The Navimag is part cargo ship, part passenger ferry that travels through southern Chile. We boarded in Puerto Natales (together with a lorry full of cows and a few other, more silent, containers) and traveled north to Puerto Montt.
The journey took us through narrow channels, past misty green islands with cascading waterfalls. We saw a glacier, a shipwreck, a tiny village where it rains at least once a day. We rode on the open sea, with rolling waves that sent people to bed or out on deck in search of fresh air. We passed between south america’s largest island on one side and the distant Andes on the other, while sea lions and sea gulls floated by.
We built our days around meal times and lectures on glacier formation and the flora and fauna of Patagonia. We stood on the bridge with the captain and examined charts and radar as if we knew what was going on. We slept comfortably in curtained bunks and washed in hot water that turned off after one minute. We read books, played cards and drank beer in the little lounge bar.
We had a good time.
4 night/3 day journey from $300 for a dorm bed, all inclusive: accommodation, meals, entertainment (lectures & films). Buy tickets online or in the Navimag office in Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales.
Strolling South America 