Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
414
getting here is an adv enture, and there's a good chance y ou'll get stuck her e due to bad
weather that r ules out either boat or plane trav el! There are some outstanding hiking
trails; some say it 's set to be the next Torres del P aine. Still, you'll have to do a lot of
logistical work to make a trip here happen. But really, there is a certain cachet to setting
foot in this isolated village and kno wing you're at the end of the world.
The best way to visit P uerto Williams is via ship , ranging from a zodiac that whizzes
across the B eagle Channel (in good w eather only) to r egular ser vice cargo ships. The
Yamana culture, which so perplexed the first Europeans in their ability to withstand their
harsh environment with little clothing, is long gone; but visitors may still vie w the last
vestiges of their settlements and a well-designed anthropological museum in town. There
are plans to impr ove the airpor t, star t a ferr y ser vice fr om Ushuaia, and finally bring
Internet to the town.
GETTING THERE
BY AIR
Aerovías DAP,
O'Higgins 891 (
&
61/223340
in Punta Arenas, or 61/621051
in Puerto Williams; www.aeroviasdap.cl), runs a handful of flights per w eek from Punta
Arenas.
BY B OAT
Ushuaia B oating,
Gob. G odoy 190, U shuaia (
&
2901/436193;
www.
ushuaiaboating.com.ar), runs a small, speedy zodiac service to and from Puerto Williams,
whenever they hav e enough people to fill the boat (minimum thr ee) and whenev er
weather permits, for $130 (£88) one-way and $240 (£162) r eturn. The passenger and
cargo ferry
Transbordadora Austral Broom
offers cheaper passage to P uerto Williams,
with a 34-hour journey fr om Punta Arenas (Av. Bulnes 05075;
&
61/218100;
www.
tabsa.cl). D uring the summer , the ferr y leav es P unta Ar enas four times a month on
Wednesday and r eturns on S aturday; sleeping arrangements consist of r eclining seats
($175/£118 adult one-way) and bunks ($210/£142 adult one-way). Kids r eceive a 50%
discount.
Victory A dventure E xpeditions,
based out of P uerto Williams at Teniente
Munoz 118, #70 (
&
61/621010;
www.victory-cruises.com), specializes in sailing jour-
neys ar ound the B eagle Channel and Cape H orn, and as far away as Antar ctica. The
schooner-style ships ar e not luxurious, but they ar e warm and comfor table, and their
small siz e allo ws for a mor e intimate, hands-on journey than the
Australis
cr uises. A
2-week expedition that includes Cape H orn and the glaciers of Tierra del F uego costs
$3,100 (£2,095) per person.
SIM Expeditions,
in Puerto Williams (office located in the
Coiron Guesthouse;
&
61/621150;
www.simltd.com), is an inter esting agency with a
6-passenger and a 12-passenger yacht that take visitors on 5- to 12-day journeys ar ound
Cape H orn and past the D arwin mountain range; contact the agency for prices. F or
general travel agency needs, including city tours, airline tickets, and hotel r eservations,
contact
Turismo Akainij,
Uspashum 156 (
&
61/21327;
turismoakainij@chileaustral.
com).
WHAT TO SEE & DO
The
Museo Martín Gusinde,
Aragay 01 (
&
61/621043
), is open Monday to Thursday
and Saturday from 10am to 1pm and 3 to 6pm, featuring a good collection of Yaghan
and Yamana Indian artifacts, ethnographic exhibits, and stuffed bir ds and animals. The
museum's docent is an anthropologist, naturalist, and all-around expert in the region; he
is usually on hand to pr ovide tours in the ar ea. A bout 3km (1
3
/
4
miles) southeast of
Puerto Williams on the main r oad, at the La Virgen cascade, is a medium-lev el
hiking
trail
with an exhilarating, sw eeping panorama of the B eagle Channel, the D ientes de
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