Getting There · Punta Arenas
The airport is PUQ, about 20 km north of town. For Australis it’s the start of a 20-minute ride to Muelle Prat; for Antarctica21 and Quark it’s where the voyage itself begins, with a two-hour charter to King George Island.
Put in your landing and the time your trip starts. We’ll hold them against the lines’ own cut-offs; your documents set the real time.
Fly into Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport (PUQ). What happens next depends on the trip. Australis passengers ride about 20 minutes to Muelle Prat; Antarctica21 and Quark guests get a group transfer to the hotel and fly back out of PUQ to King George Island, about two hours away.
No fare is published by the airport or an operator that we could find. Three unofficial guides put a shared van at about CLP 5,000 to 6,000 per person and a taxi at about CLP 10,000 to 13,000.
The air-cruise deadlines are strict. Antarctica21 says be in Punta Arenas by 14:00 on Day 1 or you can’t join, and Quark wants you at the hotel by 3 pm.
Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
Each line’s own wording, read October 18, 2026 — ship lists change, so check yours.
| Line | What it sells here | Ships and dates we found | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australis | Fjords of Tierra del Fuego, 4 nights | Ventus Australis and Stella Australis; Muelle Prat check-in 13:00 to 17:00, boarding 18:00; Ventus departures 21 Sep 2026 to 1 Apr 2027 | Australis 2026-27 rate sheet |
| Antarctica21 | Antarctic air-cruises | Magellan Explorer and Magellan Discoverer; Explorers House check-in before 2 pm; two hotel nights and airport transfers included | antarctica21.com |
| Quark Expeditions | Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake | World Voyager; 1 and 6 Dec 2026, 11, 16 and 21 Feb 2027; hotel by 3 pm, briefing 6 pm | Quark 2026-27 brochure |
| Atlas Ocean Voyages | Drake Express, King George Island roundtrip | Charter between Punta Arenas and King George Island; a hotel night before and after; e.g. 7 to 14 Dec 2026 | atlasoceanvoyages.com |
| HX | MS Fram from the pier | Included flight from Santiago, then board MS Fram in Punta Arenas; e.g. boards 19 Dec 2026, back 9 Jan 2027 (agent listing) | travelhx.com; agent listing |
| Silversea | Antarctica fly-cruise | From 2026 it starts at Silversea’s hotel in Puerto Williams, not Punta Arenas | silversea.com |
Antarctica21 coordinates its flight window with Aerovías DAP, and the plane can leave early, midday or late in the evening. Quark says be ready to leave the hotel at any time on Day 2. Plan Day 2 around their call, not a dinner booking, and keep your phone on.
Only calling here for the day on a cruise? Our Punta Arenas shore excursion picks cover the port day.
Fares and dates are on Booking.com. Land the day before, not the morning you sail.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
No fare is published by the airport or an operator that we could find, so these rows come from unofficial guides. Treat them as rough.
| Shared van, low end, about CLP 5,000 per person (Sleeping in Airports, Dicas Chile) | — |
| Shared van, high end, about CLP 6,000 per person (Dicas Chile) | — |
| Taxi to the center, low end, about CLP 10,000 per car | — |
| Taxi to the center, high end, about CLP 13,000 per car (Visitando Punta Arenas) | — |
One way, all in Chilean pesos, from three unofficial guides read October 18, 2026: Sleeping in Airports (updated March 24, 2026), Dicas Chile (updated September 15, 2026) and Visitando Punta Arenas (undated). None is an official tariff.
Air-cruise guests don’t pay this on Day 1: Antarctica21 and Quark both include the group transfer from the airport. Quark doesn’t include the ride back to PUQ after its post-voyage night. Australis lists no transfer of its own, but says taxis are easy to find and private transfers can be arranged.
Put the time your trip starts in the “Ship departs” box: 18:00 for Australis boarding or for Quark’s briefing. The rows below are each line’s own cut-off, counted back from that time.
A morning landing on Day 1 fits all three on paper. One delayed connection through Santiago undoes it — and Antarctica21 says a late arrival gets no refund. Fly in the day before.
We ranked eleven hotels in Punta Arenas, from the Strait-side casino hotel to the heritage rooms on the square. Tell us the flight and the trip, and we’ll pick the night that fits.
Australis ships from Ushuaia disembark at Muelle Prat at 12:30. Air-cruise guests land back at PUQ, and Antarctica21 says book a late-afternoon flight home. Enter your flight and when you expect to be ashore.
There are no partner links inside this planner. It’s built only from what the lines, the port’s owner, each hotel or its named listing, and the three airport guides we name publish. The airport fares are unofficial.
US citizens on tourist passports need no visa for 90 days or less, per travel.state.gov, which rates Chile Level 2 and warns that strikes can delay travel to Punta Arenas. Your passport must be valid for the whole stay, with a blank page for each stamp.
The charter is where the bags get strict. Antarctica21 allows 25 kg per person, hand luggage included, with no item over 20 kg; Quark allows one 15 kg checked bag and one 5 kg cabin bag. Neither sells extra allowance — Antarctica21 holds excess in Punta Arenas on its Classic and Polar Circle trips, and Quark includes bag storage with its post-voyage night.
No left-luggage service is listed at the airport, per Sleeping in Airports. Cabo de Hornos lists luggage storage for its guests. For the pier and the lines, see our Punta Arenas cruise guide.
One night in Punta Arenas takes the flight risk off Day 1. Antarctica21 and Quark build that night in for you; Australis doesn’t, so book it yourself.
Most of our eleven sit within about 800 m of Muelle Prat by our map. Dreams prints a 5-minute walk to the port; for the rest, a taxi with bags.
Our top six, with the straight-line distance from Punta Arenas Airport to each. All eleven are on the hotels page.
What each of our eleven, or its listing, says about getting from the airport to its door. None of the hotel sites we read prices a ride; two listings mention a paid shuttle.
Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport (PUQ), about 20 km north of town. Australis puts it about 20 minutes from the pier by car.
Not a direct city bus, per an unofficial local guide, though Bus-Sur’s Natales buses stop at the airport on request. Shared vans run about CLP 5,000 to 6,000 per person, per unofficial guides.
No fare is published by the airport or an operator that we could find. Three unofficial guides put it at about CLP 10,000 to 13,000 to the center.
About two hours to King George Island, per Antarctica21 and Quark.
In Punta Arenas by 14:00 on Day 1, per Antarctica21. Miss it and you can’t join, with no refund.
Antarctica21 says book a late-afternoon flight on the last day. Australis guests arriving from Ushuaia disembark at 12:30.
Tell us where you fly from, your line and your sail date. An advisor confirms your quay, then puts the flight, the hotel night and the ride together. No fee, no obligation.
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