I'm on a boat! (again): Ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt

After my lazy couple of days in Puerto Natales, I boarded the Navimag ferry for Puerto Montt. The ferry goes from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, covering around 900 miles in 4 days.

There were about 180 passengers on board. We boarded the ship on a Monday evening. We had a short welcome and safety briefing, then most of us went to bed. While we were sleeping, the lower decks of the ship were loaded with cargo.

Sunset as we're boarding.

Loading the cargo the first night on the boat. We left the port early the next morning while I was still sleeping. Yup, that open-top trailer is full of livestock. So we shared the boat with cows. Anytime someone accidentally referred to this trip as a cruise, we reminded them of the cows. I know cruise ships have just about everything on them, but somehow I doubt they have cows.

The first day is supposed to be the most scenic, and it was also the day with the best weather. I, along with most of the other passengers, spent most of the day out on the decks taking in the scenery and taking pictures.

This picture highlights the Zodiac which was sent out on an ice run. Why settle for normal ice when glacial ice is abundant?

G&T on a chunk of the glacier.

Sunset the first full day on the boat.

The weather the next few days wasn't that great, so we spent a lot more time inside.

We passed this wreck on the second day. The crew said there is just one large rock in this channel. Apparently this boat found it.

The time on the ferry, especially when the weather and visibility was bad, was quite relax. We ate a lot, took lots of naps, played lots of cards, and so on. There were a lot of fun people on the boat, so it never really got boring. (And if it did, that just meant it was time for a nap!)

On Friday morning we arrived in Puerto Montt.

Here's the ship being unloaded in Puerto Montt.

After arriving in Puerto Montt, I caught a bus up to Valparaiso. That's where I am now. Tomorrow I head to Santiago, then the following day I'll head home!

Thanks for reading!