerto Natales?
4) Where do we catch a flight from southern Chile into Santiago? The best we can find requires going back south to Punta Arenas.
5) Or should we scrap the plan above and take the different route of El Calafate to Torres del Paine, back to El Calafate, then down to Usuaia?

Also, any general advice on the whole plan would appreciated.
Thanks
-HB

We will be in Ushuaia in early November and would like to rent a car and drive from there to punta arenas and thereafter to puerto natales and El Calafate. Is this possible feasible given a timeimit of 8 days?

I hear that the roads in Chile are some of the best in South America. I have tentative plans to do a road trip from Santiago to Punta Arenas that would take a week and a half. I'm not sure if this is even possible, so here's my question. I can't find any highways on the maps i've looked at that will take me the whole way - are there ways to drive through that last patch in the south or will I have to fly there?

Thank you.

Joe

Hi,
I'm planning a one-month-trip to Chile betweem mid August and mid September. Wanted to see Puntas Arenas and the Torre del Paine Park at the beginning of September.
Is that possible? Is the plane the best way to reach the city in this season? How long is it worth to stay?
Thanks for the answers ;)

We are three couples that will be arriving in Punta Arenas on the Celebrity Cruise line on Feb 24th. We would like to engage the services of an English speaking cab driver to take us to the interesting places. We think that we would like to visit the Braun Museums and the Maggiorino Borgatello Museum. From there we are undecided about visiting the Estancia Lolita, the Reserva Forestal Magellanes, or maybe Fuerte Bulnes, or the Cemetery. We would want the cab driver to be knowledgeable about these places as well as provide the transportation. It has been possible to find this sort of cab driver in many places throughout Europe but I am wondering if the population of Punta Arenas is large enough to support this profession and we will be successful in just walking off the ship and finding rows of such cab drivers. Can anyone shed any light on this possibility? Thanks a million. Carolyn

Would appreciate any tips on finding a 2-3 month rental in Punta Arenas for mid-January to mid-April. Thanks, Deborah

I will be in Punta Arenas on Jan. 21 2008 for just the day and I want to hire a private english speaking guide and driver for the day...Any referrals? Thanks

Hi, hope someone can help with a basic question. We'll be in Punta Arenas in a a couple of weeks and have a reservation at the Hotel Diegro de Almagro. Since our stay will be brief we want to stay somewhere central to downtown, but we can't quite work out where the hotel is as I can't find it on the only street map I have. The address is Colón 1290.

Any feedback on this hotel is much appreciated

Thanks,
Lisa

Docking in Punta Arenas Dec.13, AM to Dec.14 PM.
Looking for private tours and "what to visit" recommendations.

Need ASAP so I can book.

Megdeiena tour or Otway tour, which is better for seeing and photographing Penguins?

Will be arriving early November by cruise ship. The ship offers Megdeiena and a tour company offers Otway. This could be a once in a life time trip.

Thanks, Robin

Hello:

I am travelling to Punta Arenas - Torres del Paine in mid september.
Anyone there at the same time?
want to share that travel?

regards,
Andres

I would like to find out what kind of transportation is available and feasible from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia?
I will be in Punta Arenas 5 days, and wouls like to go to Ushuaia for at least 2-3 days. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Any advice/info on Mid-range lodging in Ushuaia, Pt. Natales, and inside Torres del Paine?

Bus info to the Park? and Accommodations in the Park that you would recommend? (we are traveling with a 2.5 year old so we are only doing day trips.)

Any Suggestions for hikes that you enjoyed?

many thanks for your input!

looking for bus info from punta arenas to punta natales and then on to torres del paine park. (we are thinking of spending two nights in the park.) any info or suggestions you have would be helpful including times, prices. one other detail: we will be traveling with a 2 1/2 year old.

Hi, I was wondering if its possible to drive from PA to PM in mid jan-early feb. i have been trying to find something written on it but all i have only found taking a boat from Puerto Natales or flying from PA as options. Can someone please let me know if driving is an option? and if it is, would 14-16 days be sufficiant to see most of the things along the way?
i read about someones concern that the roads are pretty bad (even to pn from PA) and help if needed could be a long ways away. do you all agree/disagree?
Thanks!

what is the best way to get to or from buenos aires, primarily in terms of time and cost?
thank you

We recently visited Punta Arenas and, thanks to our taxi driver, visited a fantastic 'animal park' about 40 mins out of town.
It had puma, armadillo and even a south American condor...plus more and all were very accessible.
Sadly however I can't remember what it was called. I think it may have been 'Lolita' or something similar. It was clearly some sort of low-key tourist destination and I would like to be able to recommend it to friends....

Hope someone has been there/can remember the name.

Thanks

Punta Arenas is abeautiful city , if possible, I want to spend several month in Punta Arenas for language studying instead of Santiago!

Is there any school or language center offer courses for foreigner ?

i am planning on visiting argentina and Chile in June 2006. i want to travel down to ushuaia on the Argentinian side and then travel north again on the Chilean side. Ideally I want to travel from Punta Arenas to Puerto Montt by boat. However, my research is showing that there doesn't seem to be any scheduled boats sailing at that time of year. Is that really the case?
Are there trips that only sail at the last minute?
Is it safe enough to sail at that time of year?
Is it a bad idea to visit that part of Chile and Argentina in June?
Sorry, a lot of questions, but advise would be most appreciated.
Thanks very much.

We will be in Punta Arenas on 25 Mar 2006. We are looking forward to visit the Penguin Colony, but from what we read on the guide books of South America, the penguins would migrate by mid Mar. Any info would be helpful.

