Getting there

---

Getting to Chile these days is relatively simple and a 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 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 flight are almost always on time, the new ulta-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. 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 El Saltamontes
Arrival in Santiago, Chile (Saturday) International travelers usually arrive in Santiago, Chile in the morning. Most of our guests transfer to the Ritz Carlton or Plaza San Francisco Hotel to relax for a day and acclimate. The hotels are authentically Chilean. The accommodations, restaurant and bar are excellent. They are conveniently located near Santiago's best shopping, restaurants, cultural center, and nightlife. Anglers traveling with The Fly Shop qualify for preferential rates at both hotels. However, there are other wonderful hotel options. Day 1, (Sunday) After a comfortable night in Santiago, guests fly [via jet] to the Balmaceda Air Terminal (Coyhaique). There, they are met by hosts Jose & Erica Gorrono, who escort the guests to El Saltamontes. The drive to the lodge is about a 2 1/2 hour van trip. The drive is accented by beautiful roadside streams, waterfalls and miles upon miles of open country... Upon arrival at El Saltamontes, you’ll be introduced to the staff and accommodations.

The Gorrono's impressive, single story lodge and ranch house sits in the shadow of the beautiful snow-capped Andes. Each of the lovely guest rooms is well-appointed, with a view and private bath. El Saltamontes Lodge amenities are in stark contrast to the remote Patagonian location. After a brief orientation and a chance to settle in and organize tackle, anglers are free to fish with their guides for the remainder of the day. El Saltamontes angling is exclusively for Brown Trout. A portion of the fishing is done in the Nireguao River. The river’s oxbow lagoons and excellent water is just a stone's throw from the door of the lodge. The Browns actively feed on grasshoppers, and the grass bordering the stream is normally infested with them in January, February and March. Anglers often release large numbers of Browns during the week. Other terrestrials and dry flies are very effective throughout the short Patagonian summer and anglers seldom have to resort to subsurface patterns. The after-angling cocktail reception always includes “Pisco Sour,” the Chilean version of a Margarita, along with a complimentary bar and fine domestic wines. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available. The first evening's dinner is a little later than usual. This is to allow for a full afternoon of fishing. Dinners, like all meals at the lodge, are informal, superb, and accompanied by the finest Chilean and Argentine wines. Days 2 - 6, (Monday through Friday) These are full fishing days, and the exact schedule will depend on the guests’ wishes. Breakfast and dinner will be served in the lodge. Fine mid-day meals are served in the field, streamside. An “asado,” the traditional South American lamb barbecue, highlights the last evening at the lodge. Neighbors often attend the asado, and native folk music is played - providing a memorable accent to the trip. Day 7 (Saturday) Anglers will be transported back to the Balmaceda airport and begin their journey home or to other destinations on their South American itinerary.

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 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 LA 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.