Planning a trip along the Carretera Austral and wondering how to get to Puerto Rio Tranquilo? the gateway to Chile’s iconic Marble Caves… If you’ve already tried researching how to reach this tiny lakeside town, you’ve probably realised that getting to Puerto Rio Tranquilo is not straightforward at all.
Information online is scarce, schedules constantly change and most routes require multiple connections. Taxis are rare, roadworks are common and there isn’t much information in general out there that’s up to date.
But don’t fret! I’ve literally just completed this exact trip. All the information in here is valid as of November 2025. This how-to guide will break everything you need to know. This guide is mainly geared to those taking public transport since information is next to none. If you’re coming with a rental car, I’ll include some logisitcs related to that.
Where in the world is Puerto Río Tranquilo?
Puerto Rio Tranquilo sits on the shores of Lago General Carrera in the heart of the Carretera Austral (Ruta 7). The Carretera Austral or Ruta 7 is the iconic 1240 km road that stretches from Puerto Montt down to Vila O’Higgins. The highway winds through some of the most remote corners of Chilean Patagonia through the ever changing Patagonian landscapes of forest, fjords, glaciers. This stretch of the Carretera Austral is still largely unpaved and that remoteness is exactly why reaching Puerto Río Tranquilo can be tricky.
This region sees everything from sudden landslides to unexpected road closures and while it’s growing more popular with travellers, infrastructure is still limited. Bus services are infrequent, taxis are non existent and many travellers arrive here without understanding how long the journey actually takes.
The good news? Despite its remoteness, Puerto Rio Tranquilo has become one of Chile Patagonia’s top destinations. There are reliable ways to get here. You just need the most updated information… which is exactly why I’m here 😉
How to Get to Puerto Río Tranquilo
There are so many ways to descend upon this town. By buses/colectivos is the most common. If you have a flexible budget, a rental car is a great option. If you’re feeling brave, you could try your hand at hitchhiking, which in Chile is common, but especially around Chilean Patagonia.
1. From Argentine Patagonia (Calafate, El Chalten, Bariloche)
If you’re coming from Argentine Patagonia (which is where we started our route from), you’ll most likely be coming from Calafate or El Chalten. In this case, you’ll need to get yourselves to Los Antiguos and border cross into Chile Chico. Just remember that Chile SAG is very strict! Don’t bring in any fresh fruit, veg, honet, nuts or animal products.
I’ve written in detail how you border cross from Los Antiguos to Chile Chico here.
If you’re coming from Bariloche, I’d recommend crossing into Puerto Montt and making your way down to Coyhaique. Then follow point 4 to get from Coyhaique to Puerto Rio Tranquilo.
2. From Chile Chico → Puerto Río Tranquilo
This would be the most common route if you’re coming from Argentina Patagonia. Once you’ve border crossed into Chile Chico, you might have to stay here for a night or two. I couldn’t find any major bus companies driving the Chile Chico – Puerto Rio Tranquilo route but I did find this schedule for the colectivos.
This bus route is operated by Buses Interlagos. You should be completely fine to show up to the bus terminal and get a seat but since it was peak season – we decided to drop a message reserving our seats. It’s a mini bus and it has seen some better days. It does get dusty on the bus so I would recommend trying to sit closer to the front. Our bags were covered in dust by the end of the journey!
We also encountered a landslide that was being cleared up so I wouldn’t recommend booking any tours for the day you arrive. Time is a construct in these parts, you’ll get there when you get there. There isn’t really any paved roads in this part so you’re at the mercy of the ±180 km of gravel roads. It took us about 5hrs to get here from Chile Chico.
They depart from Chile Chico at the local bus station three times a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays at 0800hrs.
It costs 15 000 CLP per person and it would be best to pay in cash.
Buses Interlagos contact on WhatsApp is: +56 9 9038 6338.
3. From Cochrane or South → Puerto Río Tranquilo
If you’ve been discovering the Carretera Austral from the south, you’ll probably be coming from Vila O’Higgins, Tortel or Cochrane.
If you’re coming from Villa O’Higgins or Tortel, the first step for you is going to Cochrane first. Then you can spring board yourselves to Puerto Rio Tranquilo. Below is just an overview of the services on offer. But your best bet is to WhatsApp them to confirm when the bus services are.
Tortel to Cochrane:
- Buses Aldea +56 9 4212 3918
Monday – 0800hrs
Tuesday – 1200hrs
Thursday & Saturdays – 1600hrs - Los Glaciares +56 9 7524 5872
Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday – 1600hrs
Friday – 1730hrs
Villa O’Higgins to Cochrone:
- Gardy Buses +56 9 4273 8229
Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday – 0800hrs - Buses Silva +56 9 9886 4208
Thursday – 0800hrs
Cochrone to Puerto Rio Tranquilo:
For both Buses Sao Paulo and Buses Don Carlos, you can find and book their services online here. Remember that the destination is Puerto Tranquilo and not Puerto Rio Tranquilo when you’re searching on the Kupos webpage.
