Caleta Tortel to Puerto Natales by Ferry
How the Crux Australis works, what two nights on board feel like, and how to fit it into a camper trip from the Carretera Austral to Torres del Paine.
The Carretera Austral ends in the south at Villa O'Higgins, and there is no road in Chile from there to Magallanes. If you want to reach Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine without crossing into Argentina, this ferry is the way.
The ship is the Crux Australis, run by the shipping company TABSA. It sails between Puerto Yungay, near the end of the road in Aysén, and Puerto Natales, calling at Caleta Tortel and Puerto Edén. The route runs through channels and fjords that you can't see any other way, past the edge of the Southern Ice Field. It is slow, basic and one of the best days (and nights) of a Patagonia trip.
⚠️ Check before you plan: TABSA changes departure days, frequency and fares by season, and weather can move a departure by hours. Use this guide to plan, then confirm your sailing on tabsa.cl before you lock in the rest of the trip.
The route at a glance
Puerto Yungay · Caleta Tortel · Puerto Edén · Puerto Natales
Going south, Caleta Tortel comes about two hours after leaving Puerto Yungay. Then the ship spends most of a day and a night in the channels before stopping at Puerto Edén, a tiny Kawésqar community with no road access, and carries on to Puerto Natales.
Cars and campers can only board or get off at Puerto Yungay and Puerto Natales. Tortel and Puerto Edén have no roads, so those stops are for foot passengers and cargo. If you are driving, plan to board at Yungay, about 130 km south of Cochrane on the Carretera Austral, or roughly two and a half hours on gravel.
Operator & booking: TABSA (tabsa.cl)
What two nights on board are like
There are no cabins. Everyone gets an assigned reclining seat, similar to a long-distance bus, in a passenger lounge with shared bathrooms. People bring a pillow and a sleeping bag or blanket and sleep in their seat or wherever they find a quiet corner. It is comfortable enough for a couple of nights if you go in expecting it.
The fare includes regular meals, served in shifts. Bring your own snacks and something to drink for the hours in between, and a thermos if you like tea or mate on deck.
Spend as much time on deck as the weather allows. The ship moves through narrow channels with glaciers, waterfalls and forest on both sides, and on a clear day it's hard to go back inside.
Booking and costs
Book as early as you can, and much earlier if you are bringing a vehicle: vehicle space is limited and sells out first in summer. A month ahead is the minimum, and for January and February think in months, not weeks.
TABSA's fares from August 2026, Puerto Yungay to Puerto Natales, at the general rate that visitors pay: CLP 164,570 per adult, meals included, and CLP 82,290 for children aged 2 to 12 and students. Vehicles pay CLP 32,910 per linear metre, so our 5.0 m Nomad Camper comes to about CLP 165,000. Two adults with a Nomad add up to roughly CLP 494,000 one way. Chilean residents travel on a subsidized fare.
Tickets are generally not refundable, but travelers report that the date can be changed if you ask at least seven days before sailing. Confirm the current conditions when you buy.
How it fits into a camper trip
The ferry turns the Carretera Austral and Torres del Paine into one trip without leaving Chile. Our Nomad Campers can go on board. Driving south from Puerto Varas, the usual plan is to take the road to Cochrane, spend a day at Caleta Tortel, then board at Puerto Yungay. Two days later you drive off in Puerto Natales, about an hour and a half from the park.
It also works the other way: start in Punta Arenas or Natales, see Torres del Paine first, and take the ferry north to start the Carretera Austral from the bottom.
Leave a spare day on both sides of the sailing. Departures can move with the weather, and you don't want a delay to cost you a park reservation or your drop-off.
People also ask
Can I take a camper on the Tortel to Natales ferry?
Yes, and that includes our Nomad Campers. The Crux Australis carries cars and campers between Puerto Yungay and Puerto Natales. Vehicles can't board at Caleta Tortel or Puerto Edén, since neither has road access.
How long does the ferry take?
Between 41 and 44 hours from Puerto Yungay to Puerto Natales in normal conditions, with two nights on board. Bad weather can add hours.
Are there cabins?
No. Passengers travel in reclining seats in a shared lounge. Bring a sleeping bag or blanket and a pillow.
How far ahead should I book?
At least a month, and several months for a vehicle in January or February. Vehicle space is the first thing to sell out.
Is this the only way to drive from the Carretera Austral to Torres del Paine?
It's the only way that stays in Chile. The alternative is to cross into Argentina, usually at Chile Chico, and drive south on Ruta 40, which needs a vehicle permit to leave Chile.
Planning the long way south?
We're a 4×4 camper crew based in Puerto Varas since 2018, with one-way trips to Punta Arenas. Tell us your dates and we'll help you fit the ferry into the route.