Puerto Chacabuco

[bjb1957]

Has anyone suggestions for tours in this port? We will be there April 10.

[Bill S]

While I cannot recommend any tours, I can recommend one not to take: the trip to Lake Elizalde.

We took that one from Puerto Chacabuco and it was one of the most disappointing tours we have ever taken. It was a long trip with only a short time at the lodge which was serverly overcrowded for a so-so lunch. Not much to see or do, although we did get to see nice views of the Andes.

I hope others will share their opinions and recommendations and that you will have a great cruise!

[Hambagahle]

We really enjoyed our "Patagonia Nature in Depth" tour in the Aiken de Sur Private Nature Park. We had a superb guide - young lady from the region who is is a student at the University of Santiago and was working in the Park for the summer. We had about a two hour walk through the park, seeing all kinds of birds, walking along a river etc. At the end there was a barbecue but for us this was too much! (and too noisy) so we asked to be taken back to the ship. We thought we would take a taxi. To our surprise the manager of the park, Rafael, drove us back in his truck!!

I thoroughly recommend the park and its Visitor Centre and gudies!:)

[ddjwms]

We took a tour of Simpson Valley and Coyhaique. It was pretty; reminded us of driving through a mountain valley in Colorado or Utah, and there is a nice shopping area in Coyhaique with an interesting restaurant . But Simpson Valley Nature Reserve is quite small--about the size of a small city park--and the people who went on a city tour and to the Nature Reserve only were very disappointed. I was happy enough with our tour, and we were glad we saw the area, but having seen it once, I would not go back again. I really thought this stop was kind of a waste...

[debsjc]

Does anyone have any other information on this port please?

Trying to decide if we should take a ships tour, and if so which one... or hire a taxi and if so what's best to see

 

I've tried seaching and not much is coming up.

[dfb]

Puerto Chacabuco is a pretty remote and sparsely populated area. My take from our visit is there is not a lot of infrastructure, tourist or otherwise there. It seems to mostly be about nature and that is the reason to visit. Below is a link to our blog entry for the day and also a link for the blog entry for another passenger we sailed with on that trip. It may help to adjust your expectations.

http://circle-south-america-2008-aboard.blogspot.com/2008/01/day-21-january-24-2008-puerto-chacabuco.html

 

http://2008regentmariner.blogspot.com/2008/01/1242008-puerto-chacabuco-chile.html

[debsjc]

Thanks for the information.

 

The walk you did wouldn't be an option for us, as my mum couldn't walk for 3 hours, about 90 mins would be the limit really.

 

I know the journey from Puerto Chacabuco to Coyhaique is about 40 miles, does anyone know how long this takes on the bus, as I know the road isn't very good?

 

If anyone else has been to Puerto Chacabuco keep the information coming please :)

[debsjc]

Just wondering if some more people are back form this seasons cruises and have visited this port.

 

I would especially like to hear about anything quite close to the port, without a long drive.

 

The Aiken de Sur Private Nature Park isn't really an option, as the ships tour is $159 per person, and they do not let indivivuals in on the days they have ships tours.

 

We would rather go somewhere by taxi. Has anyone been to Rio Simpson National reserve or Puerto Aysen?

 

Thank you

[seashells]

Even if you just take the local bus to town and transfer at the bus station to the bus that takes you to Coyhaique it's worth it for the beauty.

 

If you do, make sure you buy your bus ticket for your return and note the time the bus leaves.

 

It's a georgous drive through the Andes.

 

Price about $15.00 pp

[debsjc]

Thank you for the info, but I think that's quite a long drive. We are trying to keep it to less than an hour each way on the road :)

[kippahlady]

We also took the Patagonian Nature in Depth tour (from Oceania). We enjoyed it very much. We loved the dancing and food at the lodge. Everyone at our table had a great time.

[fin]

Still reeling from the economic fallout from my Antartica tour, I elected to take NO tours at Puerto Chacabucco.

 

Instead I debarked on foot and toured the town on my own.

 

One gas station, one tiny food store and one church.

 

Add one crossroads and that ... is Puerto Chacabucco.

