Ferry through the Chilean Fjords: Navimag Adventures

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So after settling on my medicine and such, we headed to the port in Puerto Montt to board the Navimag Ferry, our home for the next four days. We all met in a big area to get our rules and boarding process talk from the ship people. It was pretty straight forward and the couple hundred people sitting there then separated into our specific boarding groups and headed towards the ferry. The ship itself was half passenger cabins and half room for trucks, cars, and just about anything you can think of. I read somewhere that in the winter is a haven for cattle...glad its summer.

We found our 4 person cabin, without a window, which was pretty cozy and all settled in to our lockers that were there for our bags which gave us a few feet of walking room finally in the cabin. Overall the cabin was quite cozy and had nice curtains to draw in case the other travelers were up and about and you wanted to sleep. I was glad to not be in the bunks that lined the hallways. It was quite cold out there and I can't imagine listening to people going back and forth to the bathroom and such all night. What we all do to save a buck.

We took off from Puerto Montt and headed South through the Fjords and Channels of Chile. For the first couple of days, I spent a lot of time sleeping and trying to get over my bronchitis. We played a lot of cards and met some nice people on the ship. The food was surprisingly not bad and you could buy a drink at the bar upstairs if you felt inclined. I had planned ahead and brought some cheap wine and pisco on the ship with us to pass the time a bit. The whole experience felt a little reminiscent of Semester at Sea, after that, I love being out on the water, it is so peaceful.

On the second day, we had the option to get off the ship and take a boat to the small town of Puerto Eden, a fishing village in the middle of the fjords of southern Chile. We decided it was worth the $10 bucks to get off the boat and see something different for an hour. They loaded all of us with big orange life vests into small boats to take us into the town. The town was made up of some houses and a series of walkways that went along the bay area. We climbed up the hill to get a good view of the ship and the "park" area. It was pretty cold and kind of rainy so we were happy to jump back on the ship after an hour, but it was nice to get on dry land for a little bit and see the small village.

From there we headed further south and the third day the boat took us up to the Pio XI Glacier, up close and personal. It was really cold and rainy outside so I had some trouble keeping my lens on my camera dry, but I managed to get some good photos none the less. This was my first big glacier and it was really amazing to see it up close and personal.

We headed into Puerto Natales on the last day with beautiful weather and some fun views. We crossed through the narrowest channel on the whole trip and during that I saw a bunch of seals playing in the water, really neat. We docked in Puerto Natales and after removing some of the cars out of the ferry, we were allowed to get off. I'm sure the town is now really prepared for the release of people every week off the ferry, it was pretty entertaining.

Overall the Navimag experience was much better than I expected, the cabins were comfy, the food pretty good, and company even better. I was feeling quite well by the time I got off the ship and rest was much needed before heading into Torres del Paine for the epic hike. More to come on that one...but for now, I hope you all enjoy! Cheers!

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Photos

Bar Area on the Ship
Without people yet, it was packed the whole trip

Other Ships
In Puerto Montt harbor

Flowers on Puerto Eden
pretty purple and pink flowers

Playing Cards
With our new friend Chris from the UK