54°56′S 67°37′W · NAVARINO ISLAND, CHILEPuerto Williams sits on an island, and no road reaches it. Every route ends on a plane or a boat. There are three, and they are not the same trip.
The three routes
Two flights and a change of plane
There is no direct flight from Santiago: the stop in Punta Arenas is mandatory, and that is where you change planes. The last leg is flown by Aerovías DAP on small aircraft, once a day, and seats are few.
This is the November to March schedule. In October it flies Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
If you prefer, we can arrange the Punta Arenas–Puerto Williams leg for you: USD 230 per person (rate based on two people, 2026–2027 season).
Ferry from Punta Arenas, about thirty hours
The same journey, made slowly. TABSA runs the route with two ships: the Kawéskar in high season and the Yaghan in low season. They sail down the Strait of Magellan and into the Magdalena, Cockburn and Ballenero channels, among the fjords of Alberto de Agostini National Park, until they reach the Beagle from the west. Here the crossing is not the price of the trip: it is the trip.
The Kawéskar is the high-season ship, which is when almost everyone travels; in winter the Yaghan covers the route. Days and cabins change by season, so confirm the schedule with the shipping company before buying your flights.
Flight to Ushuaia and a boat crossing
The shortest route on the map, and the one that surprises people most. The boat does not go to Puerto Williams: it docks at Puerto Navarino, on the western tip of the island, and from there it is 54 kilometres of gravel road along the north coast. It is a border crossing and only runs in season.
The tax is paid in cash at the Ushuaia pier. There is no same-day return: the boat crosses back the following day.
We can also arrange the crossing: fast boat USD 230 per person, or Ushuaia–Puerto Williams flight USD 400 per person (rate based on two people, 2026–2027 season).
When you can get here
Look at this grid before choosing dates: the plane does not fly on Sundays, the ferry sails twice a week, and the crossing from Ushuaia closes in winter. It is the first thing that shapes a trip to Navarino.
| Route | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAP flightNovember to March | M | T | W | T | F | S | — |
| DAP flightOctober | M | T | W | — | F | S | — |
| TABSA ferrydeparture and return | — | — | — | T | — | S | — |
| Crossing from UshuaiaOctober to March | M | T | W | T | F | S | — |
Schedules and frequencies for the 2026–2027 season, according to the operators. They change from year to year, and the weather overrules the calendar: always confirm before buying.
Three things worth knowing
If you cross from Ushuaia, the boat drops you at Puerto Navarino, and there are still 54 kilometres of gravel to Puerto Williams. About an hour and a half more.
The flight depends on the weather and has few seats; the ferry sails twice a week. A spare day when you arrive and another before you leave keeps you from missing your flight home.
Puerto Williams has a bank, an ATM and mobile signal, but no currency exchange and no pharmacy, and the shops are minimarkets. US dollars are not widely accepted.
On Navarino the wind decides. The planes that fly here are small and the runway is open to the channel, so one bad morning can push back a whole day. It is not a failure of the system: it is the price of being where we are, and it is worth planning with it in view rather than against it.
Tell us your dates before you book your tickets and we'll go over the order of the legs together.
Write to us
What people ask us most
No, and it is the most common confusion on this whole page. The boat crosses the Beagle in half an hour and docks at Puerto Navarino, on the western tip of the island. From there to Puerto Williams it is 54 kilometres of gravel road along the north coast, about an hour and a half by van.
So the full crossing takes about two and a half hours including the transfer and border control, not the forty minutes on the water. We arrange the transfer with you.
It happens, and it is better to say so before rather than after. The route to Puerto Williams is flown on small aircraft onto a runway open to the channel: when the wind won't allow it, the flight moves to the next day. The airline reschedules, not us.
What is in our hands is everything else: letting you know, moving the first day of your program and holding your room. That is why we insist on the spare day, especially on the way back, where a missed flight in Punta Arenas turns into a missed international flight.
Write to us with your dates and we'll review the itinerary before you buy.
For the crossing from Ushuaia, yes: it is a border crossing between Argentina and Chile, with immigration control on both sides. There is also a port tax at the Ushuaia pier, paid in cash, of about ten dollars.
If you arrive through Chile, Santiago–Punta Arenas–Puerto Williams are domestic flights: you need the document you entered the country with. Immigration requirements change, so check the current ones for your nationality before you travel.
One at each end, at least. Three concrete reasons: the flight depends on the weather, has few seats and there is one a day; the ferry sails twice a week; and the crossing from Ushuaia does not return the same day.
If your flight home leaves from Santiago, two is better. An extra day in Punta Arenas can be sorted out; a missed intercontinental flight cannot.
No. Navarino is an island, and no bridge or road connects it to the mainland or to Tierra del Fuego. Every route ends on a plane or a boat, and the only road on the island is the one from Puerto Navarino to Puerto Williams.
Put another way: nobody passes through here on the way somewhere else. You have to come on purpose, and that explains a lot about how the place feels.
ATM and bank, yes. Mobile signal, yes. Wi-Fi at the public library and in some cafés. A petrol station, too.
What there isn't: currency exchange or a pharmacy. The shops are minimarkets with the basics. So bring Chilean pesos from the mainland and, if you take any medication, bring it with you and don't count on buying it here.
Services according to Ruta de los Parques. The town has just over two thousand inhabitants: the shops are those of a town that size.
If your days are limited, the plane from Punta Arenas: it is the fastest and the most frequent. If the journey interests you as much as the destination, the ferry through the channels is one of the most beautiful sea voyages on this continent, and thirty hours well spent.
The crossing from Ushuaia makes sense when you will already be in Argentine Tierra del Fuego, as long as you are clear about the gravel road and that it is a seasonal border crossing.
Availability
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From USD 200 per night
Room with 1 King bed or 2 Twin beds, ideal for 1 or 2 people.
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To cancel or change your booking, write to us at contacto@errantecolodge.com with your order number. Cancellations are not processed automatically on the website: we review each one and confirm your refund by email.
This room has free toiletries, 1 double bed, a private bathroom with shower, buffet breakfast, Wi-Fi, parquet floors, a patio and sea views.
All Errante rooms are quiet spaces with views of the sea and of Navarino Island's natural garden.
The Refuge and all the rooms were built with local and regional materials, mainly lenga wood for its availability, special beauty and warmth, crafted with care by ourselves on site.
If the date you want appears closed, write to us anyway: sometimes a room frees up and the calendar doesn't always catch it in time.
Bookings and enquiries
Tell us when you want to come and who with, and we'll reply with a full proposal: possible dates, program, rates and the order of the legs to get here.
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