GETTING HERE
This way to Futaleufú
Chile is an extremely long country so long distances must be travelled to reach the gorgeous township of Futaleufú, Patagonia, Chile. The good thing is the journey is beautiful. You'll be happy to know that Chile also has the most comfortable bus travel imaginable even offering fully reclined beds should you choose Premium Class. Travel on buses or by air is affordable. Going by bus is almost a must have experience on its own as Australia definitely doesn't have buses like these.
Flying from Australia both QANTAS and LATAM do direct flights and both are great airlines to travel with, with flights taking approximately 12 Hours. Once you've arrived in Santiago you can fly direct to Puerto Montt with either Sky Airline or LATAM , flights can be approximately $100 Aus.
The other option is to take a bus from the Santiago. Pullman and Turbus are both reliable companies that offer a variety of services to Puerto Montt. From Puerto Montt you then need to make your way across to Chaiten and up to Futaleufú.
There are 3 different ways to get to Chaiten from Puerto Montt. Depending on your timeline and budget you can choose one of the following options.
Option 2
Boat
Puerto Montt to Chaiten;
Naviera Austral travel Monday to Saturday at 23:00hrs and is a 9 hour trip. It costs approximately 17.000 CLP for a seat on this boat. If you have a car it costs extra.
Option 3
Bus + Several Boats
Kemelbus travels from Puerto Montt to Chaiten Daily costing approximately 20,000 CLP
Now you are in Chaitén you need to get to Futaleufú approximately 3 more hours along a very scenic road passing by lakes, glaciers, waterfalls and the impressive Andes Mountains...its just beautiful.
You can buy tickets in Chaitén, at the Chaitur offices, located in front of the local government offices (Bernardo O’Higgins 298) they travel daily to Futaleufú.
Bus Cardenas (+56 985976405)
Another option is to access Futaleufú through Argentina. Fly into Buenos Aires then fly to Esquel, go to the bus terminal and catch a bus to the Argentina / Chile border. You will have to pass through Argentina's immigration and then walk approximately 400m and pass through the Chilean immigration office.
From here catch a bus to Futaleufú or give us a call if you get stuck and we will help you arrive safely. Esquel to Futaleufú is approximately 1h 45mins, depending on how long the border crossing take but is generally quite quick as it is a smaller boarder crossing.
For more help with flights to Futaleufu or accommodation in Futaleufú you can also try Kayak.cl
PLEASE NOTE: Times and prices are subject to change please check directly with transport companies this is just to help you get a idea. Also note that it is common that locals pay less for transport than tourists, this is normal but make sure they don't try and rip you off...look for a price that state what it costs for 'Extraneros' Foreigners.
