Chile Guide
The Carretera Austral
San Rafael glacier
From Puerto Chacabuco, a 200-kilometre boat ride through the labyrinthine fjords of Aisén brings you to the dazzling San Rafael glacier, spilling into the broad Laguna San Rafael (you can fly, too, but travelling by water is far preferable; for details on how to visit the glacier, see below). The journey – four to sixteen hours, depending on type of craft – is a spectacle in itself, as boats edge their way through narrow channels hemmed in by precipitous cliffs dripping with vegetation.
Sailing around these icy phantoms, you approach the giant glacier at the far end of the lagoon. Over 4km wide, and rearing out of the water to a height of 70m, it really is a dizzying sight. While the cruise boat keeps at a safe distance, to avoid being trapped by icebergs, you'll probably be given the chance to get a closer look on board an inflatable motor dinghy – but not too close, as the huge blocks of ice that, with a deafening roar, calve off into the water create dangerous, crashing waves. What you can see from the boat is in fact just the tip of the glacier's "tongue", which extends some 15km from its source.
Practicalities
The glacier is accessible only by boat or plane. Flights from Coyhaique in five-seater planes are offered by three companies (see below), last ninety minutes each way and cost CH$100,000–120,000 per person – usually requiring a full plane. Flying over the icefield is indeed an unforgettable experience, but the most sensational views of the glacier are from the small dinghies that thread through the icebergs towards its base, usually included as part of a visit to the laguna by sea. Scheduled departures leave from Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt (via Puerto Chacabuco) throughout the warmer months. Cruises in slow ships from Puerto Montt and Puerto Chacabuco (from where San Rafael is a sixteen-hour voyage) require between one and five nights aboard and cost between CH$120,000 and CH$480,000 per person. These are run by Navimag, TransMarChilay and the far more luxurious Skorpios.
Several companies, including Aysén Express, now compete with modern catamarans out of Puerto Chacabuco (four or five hours each way). These day trips cost around CH$150,000 per person but include three meals and operate an open bar – it is now a tradition to drink a whisky or cocktail containing "thousand-year-old ice cubes" chipped from an iceberg. You usually get a couple of hours or more at the glacier, with passengers taking it in turns to get a close-up view in a zodiac. Some only operate in January and February, others run from September to March.
Catamarans
Aysén Express Santa Magdalena 75, Oficina 212, Providencia, Santiago 
2/3350579, 
www.aisen.cl/english/preguntas.php ; O'Higgins 167, oficina 307, Puerto Montt 65/437599.
Catamaranes del Sur Isidora Goyenechea 3250, Oficina 802, Santiago 2/3337127, 
2/2329736, www.catamaranesdelsur.cl ; Av Diego Portales 510, Puerto Montt 65/267533.
Patagonia Connection Fidel Oteiza 1921, Oficina 1006, Santiago 2/2256489, 2/2748111, www.patagoniaconnex.cl . These excursions may be combined with a stay at the Termas de Puyuhuapi on multiple-day packages.
Cruise ships and ferries
Navimag (ferries) Av El Bosque Norte 0440, Santiago 2/2035030, 2/2035025, www.australis.com ; Angelmó 2187, Puerto Montt 65/253318, 65/258540.
Skorpios (cruise ships) Agusto Leguia Norte 118, Las Condes, Santiago 2/2311030, 2/232 2269, 
skorpios@tmm.cl; Angelmó 1660, Puerto Montt 65/256619, 65/258315, www.skorpios.cl . Cruise ships.
TransMarChilay (ferries) Av Providencia 2653, local 24, Santiago & 2/633 5959; Angelmó 2187, Puerto Montt 65/270416, 65/270415, www.transmarchilay.cl ; O'Higgins s/n, Puerto Chacabuco & 67/351144.
Flight agents
Aero Don Carlos Subteniente Cruz 630 67/232981, www.doncarlos.cl .
Aerohein Baquedano 500, Coyhaique & 67/232772, www.aerohein.cl .
Transportes San Rafael 18 de Septiembre 469, Coyhaique 233408 67/232048, 67/233408.