Thanks

Sandy

Does anyone know if there are any day tours to Magdelena Island that get back before dark? I have only found some day trips but all seem to leave in the afternoon or dont get back until late at night. help!

Also- any suggestions on where to stay in Puntas Arenas for 2 budget travelers is much appreciated.

Thanks!

There are only 3 boats per week to Magdelena Island from Punta Arenas (Tues, Thurs, Sat).

I arrive in Punta Arenas on a Friday (1/20/06) and want to take the boat to MI on Saturday 1/21, the boat holds 240 passengers... do they fill up way in advance in high season?

I was hoping to book upon arrival - 1 day in advance. I found a tourism sight where you can book passage in advance that includes hotel pick-up for 2X the price (boat is $30us, advance reservation+hotel transport = $60us). I don't mind paying more if it is possible that I arrive in PA on Friday 1/20 to find that the Saturday 1/21 boat is already booked.

Do these boats get booked in advance? Do I have a good chance of arriving on a Friday afternoon in Punta Arenas and booking the Saturday boat to Magdelna Island?

Thank you.

VT Chile Travel Forum - Help and Advice From Your Fellow Travelers
Welcome back, BeyondNYC
your homepage | your travel pages | email | notices consoleNEW! | settings | log out | help
Home
Travel Guides
Hotels
Flights
DealsNEW!
Members
Meetings & Events
Do It Yourself Guides
Forums
TRAVEL FORUM: Chile
Travel Guide | Hotels | Forum | Things To Do | Top 5 Pages | Deals | Members | Meetings & Events
Home » Forums » South America » Chile



The VirtualTourist Travel Forum. The travel forum is where you can ask for help on any aspect of a trip you're planning. When 643,185 members from over 200 countries put their heads together, you're sure to get accurate, up-to-date and unbiased insights that you won't find anywhere else.

Travel Forum Guidelines | Posting To The Right Location | Members
Return to where you were in the Forum

Go to the top of the Travel Questions Forum
Travel Questions Forum | VT Site & Technical Help Forum | Miscellaneous Forum + Post A Question
Forum
Chile
Question
Chile:Magdelena Island - Book in advance?
Posted: Wed October 05 20:37:06 2005 EDT
There are only 3 boats per week to Magdelena Island from Punta Arenas (Tues, Thurs, Sat).

I arrive in Punta Arenas on a Friday (1/20/06) and want to take the boat to MI on Saturday 1/21, the boat holds 240 passengers... do they fill up way in advance in high season?

I was hoping to book upon arrival - 1 day in advance. I found a tourism sight where you can book passage in advance that includes hotel pick-up for 2X the price (boat is $30us, advance reservation+hotel transport = $60us). I don't mind paying more if it is possible that I arrive in PA on Friday 1/20 to find that the Saturday 1/21 boat is already booked.

Do these boats get booked in advance? Do I have a good chance of arriving on a Friday afternoon in Punta Arenas and booking the Saturday boat to Magdelna Island?

Thank you.

I am planning a trip to the Explora Hotel in Punta Arenas, yet I would like to stop first in Buenos Aires, How can I get to Punta Arenas from here?

Can someone please suggest the best itinerary based from Puerto Montt (I'll be flying into Puerto Montt from Santiago) and involving any combination of day
trips (boat, car, bus) to puerto varas, osorno,
petrohue, chiloe, puella through the lagos (I can't go to Bariloche,
because I don't have an argentine visa; unless I can get an argentine visa at
the border).

I have around 3-4 days to spend around Puerto Montt, after which I
want to fly to Punta Arenas (don't want to risk taking the Navimag,
because it looks like the weather is dicy) and visit the Torres Del
Paine for another 4-5 days (Is it possible to include trips to the bernardo and
serrano, and the isla magalleno?). I'll be flying back to Santiago
from Punta Arenas. I can rent a car or so, can spend around $3000 for 2 people excluding flights (the lesser the better :)

Thanks very much for your help.

Cheers 'n Regards,
Ganesh.

We will be at hosteria las torres at TDP partk for 4 days in early April.. 1. Is the food any good there? Has anyone tried the box lunches or should we pack food in from our drive from puntas arenas? We'll have a car, should we eat anywhere else in the park?
2. Do we need to pack our winter clothes? Does the sun ever shine there?

We're having second thoughts about spending 4 days in the park ... is it too long?

Thanks for any help.

Are there any flights from Santiago direct to Punta Arenas? As far as I can tell LAN only fly via Puerto Montt. Is there another airline that has direct flights?

I am planning to visit Puntas Arenas in April. Coming from the direction of Ushuaia, are there any buses that will take me to PA or is the only option to drive.

If I want to visit the Torres Del Plaines NP, re there any public buses that will take me there or do I have to join a tour or rent a car?

Any advice would be muuch appreciated.

Thanks.

Andre

We are planning to meet our son in Southern Chile between 2/4-2/11/05. We haven't booked the flight yet and are wondering if we should fly from Santiago to Punta Arenas or is there a better place than Punta Arenas to fly in to.
Can we rent a car in the Southern region or should we depend on buses or tours?
As we have a very short time what are the best things to see and do?
Thank you.
Jerusha Ryan

I would like to find out if bus transportation is available and feasible from Puerto Natales to Ushuaia? We're planning a trip next December to arrive in Puetro Natales by ferry and to take a cruise out of Ushuaia to Punta Arenas (the Mare Australis). And would like to travel by bus instead of air if it's available from Puerto Natales to Ushuaia. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.