Planning a Trip

Getting There & Around

By Plane -- Coyhaique's Aeropuerto de Balmaceda (no phone or ATM) is a gorgeous 1-hour drive from downtown. This is where the large jets arrive. LAN Airlines has two to three daily flights from Santiago, with a stop in either Puerto Montt or Temuco (there are no nonstops from Santiago); there's also one weekly flight from Punta Arenas. The LAN office is at General Parra 402 (tel. 600/526-2000 toll-free; www.lan.com). Sky Airline has one daily flight, with a stop in Puerto Montt (Prat 203; tel. 67/240827 in Coyhaique, or 600/600-2828 toll-free; www.skyairline.cl).

Charter flights (all small propeller planes) to closer destinations such as Villa O'Higgins, Chile Chico, and Cochrane leave from the Aeródromo Teniente Vidal (no phone) 7km (4 1/4 miles) outside town. Two charter flight companies offer tourist overland flights, even over the Laguna San Rafael Glacier. Both are the same in terms of price and quality (about $1,000/£500 for 3 hr. for one to five people): Aerohein, Baquedano 500 (tel. 67/232772; www.aerohein.cl), or Empresas Don Carlos, Baquedano 315 (tel. 67/232261; www.doncarlos.cl). The latter also flies to Cochrane and Villa O'Higgins.

By Boat -- Some travelers arrive at Puerto Chacabuco by boat from Puerto Montt or Quellón on Chiloé and then transfer to Coyhaique. It is 67km (42 miles) to Coyhaique. For schedule information, see "Puerto Aysén, Puerto Chacabuco & Laguna San Rafael National Park," later in this chapter. In Coyhaique, Navimag is at Ibáñez 347 (tel. 67/233306; www.navimag.cl).

By Bus -- Coyhaique has a bus terminal at Lautaro and Magallanes streets, but many companies use their own office for departures and arrivals. For buses with a final destination in Chaitén, try Buses Becker, Presidente Ibáñez 358 (tel. 67/232167; busesbecker@123.cl), which leaves on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8am ($27/£14 one-way). For Cochrane, take Buses Don Carlos, Arturo Prat 334 (tel. 67/522150; www.doncarlos.cl), which leaves on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9am ($18/£9). For Puerto Aysén and Chacabuco, take Suray with 20 trips per day, at Prat 265 (tel. 67/238387), or Interlagos at the Terminal (similar frequencies; tel. 67/240840). For Puerto Ibáñez, try Minibus Don Tito, Pasaje Curicó 619 (tel. 67/250280).

By Car -- Heading south on Ruta 7, the highway comes to a fork -- one paved road and one dirt. The choice here is clear, especially if you've been driving on gravel all day. The well-signed, paved route heads first toward Puerto Aysén and then heads southeast for a beautiful drive through the Río Simpson National Reserve before hitting town. At the city entrance, a sign points left for the center of town.

Orientation

Coyhaique has a pentagon-shape plaza in the northwest corner of town and many one-way streets that can easily confuse a visitor with a rental car. Most services and hotels are near the plaza, and you'll find it convenient to stick to walking downtown. The rest of the city is on a regular grid pattern.

Visitor Information

A helpful English-speaking staff can be found at the Sernatur office at Bulnes 35 (tel. 67/231752 or 67/240290; www.sernatur.cl); it's open January and February Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 8:30pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm; and March through December Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Sernatur produces a glossy magazine packed with information about the region and full listings of services, and provides a brochure on fishing. Don't skip the Oficina de Turismo Rural, 2 blocks away on Ogana 1060 (tel. 67/214031; www.rutatranspatagonia.cl), which is very helpful, offering contact information and a good brochure for even the remotest lodgings well beyond the end of the Carretera Austral. For information about the natural parks and preserves, you can try Conaf's office at Los Coigües s/n (tel. 67/212125; www.conaf.cl).

Car Rental for Local Trips & the Carretera Austral

Car rental is very expensive here, but there are plenty of offers, even the odd cafe has a pickup truck it will rent. Most require that you rent a truck if heading anywhere off paved roads (about $130/£65 per day for a truck, $180/£90 for a 4X4). Hertz (Balmeceda airport; tel. 67/231648; www.hertz.cl) or Budget (Errázuriz 454 and the Balmeceda airport; tel. 67/255171; www.budget.cl) are here. For local rental, try: AGS Rent a Car, Av. Ogana 1298, and at the airport (tel./fax 67/231511; agsrentacar@entelchile.net); International, General Parra 97 and at the airport (tel. 67/214770; fax 67/212771); Rent a Car Aysén, Francisco Bilbao 926 (tel. 67/231532); Traeger, Av. Baquedano 457 (tel./fax 67/231648; www.traeger.cl); Turismo Prado, Av. 21 de Mayo 417 (tel. 67/231271; ventas@turismoprado.cl); Ricer Rent a Car, Horn 48 (tel./fax 67/232920); or Automundo AVR, Francisco Bilbao 510 (tel. 67/231621; wfritsch@patagoniachile.cl). If you can't find what you want with these companies, request a list from Sernatur.