- Buses Sao Paulo +56 9 7759 7822
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – 0630hrs - Buses Don Carlos
Tuesday to Sunday – 0700hrs
4. From Coyhaique or North → Puerto Río Tranquilo
If you’ve been travelling down the Carretera Austral, you’ll probably be anywhere north of Puerto Rio Tranquilo – probably in Coyhaique or Vila Cerro Castillo.
From Coyhaique, you’ve got more options. Simply because Coyhaique is the capital of the Aysen Region and it’s home to ±60 000 people. You have access to some of the bigger bus companies such as Buses Sao Paulo & Buses Don Carlos both of which you can book online. The schedules for these two change a lot so I highly recommend checking their schedules online but they all depart at 0800hrs, regardless of the day.. Buses Sao Paulo cost 17 000 CLP per person and Buses Don Carlos cost 15 200 CLP per person.
Of course, you’ll also have the option for the colectivo. Buses Interlagos which depart Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 0900hrs. I would recommend contacting them beforehand to reserve your spot since this route is very popular. Buses Interlagos contact on WhatsApp is: +56 9 9038 6338.
It will take approximately 5 hrs to drive the 222 km to Puerto Rio Tranquilo. The Ruta 7 is paved until you get to Vila Cerro Castillo but after that, you’ll be on gravel roads.
5. Balmaceda Airport (BBA) → Puerto Río Tranquilo
If you’re running short on time or just want to get there without the entire journey, there is an option of flying into Balmaceda Airport (BBA). You can either flight from Santiago or Puerto Montt with Sky Airlines and LATAM Airlines. From here, there are two bus companies that service Balmaceda to Puerto Rio Tranquilo.
- Ruta 7 Tour +56 9 9505 1518
Saturday and Sunday – 1400hrs - Turismo Marco +56 9 5784 5984
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday- 1530hrs
Alternatively, you can fly into Balmaceda Airport and self drive Ruta 7 from there! If you’re planning to rent a car from BBA for the drive to Puerto Río Tranquilo, I recommend having a quick look on DiscoverCars. I use it for my own trips because it pulls together all the local car rental companies at Balmaceda in one place, so you can easily compare prices and see what’s actually available for your dates!
When driving offroad, I’d recommend adding full insurance coverage. These roads are beautiful but unpredictable and having that extra peace of mind is worth it. The last thing you want is to have any accidents and your road trip is ruined!
I’ve popped a small widget below so you can check availability and prices without having to open a million tabs. It’s genuinely the tool I rely on when I’m planning long drives like this.
Road Conditions & Weather
Whether you’re renting a car, taking public transport or hitchhiking – you’ll probably want to know this regardless. As it is unpaved south of Villa Cerro Castillo, gravel roads and rain aren’t a fun combination. The Carretera Austral is known for temperamental weather, strong winds, landslides especially in winter + early spring and slowwww driving times. I’m getting flash backs to our journey in Southern Africa for that last point!
Take your time and keep an eye out for the weather. Obviously, the weather app isn’t necessarily the most accurate but it can help plan your route. You could also chat with many of the friendly locals to figure out what the road conditions are like before setting off.
When to visit Puerto Río Tranquilo
Generally, the best time of year would be the Southern Hemisphere summer months. November to roundabout March. Although, good weather does mean it’ll be busier. But remember: you’re not always guaranteed the weather! In mid November, we ended up needing to stay another day in Puerto Rio Tranquilo because the day we had planned to go was overcast and so windy that they actually closed the lake. But the next day – complete stillness. No wind, blazing sun, perfect weather!
You’re probably best off going during this time for the Marble Caves as the weather is a lot more predictable, it’s warmer and you’ll have more daylight.
Keep in mind, November is foreign tourist season and December – January is when you get the local tourists. It’s just busy all summer basically!
Visiting the Marble Caves (Capillas de Mármol)
Okay! Great, now you’re in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, you’re sooooo close to visiting Marble Caves… there are so many tour companies in Puerto Rio Tranquilo ready to take you. I’ll run you through some basics to prepare yourselves.
There are so many tours to book from… keep an eye out, I’ll be breaking down the different options in my next post!
Tours run very frequently during high season and they run every day. But one caveat here is that the weather needs to be on your side. As I mentioned above, we had to wait a day because the winds were too strong to take the kayaks out. The great thing about the tour companies in these parts is that they are pretty flexible and chill about moving the tours if the weather calls for it.
Quick Details
- Duration
Boat Capilla Marmol: 1.5 hrs
Boat Full Marmol: 2.5hrs
Kayaking: 4-5 hrs all up - Cost per person
Boat Capilla Marmol: 20 000 CLP
Boat Full Marmol: 30 000 CLP
Kayaking: 50 000 CLP - Best time: Morning (better light with the sun)
- Can book in person on the waterfront
- No need to book online unless visiting in January – gives you the flexibility if the weather looks a bit rubbish.
