The Navimag Ferry

On January 1st I continued South through Chile via bus, from Pucon where I’d climbed Volcan Lanin and celebrated New Years, to Puerto Varas where I recovered from these two things for three whole days.

My days in Puerto Varas are a good example of the difference between a vacation and long-term travel. I did practically nothing in that town besides laundry, running, reading, grocery shopping and cooking. Here’s a photo of my room in Puerto Varas, which I am including solely to dispel some common myths on what a hostel actually is (or can be):

After three days rest I continued South on the Navimag Ferry, which was both my home for four days and my ride to Patagonia. The Navimag runs once a week, typically on Tuesdays although departure dates are notoriously unreliable, and transports predominantly cargo from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, which is the gateway to Torres del Paine park in Patagonia. Here’s a map of both towns so you get a sense of the great distance we covered:

Apart from cargo, the ferry also transports passengers, of which there were about 60 on my crossing. Here are photos of the boat (from the internet for clarity sake), its cargo, and the passenger quarters:

There was no cell signal or WiFi on the Navimag, and for much of the four-day journey, 12-foot waves meant we couldn’t wander without falling and couldn’t read or even play cards without vomiting. What we could do was sit together near a window and stare at the horizon, and so we did exactly that, and by our arrival in Puerto Natales, the backpackers on board were understandably great friends. The backpacker cohort consisted of one American (myself), three Germans, and one each from Ireland, the U.K., and the Netherlands. Some selfies:

The Navimag lacked organized activities (it's no cruise, that's for sure), but it did have Sebastian, a passenger manager of sorts. I met Sebastian when I became nauseas for unknown reasons (sea sickness was the prevailing theory but one I refuse to accept), and awoke from a nap to Sebastian standing over my bed with a COVID test. It remains unclear how he even knew I was sick, and I also don’t think nausea is a typical COVID symptom, but I felt cared for nonetheless. The Navimag also had a captain with an affinity for Titanic jokes, like playing the Titanic theme song through the intercom system at the peak of the rough seas. Some passengers took the joke better than others.

Arriving in Puerto Natales on the Navimag felt like an accomplishment in and of itself. At times the journey had us questioning why we’d ever willingly boarded the boat, but it got us where we needed to go and was memorable in a way that a flight never could have been. Also, it’s cool to be amongst the very, very small minority of tourists who arrive in Puerto Natales by sea.

One week from today I’ll start an 8-day solo trek in Torres del Paine, which is daunting, but not as daunting as having 7 days in Puerto Natales, which is typically no more than a stopover town. This predicament arose from the bizarre ferry schedule – I had had to either board the boat six days before I had planned or miss the start of my campsite reservations, and chose the former option. To pass the time I’ve considered crossing the border to Argentine Patagonia, but it’s logistically complex and I should be there anyways later this month. I’ve also considered heading to a ranch, but despite spending my entire youth horseback riding at a very advanced level, I am actually terrified of galloping across open lands. So it seems I have no choice but to wait it out. My friends from Navimag will be in and out of town all week, and I can probably find other backpackers in a similar predicament and we'll sort out something fun. I will write again in a few weeks when back from the trek. Thanks for following!