The Big Island of Chiloé has turned into an interesting destination for people on their way to the south. The main harbour is Quellón, with departures all year round to Chaitén. This trip takes about 5 hours and has the alluring of leaving behind Chiloé and its many islands, to sail towards Chaitén, considered for its location the "gate" to the Carretera Austral. The boat sails through the inner channels of the Chiloé archipelago, with quiet waters protected by the big Island. The trip continues along small islands and its typical Chiloé chapels. With good visibility it is possible to see in the back a range of summits and volcanoes in the continent.

Normally there is only one ferry per week. In the summer months (January - February) there are more services with two or three trips a week. In previous high seasons there were scheduled departures also from other ports of Chiloé (Castro or Chonchi) towards Chaitén, however, this didn't happen the last two years.

This journey is made by Naviera Austral which has two boats Pincoya and Alejandrina, only with pullman seats, and the ferry Don Baldo, which also has cabins with berths. It is possible to buy a seat ("butaca") or just buy a "general ticket" without seat. All boats carry cargo, vehicles and passengers, since the maritime route is one of the best transport and comunication options in the zone.

There is usually space for passengers until shortly before the departure. However, if travelling by car, we recommend to book ahead, especially during the summer.

For more information, please contact directly Naviera Austral:

Web Site : www.navieraustral.cl
Mail: info@navieraustral.cl
Phones in Puerto Montt:(56-65) 270400 / 270431 / 270432
Phone in Quellón: (56-65) 682207
Phone in Chaitén: (56-9) 79760342

Due to weather conditions/and or mechanical problems, the boats have been repeateadly reported late and some trips even got cancelled. If you want to travel this route, we recommend to consider enough time for this kind of situations.