Where to Stay in Puerto Río Tranquilo
A lot of accommodation in Puerto Rio Tranquilo isn’t necessarily on sites such as Booking.com or Airbnb. You’ll have to do it the “old school” way of going onto Google Maps and searching for different options and sending them a WhatsApp message.
During peak tourist season, this small lakeside town gets about 2000 visitors a day! Whoa. That’s a lot of people for a town of an estimated ± 500 residents… So affordable accommodation books up quite quickly as we found out. Majority of the accommodations (if booked via Booking.com or via text message) won’t except card payments so be sure to have some Chilean Pesos (CLP) with you. There is an ATM at the COPEC petrol station that worked. We also got money out in Chile Chico.
Here are a few options:
- Los Álamos: Offers private bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. A shared kitchen and living area. About a 2 mins walk from the bus station. This is where we stayed and we really enjoyed ourselves!
There are dogs on this property – just in case that’s a deal breaker… or maker? - Bellavista Camping: Accommodation was quoted at 20 000 CLP per person per night. It’s more of a hostel styled place from what I read. Although, some reviews weren’t fantastic, it’s a good budget option or if you have your own camper/tent. You can contact them on WhatsApp: +56 9 8152 8505
- Apart Hotel y Cabañas Valle Exploradores: it’s got decent reviews but considering you don’t get your own space and it’s a shared kitchen – I feel it’s a bit too steep!
- Rimaya Hostel: It is a hostel with double rooms. It’s got great reviews on AirBNB and looks modern, nice and well equipped. On the positive side, it’s on AirBNB which means you won’t need to have cash!
Common Mistakes to Avoid when visiting Puerto Rio Tranquilo
- Booking transport a bit too late
Some of the transportation can be booked the day before or even the day off but that would depend on the season! We found that some schedules, buses were selling out the day before so it might be an idea to book your outgoing transport the day you arrive to Puerto Rio Tranquilo. - Assuming buses run daily
We almost got caught out on this… As mentioned in the How to get to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, you might’ve noticed that buses aren’t necessarily regular depending on which direction you’re travelling to/from. If you’re booking your accommodation, just double check there’s a bus running on your desired checkout date. Orrrrr it might be a great opportunity to try hitchhiking 😉 - Underestimating driving time
This. Sometimes the buses leave later or something happens along the way… we were an hour and half delayed arriving in Puerto Rio Tranquilo… and also an hour late arriving from Puerto Rio Tranquilo (to Coyhaique). Try to avoid booking any connections too close to each other. After all, this is Patagonia. Anything can happen! - Not carrying cash
Yep, in some places, cash is king! As I mentioned in the accommodation section, some places only accept cash payments. You might not be lucky if the only ATM in town is out of money… Yikes. However, for tours, I found that you’re perfectly okay to pay with your credit/debit cards! - Forgetting Chilean SAG food restrictions if crossing from Argentina
Yeap, Chilean border control are really strict on bringing in fresh fruits, meat, vegetable, honey etc into the country. You should declare them to avoid any type of fine but unfortunately, the majority of the time they will just take it off you. Just be sure not to do a big food shop on the way to Chile…
Still got some questions?
How do I get to Puerto Río Tranquilo without a car?
It’s very doable with a bit of planning… Check out the section above: How to get to Puerto Rio Tranquilo for a breakdown..
Is there a bus from Chile Chico to Puerto Río Tranquilo?
Yes! There’s a local bus – look for more information in my How to get to Puerto Rio Tranquilo section.
Can you drive the Carretera Austral in a normal car?
I’ve seen people drive normal cars but they looked like they had seen better days. Because of how many hours you’ll be offroad, I would personally opt for a 4×4 if given the chance or a high clearance 2×4.
How long is the drive from Coyhaique to Puerto Río Tranquilo?
According to Google Maps, it’s ±215km and takes about 3hrs 45mins. When we took the bus, it was over 5 hrs with a 15mins stop in Villa Cerro Castillo. And we had lovely weather and not really any roadblocks!
Is it safe to hitchhike on the Carretera Austral?
Absolutely! It’s the way of life here. Whilst we didn’t hitchhike personally along the highway, we’ve spoken to several Chileanos and saw plenty of foreigners hitching a ride.
Do I need cash or can I pay by card?
Best is to have some cash on you. With the amount of tourists, there is now an ATM in Puerto Rio Tranquilo but don’t count on it always working/having money. I’d recommend having at least the cost of your accommodation in CLP cash.
Wrapping up
Getting to Puerto Rio Tranquilo takes effort, patience and flexibility. In my opinion, it was worth it. This tiny lakeside village is the gateway to one of the most beautiful natural wonders in Chilean Patagonia: the Marble Caves. Whether you arrive by bus, colectivo, rental car or an adventurous series of connections from Argentina, the journey along the Carretera Austral is probably going to be very interesting.
With the right information (and now you have it!), planning your route becomes much easier. Safe travels and may the lake be calm, the skies clear and your Marble Caves experience unforgettable.
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