[Copperdog]

did you make this trip - how was it

[lanzie99]

We just got back from the NCL SUN...there is NOTHING to do at this port. This may be the only port that you will want to take a ship's excursion.

[debsjc]

Unfortunately we missed this port, as the local fisherman were taking industrial action which made it unsafe for tours.

They were blocking the bridge on the main road into and out of the town, preventing most of the tour buses from reaching the port. Then they threw a rock at one of the buses than did get through, which smashed some glass.

 

Due to safety concerns and local police advice, Oceania decided not to let anyone off, which was probably the only sensible thing to do. The scenery looked beautiful, from what we could see from the tender.

[Catz n Dog]

We were on the Norwegian Sun in January and also missed our excursion because there were civial demonstrations that day as well and they locals had the bridge blocked. We did not get off the ship, but some others did, figuring they would just check out the town, and ended up getting right back on the tender and heading back to the ship as there was nothing in town.

 

SO--all we saw that day was the scenery from our ship.....

[Carmelita]

Have to disagree with the majority on this port. We hired a cab at the pier with another couple and really enjoyed our day in Chacabuco area. Definitley helped that we had nice weather, it is very scenic. We were there in early Feb.

[itil4get09]

Even if you just take the local bus to town and transfer at the bus station to the bus that takes you to Coyhaique it's worth it for the beauty.

Hi seashells - Where can we take the local bus please after coming out from the pier? From research, P Chacabuco is 15m from Puerto Aisen and P Aisen is 67km from Coyhaique so roughly it'll be over an hour each way. Our ship will be there from 7am-2pm. How often the buses will run and how long a wait will it be for changing buses please?

 

Have to disagree with the majority on this port. We hired a cab at the pier with another couple and really enjoyed our day in Chacabuco area. Definitley helped that we had nice weather, it is very scenic. We were there in early Feb.

Hi Carmelita, Were there a lot of cabs at the pier please? Where did you go for how long and how much? Did you pay USD or local money?

 

Many thanks for any info/help.

[cguest]

First check out how much time you expect to have in the port which is

a tender port.

 

Simple Plan A:

Tender in. Take a walk around the small port area. Within walking distance is a church, some homes and, I think, a few stores. If you can,

after exiting the tender area, walk up the hill to the right. Walk all the way to the top. When you reach the top, you will be able to have a

nice view of the surrounding area (not supposed to be a long walk). Take in the view. After doing so, retrace your steps and return to the ship if you so desire.

 

Plan B:

Tender in. Walk to the area outside the pier. Take the $1USD each way local bus (USDs accepted) to Puerto Aysen which is the nearby town. Ride is about 20 minutes. Bus will be marked Aysen. No special seating or bus times are required.

 

On cruise ship days the bus goes to Puerto Aysen and back to the pier quite frequently. The last stop is at the Bus Office in Puerto Aysen which is where you can get a return bus.

 

Seemingly, on cruise ship days, the bus is half filled with cruisers and the other half with locals who use the bus as transportation to and from Puerto Aysen.

 

Puerto Aysen has several stores which include a large supermarket, a

handicraft store, internet, etc., which are accessible via walking. Most of

the stores are probably open by 10:00AM. You can follow the simple map

which is available before you board the bus in Puerto Chacabuco.

 

To return to the pier, retrace your steps back to the Bus Office and

wait for a bus going to Puerto Chacabuco. You can combine Simple

Plan A with Plan B after returning to the pier area if you have time.

 

Plan C:

Take the $1USD bus to Puerto Aysen. Buy a $5USD round trip special bus

ticket at the Bus Office there to go to Copiaque. Check that your ticket has the date, time of the bus and your seat number (asiento) for the

departure bus. Bus schedule between Puerto Aysen and Copiaque is

posted on the wall of the office. The bus should depart shortly after you

purchase your ticket. You may use $USD or pesos to purchase your

ticket.

Ride is about one hour. The road is mostly paved - not a problem.

The beautiful scenery is worth the ride.

 

The bus will bring you to the Bus Terminal (a very small terminal) in

Copiaque. Based upon the posted bus schedule, you need to decide which time to return is the best for you. Show your ticket to the

Bus Office there to obtain a seat (asciento) for the date and time for

your return trip. Do this before spending time in Copiaque.

