How To Get There
Fly to Santiago, Chile (from the USA via Miami, Dallas, or Los Angeles) on various airlines including American, Delta, Continental, or Lan Chile. From Santiago you fly to the Puerto Montt (the port city for cruises to Antarctica and the Strait of Magellan) about an hour and 45 minute flight. Then via commuter airline service to Santa Barbara (about a 45 minute flight) where we pick you up and transport you to PUMA II or to the lodge (about a 30 minute drive). Therefore you can leave the USA in the evening and be fishing the next afternoon! We are easier to get to than Alaska if you live in the eastern half of the USA. You may wish to break up your travel with a day in the lovely capital of Santiago or the coastal resort area of Vina Del Mar, or even Puerto Montt or go straight down and go fishing. There is a one time (life of your passport) landing fee charged by the Chilean government.
We can make your flight reservations from Puerto Montt to Santa Barbara (the new airport that replaces the Chaiten airport, located on the coast, about 5 miles north of old Chaiten) so that they coordinate well with your arrival in Puerto Montt and your arrival in Santa Barbara and you can pay this portion at Puerto Montt or we can pay and you can reimburse us. The scheduled commuter airline has a maximum baggage allowance of about 45 lbs. If your baggage weighs more they charge an additional nominal fee.
The most efficient travel down from the USA is to leave on the earliest evening flight so that you arrive in Santiago early in the morning and can transfer to one of the early flights to Puerto Montt so that you arrive there before noon so as to connect to Santa Barbara. AEROCORD, the company that will be servicing the new airport at Santa Barbara will be flying twin otters and will have their schedules and prices available soon as they have just gotten permission to use the new airport on the 24 of September (the government initially said the airport was to be for military use only -- but the residents and businesses of the area all objected strongly and the government has relented).
AEROCORD plans to service the Santa Barbara (Chaiten) airport three days a week. Flights on Monday and Wednesday leave Puerto Montt's general aviation airport (located about 30-45 minutes from the main airport of Puerto Montt) at 1:00 PM and returns from Santa Barbara at 2:00 PM. On Saturday the plane leaves Puerto Montt at 9:30 AM and returns at 10:30 AM. The price will be between 80 and 100 USD each way.
We can make your flight reservations from Puerto Montt to Santa Barbara (the new airport that replaces the Chaiten airport, located on the coast, about 5 miles north of old Chaiten) so that they coordinate well with your arrival in Puerto Montt and your arrival in Santa Barbara and you can pay this portion at Puerto Montt or we can pay and you can reimburse us. The scheduled commuter airline has a maximum baggage allowance of about 45 lbs. If your baggage weighs more they charge an additional nominal fee.
The most efficient travel down from the USA is to leave on the earliest evening flight so that you arrive in Santiago early in the morning and can transfer to one of the early flights to Puerto Montt so that you arrive there before noon so as to connect to Santa Barbara. AEROCORD, the company that will be servicing the new airport at Santa Barbara will be flying twin otters and will have their schedules and prices available soon as they have just gotten permission to use the new airport on the 24 of September (the government initially said the airport was to be for military use only -- but the residents and businesses of the area all objected strongly and the government has relented).
AEROCORD plans to service the Santa Barbara (Chaiten) airport three days a week. Flights on Monday and Wednesday leave Puerto Montt's general aviation airport (located about 30-45 minutes from the main airport of Puerto Montt) at 1:00 PM and returns from Santa Barbara at 2:00 PM. On Saturday the plane leaves Puerto Montt at 9:30 AM and returns at 10:30 AM. The price will be between 80 and 100 USD each way.
