Chile Transport

Air
Chile has several airports but any international traveller arriving in the country by air will fly into Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport. American and Delta are the two main carriers offering direct flights from the US and Canada, while Chile’s national air carrier, Lan Airlines, flies direct from New York and Los Angeles.

Santiago’s airport is located 21 kms northwest of the city. Two bus companies provide cheap and easy services to the city centre every day from 05:30 until midnight. Centro Puerto runs buses to the downtown Los Heroes bus terminal every 15 minutes. Tour Express operates buses which depart the airport every 30 minutes to the Alameda bus terminal and other downtown destinations. Minibus operators such as TransVip and TransCity offer direct door to door service throughout Santiago. Tickets can be purchased in the baggage claim area of the airport.

Official taxis, which are blue and have official identification, can be found outside of both terminals on the ground floor. You can also reserve a taxi at the reservation desk inside the Arrivals hall. Taxis are a bit more expensive than the minibuses, but are much quicker. Car hire companies have their desks in the Arrivals areas of both terminals.

Rail
Trains connect Arica in Chile with Tacna in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia. Train travel in South America is exciting but not necessarily for the comfort-minded. Some rail connections between neighbouring countries use buses for part of the trip.

Bus
Bus travel to Chile is slow and unreliable. It is however possible to travel by bus from Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Ecuador. The southern Patagonia and Lake District areas offer some of the more interesting routes into Chile, combining ferry and bus travel. Most buses originating in neighbouring countries will terminate in Santiago.

Car
The Pan American Highway enters Chile at the town of Arica and continues down the length of the country. If you are arriving from a country north of Chile, you will enter at Arica. Border crossings between Bolivia and Chile are few and far between. There are many ways to enter Chile from Argentina with routes over the Andes which are slow but beautiful. There are also numerous crossings in the Lake District and Patagonia.

Sea
One of more popular ways to reach Chile is by cruise ship from Argentina. The cruises originate in Buenos Aires and make port calls in Valparaiso, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabuco and Punta Arenas.

It is also possible to travel between Argentina and Chile by taking a ferry from the Lake District through the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park to Nahuel Huapi Lake in Bariloche, Argentina. This one day cruise is an excellent way to see some beautiful scenery before arriving in central Argentina.

Air
There are a handful of small domestic airports at Chile’s borders which serve a limited number of internal flights. These flights offer a quick and easy way to get from one end of Chile to the other, although it still takes over four hours to go from Santiago to Punta Arenas.

Punta Arenas’ Aeropuerto Presidente Ibanez receives up to 10 flights per day from Santiago. These flights also stop in Puerto Montt. Taxis are available at the airport to take you into Punta Arenas.

Another small but useful airport is Maquehue Airport near the town of Temuco. LanExpress and Sky Airlines offer four daily flights from Santiago and Puerto Montt to Temuco.

Metro
Santiago’s Metro is fast, safe and inexpensive. It is a perfect model of mass transportation and runs three lines which serve most of the city. Service runs from 06:30 until 22:30 Monday through Saturday and from 08:00 until 22:30 on Sundays and holidays.

Rail
The geography of Chile limits train travel to a very small area. The state railway runs one daily train each way between Santiago and Temuco, leaving at 20:00. The train has sleeping cars, a restaurant car and even a few air conditioned bunks.

Bus
Travelling by bus is the most popular way to get around Chile and there are many companies to handle the demand. The buses are clean and efficient and by far the best way to travel relatively short distances.

If you plan to travel longer than a few hours, you should be aware of the different classes of bus. Standard buses are called clasico and are the bottom of the range. An ejecutivo bus is more like a business class seat and has better legroom and reclining seats. The cream of the crop is the salon cama, which has seats that fold out into beds. These are the best choices for long trips.

Fares are very reasonable and seats sell out quickly, so buy your tickets well in advance. Some buses provide meals with your tickets, while others plan a restaurant stop along the way.

Car
If you don’t plan to leave Santiago, then you really won’t need to rent a car. However, they are a great idea if you are exploring the Lake District or wish to drive along the coast. Driving in Chile is relatively safe, but you need to keep an eye out for farm animals and bicycles along the roads. The Pan American Highway is a very good stretch of highway and was recently improved, meaning there are now tolls to pay at most of the exits. Nearly every other road in Chile is unpaved, bumpy and full of potholes. But don’t let that discourage you. The freedom of travelling by car offers an unparalleled experience.

Taxi
Most of the taxis in Chile can be distinguished as black sedans with bright yellow tops. All of the official ones will have a taximeter and their registration number plainly visible. In general, Chilean taxi drivers are considered to be polite and honest. If you hire one for a long journey, then it’s best to decide on the fare before you start off. Tipping is not expected.

Sea and Lake
If you are not in a hurry, one the best ways to get from the Lake District to Patagonia is by ferry. Navimag offers a fantastic three-day journey from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales that hugs the coast through some of the best fjord scenery outside of Norway. There are several other companies which offer more luxurious boat trips along the coast to a variety of other destinations.