getting to Patagonian BaseCamp

Getting to Chile these days is relatively simple and painless.

In the mid-60’s, it took pioneer fly fishers like Joe Brooks 22 hours to fly from Miami to Santiago and another twenty hours in the air with numerous stops along the way to reach the trout-infested waters in and around Puerto Montt – now that’s dedication!

Getting there is easy with a wide choice of convenient, daily flights from Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, and New York. Most flights are direct departing the States in the afternoon or early evening and arriving early the next morning in Santiago, the Capitol of Chile. Airlines that service Chile include LAN, Delta, United and American.

Arriving Chile is simple, hassle-free and safe. The flights are almost always on time, the new ultra-modern airport is clean and the entire experience from clearing immigrations and customs to connection with domestic flights is very smooth. Airfares from the U.S. to Santiago vary widely with tickets from New York, Miami and Los Angeles ranging from $900 to $1,200 round trip. Usually the best fares can be had by flying LAN, the national airline of Chile. LAN is one of the largest air carriers servicing South America. Their modern, new air fleet has a superb record for reliability, safety and on-time departures and arrivals.

Immigration Requirements for entry into Chile: U. S. Citizens:

When traveling to Chile, a valid passport is required with an expiration date occurring at least 6 months later than the day of arrival.

Chilean Tourist Card:

A Chilean Tourist Card Application will be handed out by your carrier during your flight to Chile. Please fill out the application and present it and your passport to Chilean Immigrations upon arrival into Santiago. Immigrations will take one copy of the Tourist Card and leave you with another which you must keep with your passport and present to Immigrations when you leave Chile. Loss of your tourist card may result in a penalty upon departure.

Airport Entry and Departure Taxes:

Good for the life of the passport, a fee of $131 USD (paid in cash or with a credit card) will be charged to all U.S. Citizens entering the country by plane for the first time. This is the same amount charged to Chileans applying for a visa to the U.S.

A domestic airport tax of $8.00 is charged when flying within the country. A departure tax of $26.00 is due upon leaving Chile for another country. The departure tax is usually included in the ticket price.

Inoculations and Health Concerns:

There are no formal requirements, or recommendations, for immunizations and very little risk of infectious disease in Chile. The risk would be about equivalent to what it would be for a trip to Colorado. You should check with your personal physician if you are concerned. We recommend that anglers be up-to-date on their Tetanus, Hepatitis-A and Hepatitis-B vaccinations.

Political Situation:

Chile is a safe, pro-American country and has been a democracy since 1989. On March 11th, 2006 the new president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, took office. Michelle Bachelet is Chile’s first woman president. Chileans are overall a very friendly people & welcome foreign tourists. The hospitality of the campesinos (country people) in rural Chile (where all the fishing takes place) is renowned.
Specific flight details for Patagonian BaseCamp

If you will be overnighting in Santiago the night before going into the lodge, when making your domestic airline accommodations for your day of arrival to the lodge, please arrange to arrive in Puerto Montt by no later than 10:45 a.m. in the morning in order to connect with your charter flights to La Junta (conditions permitting).

On the day of arrival in Puerto Montt you will be met at the airport by a Patagonian BaseCamp representative – she will help gather your luggage, and will inform you as to which route you will take. Depending on the conditions you may fly a charter straight to La Junta, Lago Verde or to Chaitén. Your host will be awaiting you in La Junta to take you on to the lodge, a short 25-minute drive.

The flight is short, approximately 40 minutes and flies over some awesomely beautiful and rugged landscape – have your cameras ready.

The charter flight will be arranged by Marcel Sijnesael, your host at Patagonian BaseCamp, and costs $495 per person, round trip, paid in advance as part of your angling package.
Because of potential logistical issues arising from the need to meet the morning Puerto Montt-Patagonian BaseCamp charter, Marcel has requested that clients do not overnight in Santiago the day before going into the lodge, but rather catch a flight straight through to Puerto Montt upon their morning arrival into Santiago from the States. If you choose this option, you will fly into Santiago from the States the day prior to your arrival at the lodge, arriving early morning, as usual. You will then want to have arranged a connecting flight from Santiago to Puerto Montt, being sure to have left a comfortable buffer between the two (typically 2-3 hours from when you arrive in Santiago to when you board the Puerto Montt flight).

Upon arrival at the modern airport Tepual of Puerto Montt you will be met by your guide and driver holding a sign “The Patagonian BaseCamp” (look for the dragon-fly logo). It takes approximately 30 minutes for the drive from the airport to the lakeside village of Puerto Varas – your Patagonia holiday has started. Puerto Varas is a quaint little village nestled on the shores of “Lago Llanquihue”. Over the past years the town has developed into a thriving tourist destination for both Chileans and foreign travelers, with an outstanding variety of excursions, activities and natural attractions in the surrounding area.

Your driver will take you to the 4-star hotel “Bellavista”, where a welcome cocktail is awaiting you. The hotel is built on the shore of the same lake and all the rooms offer stunning views of the water with the snowcapped volcano “Osorno” dominating the panoramic views. Just in front of the hotel is a lovely beach where you can sunbathe, take a dip in the cold water or a stroll along the shore. The main square is just a few minutes walk away. The hotel offers very comfortable rooms with free wi-fi internet, a good restaurant and bar and a very complete American-style breakfast. For more information on the hotel, please visit their website at: www.hotelbellavista.cl.

Puerto Varas is a lakeside resort town and boasts one of Chile’s few casinos. The center of town consists of about nine square blocks centered on the main square (Plaza de Armas), with hills rising directly above to the north and west. In the streets around the square you will find some fantastic restaurants, interesting local art galleries and souvenir shops. There are even two very well-equipped fly-fish tackle shops for last-minute purchases. Summer attractions such as festivals, games, exhibits, music, and the like abound, making the whole center of town a fun place to hang out and to ferret-out some Chilean culture.

The following day, after a delicious breakfast and a relaxing morning, your driver will meet you at the hotel and provide transportation to the small airport of “La Paloma” for your charter flight into the wilderness of Patagonia and a fabulous week of fly fishing at The Patagonian BaseCamp Lodge.
Upon arrival in La Junta you will be met by Marcel Sijnesael or a representative of the lodge and transferred via vehicle to the lodge. The very scenic road transfer will arrive at the lodge on the banks of the Río Palena by early afternoon. Just in front of the lodge the river flows, and you are welcome to wander down to the water in search of your first Patagonian trout of the week. If, however, you would like to relax from your journey knowing that you will have another 6 days of fishing, the hot tub and sauna are heated up and the pisco sours (typical Chilean cocktail) will be cold. Carolina will have a wonderful dinner ready at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Departure from Patagonian BaseCamp:

After breakfast, you will be transferred to La Junta airport for your flight to the Paloma airport, then transferred back to the Puerto Montt airport for your onward connections.
Make it easy on yourself. Alicia Regueiro and her expert staff at Holdy Tours, (800) 446- 1111 or alicia@holdytours.com , are a full service travel agency. They’ve been our first choice for ticketing for years because Holdy professionals are intimately familiar with the intricacies of travel to Chile, Argentina and all of South America.

Holdy gets rave reviews from us for arranging reasonably-priced flights as well as city tours, hotels, transfers, and optional add-on travel packages to our fly fishing trips. They know the best routes and connections for even the most complicated Patagonia angling destinations and they’ve teamed up with LAN to offer the best airfares and service to South America. Make it easy on yourself and contact Holdy Tours for your flight accommodations to, from and within Chile.