How To Get There
Fly to Santiago, Chile (from the USA via Miami, Dallas, San Francisco, 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 30-45 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 10 miles north of old Chaiten) so that they coordinate well with your arrival in Puerto Montt and your arrival in Santa Barbara. You can pay this portion at Puerto Montt or we can pay and you can reimburse us. The scheduled commuter airlines have a maximum baggage allowance of about 45 lbs. If your baggage weighs more they charge an additional nominal fee. The two airlines that fly back and forth between Puerto Montt and Santa Barbara are PEWEN which last season flew its Grand Caravans twice a day on Mon., Wed., and Fri.; leaving Puerto Montt at about 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM. And AEROCORD which flew its Twin Otters at 10:30 AM on Mon., Wed., and Fri.. These airlines operate out of the general aviation terminal, therefore a transfer between the international airport in Puerto Montt and the general aviation airport ( La Paloma) is necessary -about 30 minutes travel time. We have people meet your flight from Santiago and transfer you to La Paloma - as well as the return transfers. The cost for the RT flight including transfers has been about 250USD.
The most efficient travel down from the USA or Europe is to leave in the evening so that you arrive in Santiago in the morning and can transfer to one of the domestic flights to Puerto Montt with an arrival no later than about 2:00 PM. and connect on the PEWEN 4:00PM flight to Santa Barbara. It usually is not possible to clear customs in Santiago and arrive in Puerto Montt in time to make one of the 10:30 AM flights. Of course if you prefer to spend a day in Santiago or Puerto Montt you can make the 10:30 AM flights (if you stay in Santiago you need to make one of the early morning flights to Puerto Montt).
Return flights with connections back to the USA or Europe usually can be made easily with either comuter airline as most of the flights out of Santiago are in the evenings. We can also help you with the Santiago/Puerto Montt segment of your trip, often at a significant savings to you. Just let us know if you want to take advantage of this offer. We also have greeters to meet you in Santiago if necessary and can make hotel recommendations in Santiago and Puerto Montt if desired.
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 10 miles north of old Chaiten) so that they coordinate well with your arrival in Puerto Montt and your arrival in Santa Barbara. You can pay this portion at Puerto Montt or we can pay and you can reimburse us. The scheduled commuter airlines have a maximum baggage allowance of about 45 lbs. If your baggage weighs more they charge an additional nominal fee. The two airlines that fly back and forth between Puerto Montt and Santa Barbara are PEWEN which last season flew its Grand Caravans twice a day on Mon., Wed., and Fri.; leaving Puerto Montt at about 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM. And AEROCORD which flew its Twin Otters at 10:30 AM on Mon., Wed., and Fri.. These airlines operate out of the general aviation terminal, therefore a transfer between the international airport in Puerto Montt and the general aviation airport ( La Paloma) is necessary -about 30 minutes travel time. We have people meet your flight from Santiago and transfer you to La Paloma - as well as the return transfers. The cost for the RT flight including transfers has been about 250USD.
The most efficient travel down from the USA or Europe is to leave in the evening so that you arrive in Santiago in the morning and can transfer to one of the domestic flights to Puerto Montt with an arrival no later than about 2:00 PM. and connect on the PEWEN 4:00PM flight to Santa Barbara. It usually is not possible to clear customs in Santiago and arrive in Puerto Montt in time to make one of the 10:30 AM flights. Of course if you prefer to spend a day in Santiago or Puerto Montt you can make the 10:30 AM flights (if you stay in Santiago you need to make one of the early morning flights to Puerto Montt).
Return flights with connections back to the USA or Europe usually can be made easily with either comuter airline as most of the flights out of Santiago are in the evenings. We can also help you with the Santiago/Puerto Montt segment of your trip, often at a significant savings to you. Just let us know if you want to take advantage of this offer. We also have greeters to meet you in Santiago if necessary and can make hotel recommendations in Santiago and Puerto Montt if desired.