 

After leaving the Bus Terminal, turn right and walk to the corner. Cross the street. You will now be at the main square where most of the tourists spend time. A cambio place to exchange money is located on the right

side in the middle of the first block. The square has stores, etc.

A nice supermarket is located three blocks to the right of the square.

However, this supermarket does not accept USDs. You must use pesos

for your purchases.

 

Retrace your steps to the Bus Terminal to make the return trip.

Total price: $7.00.

Key Point: If your time in the port is from 7:00AM to 2:00PM, you

should be at the pier by about 8:00AM to allow yourself time to make

the buses and return. Allow yourself at least one hour in Copiaque

before the return trip.

 

Enjoy!

[itil4get09]

First check out how much time you expect to have in the port which is

a tender port.

 

Simple Plan A:

Tender in. Take a walk around the small port area. Within walking distance is a church, some homes and, I think, a few stores.

 

Thank you very much for your info. Were you on the Sun's Mar 1 sailing? How was it? We'll be leaving for Buenos Aires next week. Thank you once again.

[cguest]

Hi!

 

I was on NCL Sun 3/1/09. The trip was wonderful. Weather was excellent with

minimal rocking of the ship. We were very,very lucky in this regard.

The ship is beautiful...well maintained, very clean everywhere, furnishings very nice. Staff are very helpful...excellent customer service.

The freestyle dining is also very nice.....lots of choices.

Use the roll call for your sailing, if not already, to join with others for excursions at a

cheaper price.

 

As for the penguins:

Skip Otway in Punta Arenas. The penguins there have dwindled down to about 50-75 as of last week.

Do Magdalena Island instead. Lots of penguins are still there. If your penguin budget is limited, just do Magdalena Island. Thousands of penguins (as I was told) are still there.

 

If your penguin budget has more funds:

Visit Punta Tomba....not as many penguins as Magdalena Island but still nice.

Visit Gypsy Cove in the Falkland Islands. The cove scenery is very nice but you see

the penguins from a distance. However, the trip is a nice independent excursion via $20USD van to and from the Jetty Centre.

 

All the penguins in the above places are Magellanic (very cute penguins).

 

You can book excursions at the piers without a problem and much cheaper.

Be sure to do the 2.5 hour Beagle Channel catamarran for $40USD to visit the sea lions,

the cormorants and the lighthouse. Book at the kiosk across the street from the pier

(Canero Catamaranes, Ushuaia).

 

Have a great time!

[Northbay]

Thanks for sharing and I am so glad you had an enjoyable time. We're looking forward to sailing on the Sun on the 29th. However, I do have one question. Would you know if you are able to cash US travellers cheques at the purser's desk on board the Sun? And, is there a charge for changing US travellers cheques to USD?

[cguest]

Hi

 

Sorry I do not know the answer regarding travelers' checks.

 

My recommendation is that you carry USDs in small amounts, e.g. 20s, 10s, 5s, 1s,

which is a lot easier. You can exchange your 20s/10s/5s for smaller bills at the Reception Desk without a problem. The Reception Desk does not exchange USDs for

currencies of the South American countries. My memory tells me that they said that they only deal with USDs, euros and Canadian dollars.

 

Most places accept USDs.

You can easily exchange USDs for pesos ashore when you need some. Most places will try to give you USDs as change when purchasing items.

 

Using USDs in cash is a lot easier than TCs. Also, each room has a safe for your back-up supply.

 

Hope this info helps.

[marazul]

Forget travelers checks. They are going the way of the dinosaur. The reason is that local banks will charge the local merchants fees to exchange them. It is inconvenient and expensive for merchants to accept them. If you bring them, you generally will have to find a bank to exchange them. They usually close in the afternoons, have long lines and not a great exchange rate for TCs.

Bring some cash as suggested above. Use your ATM card to get local currencies (better exchange rate) and your credit cards for purchases. There is a lot of info on this board about ATMs and money issues.

[CaptainDMW]

We were on the NCL Sun in April/May 08 and the NCL Spirit in November 07. Both times we were able to cash Traveller's Cheques (we had them in US$$) at the Reception Desk at no charge.