One of the many highlights of time in Patagonia was taking the ferry to Chiloe Island.
In the northernmost portion of the Patagonia, there’s a section of Chile that most tourists skip. This region is known for its volcanoes and dramatic waterfalls. Just off the mainland lies the island of Chiloe (pronounced “chill-‘oh-eh”).
In my first ever solo international driving experience, I rented a car in Puerto Mont and drove it aboard the Chiloe Island Ferry so I could explore the island of Chiloe a little more freely. Group tours from Puerto Mont leave for Chiloe daily, but I knew that a group tour to this locale wouldn’t be my style.
You see, Chiloe is known for dozens of handbuilt wooden churches tucked away in remote corners of the island. The UN has recognized these structures as significant, awarding them UNESCO status. Group tours, like most group tours, skim over the details and show only the biggest, busiest, and easiest to-get-to sites- and I wanted a little bit more.
I’ve written at length about my visit to Chiloe Island when I posted my itinerary for three days on Chiloe Island, but in this post, I wanted to talk specifically about the Chiloe Island ferry that travels between the mainland of Chile to Chiloe Island:
- how the ferry to Chiloe Island works,
- how to pay,
- and what to expect.
These were all questions I had that didn’t have English language answers online in 2019!
Paying the Ferry Toll
In many countries, ferries have a toll booth to pay before boarding. However this ferry accepts payment AFTER you’ve boarded.
Once parked, stay in your car and wait. A staff member dedicated to collecting fees will come to collect the toll from each car.
I’m not sure if a credit card was accepted as of 2019, but change was available for cash payments.
How much does it cost? For a car and person, the ferry to Chiloe Island cost $12,900 CLP each way (about $18.50 USD) in 2019.
The Ferry Crossing takes 30 Minutes
The Chiloe Island ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes. During this time, you can get out of your car and walk around.
Although the boat is small and there are no entities as there are on Seattle Ferries, it’s worth exploring. You can even take a steep flight of stairs up and enjoy the ride on the deck.
Is there a bathroom on the Chiloe Island ferry?
Yes, there is a bathroom on the Chile to Chiloe Island ferry. Both ferries I took had bathrooms on the car deck, available free to paid passengers.
One boat had much nicer bathrooms than the other, so it may be a coin toss on cleanliness.
Watch a Video Tour of the Chiloe Island Ferry:
click to jump to audio transcript
Boarding the Chiloe Island Ferry
The boarding process is a little wild. At least, it was compared to my familiarity with the process of the Washington State Ferries in the USA.
As you approach the dock, watch for flaggers and follow their gestured instructions. If a ferry is waiting, you will be directed down onto a concrete ramp (that goes directly into the water- yikes!). The ferries tend to come in at angles, making it awkward but not too anxiety-provoking to board. Once on the boat, more flaggers will direct you into a parking space.
Ferries Cross Frequently to Chiloe Island
Ferries are boarding and crossing constantly- I actually did not have to wait at all at either crossing.
When I pulled up, I was almost immediately waved onto a boarding boat. Although on my outbound trip I was too late to get on the ferry that was docked when I pulled up- another ferry docked almost immediately.
Getting out of your Car on the Chiloe Ferry
Yes. You are free to wander the public sections of the Chiloe Island Ferry boat- which includes the car deck, bathrooms (along the side of the car deck), and along one side of the upper deck.
Wilflife Sightings
In nice weather, plan to spend the entire trip on the upper deck- the view is incredible and I saw interesting birds and marine life on both crossings. Keep your eyes peeled for Black Chilean dolphins (to my delight, a pod of dolphins passed on my outbound ferry trip), Peruvian pelicans, and a number of other animals.
Audio transcription of video: “Here’s a 90-second walkthrough of the ferry that goes from the mainland of Chile to Chiloe Island in Chile in northern Patagonia in the lakes district. You can read the whole write-up on my trip and how to use this ferry on my website wanderbig.com, in the meantime I wanted to narrate this brief video that shows you the size of the ferry and how it’s built.
It doesn’t look anything like the ferries we have in the Pacific Northwest but it’s safe. You can see it’s not full- at least, on this ride- and it’s an open-air ferry so cars are just pulling in straight off the dock. Loading was an experience: you pull in, then somebody comes up to your window to take your payment, and then it’s about a 30-minute ride to the mainland. During the crossing, you can get out of the car and there are bathrooms and trash cans and a viewing deck.
As you can see, there’s a ramp on either side that they let down as they dock, and there are two staircases that lead up to this observation deck. Because it’s about thirty minutes for a crossing, and there’s lots of wildlife to see, I definitely recommend getting out of a car. On my trips, I saw dolphins from the observation deck and pelicans. It was a beautiful ride and as you can see the water was super smooth on the way back.
Lynli Roman’s unique approach to travel is informed by decades of experience on the road with a traveling family and, later, years spent as a solo international traveler. When she’s not writing about Seattle from her Pike Place Market apartment, Lynli writes on-location while conducting hands-on research in each destination she covers. Lynli’s writing has been featured by MSN, ABC Money, Buzzfeed, and Huffington Post. She is passionate about sharing information that makes travel more accessible for all bodies.