Our Boat, The Evangelista
Cruise from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, Patagonia, Chile – We started from Puerto Montt around 04:00 pm in bright sunshine and no wind. We could hardly believe our luck, since fog, strong winds, rain or even snow and icy temperatures are the more likely weather conditions in the area.
On Tuesday, December 11th, with almost 24 hours delay, we boarded the Evangelista, the 120 meter long Navimag ferry travelling between Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, winding its way through a maze of fjords along the Chilean Pacific coast. It is best described as an inside passage between the mainland and the many small island off the coast.
In the main season this boat is basically a cruise ship, but it also transports quite a lot of cargo. So we are very far from the pioneer experiences in 1980s, when travellers travelled on cargo boats. On our trip the boat carried 180 tourists, in 4 categories of cabins: AAA, private luxury cabins, which cost no less than 1.680 USD for the three day / three night cruise; AA, 4 person cabins with or A, without private bath and finally C, dormitories, our humble home.
We were very surprised about the level of comfort on board: everything is squeaky clean, the dormitories are airy, with windows and the beds are comfortable. We were so lucky, since we were assigned the berth at the very end of boat, so nobody was passing by and no other berth was facing ours. A little oasis, we had our own window and a heating radiator next to Heidi’s bed. The ship offers lots of communal spaces: a dining room and a “living room” / pub, with enough space to find a place to read a book, chat with fellow travellers, work on the computer or enjoy a Pisco Sour.
There are many activities on the boat: of course, three meals a day, presentations about the route, landscapes and the culture in southern Patagonia, up to three movies a day, live music in the pub at night. There is even a “Bingo” evening the last night. Heidi immediately realized that there will be hardly any time to read her book since the programme seemed really extensive!
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