Coyhaique & Simpson River: Patagonia Shore Excursion from Puerto Chacabuco

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/5

Duration5h 30m

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · DE +1

PickupAt your hotel

Five Hours Between Two Rivers: Coyhaique & Patagonia's Spine

You board a bus at Puerto Chacabuco and drive inland along the Simpson River through Río Simpson National Park, stopping at Virgin Waterfall and the Marchant Viewpoint before reaching Coyhaique for free time to explore. On the return, you stop at the Presidente Ibañez suspension bridge in Puerto Aysén. A local guide leads the whole 5.5-hour route, and your park entry is included, so you're back at the ship with time to spare.

5h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Coyhaique and surrounding nature

Visit Puerto Aysén
Drive along Simpson River
See Virgin Waterfall
Arrive in Coyhaique
Stop at Marchant Viewpoint
Return to Puerto Aysén suspension bridge

The Experience

The Aysén River spreads below you before the bus even leaves the dock. Puerto Chacabuco sits small against the water, and your guide—a local who knows the region's Mapuche names and the fly-fishing reputation of these valleys—starts talking about what's coming: a drive inland along Route 240, the Carretera Austral, the road that stitches Patagonia together. You're heading to Coyhaique, the regional capital, but the real journey is what happens between here and there. The Simpson River runs alongside almost the whole way, and your guide will point out why it matters—not just the scenery, though that's there, but the history, the way the landscape shaped who lives here and how.

Los Coipos Lagoon comes first, then the road climbs into Río Simpson National Park. Your entry ticket is included, which saves time at the gate. The drive follows the river's banks, and at some point the guide stops at Virgin Waterfall—the name comes from a rock formation that locals say looks like the Virgin Mary, though you'll make your own judgment. It's a short stop, enough to step out and feel the spray if the wind's right, then back on the road toward Coyhaique itself. The city sits in a valley, and before you reach it, the bus pulls over at Marchant Viewpoint. From there you can see the whole place laid out—the grid of streets, the Andes rising behind it, the way the rivers cut through everything.

Coyhaique gives you free time to walk around. There's a market if you want local handicrafts, restaurants if you want to eat, or you can just sit in a plaza and watch the town move. Your guide stays available if you have questions, but this part is yours. The city's name is a Mapuche word meaning "between the rivers," and once you're standing there, that makes sense—water on two sides, mountains on the third. After an hour or so, everyone meets back at the bus for the return to Puerto Chacabuco. The last stop is Puerto Aysén, where the Presidente Ibañez suspension bridge spans the river—it's the longest one in Chile, and it's the kind of thing you photograph because the scale is hard to believe until you're standing next to it.

The whole thing takes 5.5 hours from port to port, which means you're back with time before the ship leaves. Your guide handles the timing—they know the cruise schedule and build the day around it. No rushing, no guessing whether you'll make it back. The national park ticket, the guide, the stops, the route—it all comes together in one booking, which is what makes a shore excursion work when you've only got one afternoon in Patagonia.

What’s included

Your day includes port pickup at Puerto Chacabuco, transportation along Route 240 and the Simpson River, entry to Río Simpson National Park, stops at Los Coipos Lagoon, Virgin Waterfall, and Marchant Viewpoint, free time in Coyhaique to explore local markets or eat, a photo stop at the Presidente Ibañez suspension bridge in Puerto Aysén, and return transport to the cruise port. A local professional guide leads the entire 5.5-hour excursion.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Top Private Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you're docked at Puerto Chacabuco and want to see inland Patagonia without arranging your own transport or worrying about missing the ship—the guide handles the timing and the route is built around cruise schedules.