Five ways into this guide
Go straight to the question you came with. Each card jumps to its answer.
Silversea, two ways
Expedition voyages from here; the Fly Cruise via its own hotel.
Jump to lines →Antarctica and the fjords
The Peninsula, South Georgia and north to Valparaíso.
Jump to destinations →A pier still being built
Stage 2 is due about February 2027; Zodiacs sometimes do the job.
Jump to the terminal →Flying in
DAP from Punta Arenas, or Silversea’s charter from Santiago.
Jump to getting here →Six places, ranked
Three in town, a lodge by the airstrip and two out on the road.
See the hotels →In brief
Puerto Williams is a navy town on Navarino Island, across the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia. Chile’s 2024 census counted about 1,750 people in the whole commune.
That size shapes everything below — the flights, the beds, the bags.
Silversea is the line that starts voyages here. Seatrade reported in 2024 that it was the only one turning ships around in Puerto Williams, and every 2026-27 departure we could confirm on a line’s own site is Silversea’s.
Two kinds of trip start here. Silver Wind and Silver Cloud sail from town, with Silver Wind listed leaving at 21:00 on Day 1.
The Antarctica Fly Cruise is different: from 2026 it runs from Puerto Williams rather than Punta Arenas, with a night at The Cormorant at 55 South, Silversea’s new hotel, and then a DAP flight to King George Island. That’s Silversea’s plan for voyages from 2026, per the line — confirm the routing and the hotel night in your documents.
The season starts earlier than the round trips suggest. Silversea lists a Silver Endeavour Fly Cruise from King George Island on October 20 to 26, 2026; its round trips from town start in November.
The new multipurpose pier is a work site, not a terminal. MundoMarítimo reported Stage 2 past 55 percent in August 2026, due to finish around February 2027 — and Silversea says Zodiacs are sometimes the only way on or off its ships. Our Puerto Williams port page has the pier detail.
Entry is simple for Americans: no visa for 90 days or less on a tourist passport, per travel.state.gov, which rates Chile Level 2, exercise increased caution (August 19, 2026). Bring Chilean pesos too. Chile’s tourism board says not every business here takes cards.
Who starts a trip here
Deployments change every season, so this roster is dated and sourced. One line turns ships around here, and it starts two kinds of trip.
Lines we confirmed for 2026-27, checked against silversea.com on October 18, 2026. Silversea lists Silver Wind round trips from Puerto Williams, such as November 7 to 25, 2026, and one-ways to King George Island, such as November 25 to December 4; Day 1 shows a 21:00 departure. Silver Cloud ends voyages here too, such as the King George Island sailing listed arriving at 22:00 on January 7, 2027. The Antarctica Fly Cruise moves to Puerto Williams for voyages from 2026, per Silversea, with a direct charter from Santiago and a night at The Cormorant at 55 South before the flight to King George Island — confirm the routing with Silversea; its October 20 to 26, 2026 Silver Endeavour Fly Cruise is the earliest 2026-27 departure we found. A third-party schedule also shows an HX ship in late October 2026; HX’s own pages didn’t confirm it when we checked, so we haven’t listed it.
Sources, read October 18, 2026: silversea.com voyage pages WI261107018, WI261125009, E4261230009 and EV261020006, its Antarctica Fly Cruise page and its blog, and Seatrade Cruise News (October 2024). Confirm your own ship and date before you book around it.
Where you can go
Most voyages from here head for the Antarctic Peninsula. Some go on to South Georgia; Silver Cloud also runs north through the Chilean fjords toward Valparaíso. Check your own itinerary — one trip won’t cover all of these.
Destinations
Where a Puerto Williams voyage goes
The Peninsula by sea or by air, the islands beyond, and the town itself before you board.
Showing all 8
The Peninsula and beyond
3Silver Wind sails from town; Fly Cruise guests fly to King George Island instead.
King George Island
South Shetlands
Where Fly Cruise guests meet the ship, after DAP’s flight from Puerto Williams.
Puerto Williams itself
2A free afternoon is enough for the short list.
Gateways nearby
3Where you’re likely to connect.
No destination matches that. Clear the filter to see all 8 again.
A free afternoon before boarding? The museum and Villa Ukika are walkable from town, per Chile’s tourism board and our excursion guide. Leave the Dientes de Navarino trek for another trip — it’s four or five days.
Where you board
There’s no cruise terminal building yet. The multipurpose pier’s first phase added a 130 m berthing head, and industry reporting said it had handled more than 30 cruise ships by April 2025. Stage 2 is due to finish around February 2027, with service entry planned for March 2027; the terminal building, parking and migration offices come in Stage 3, per MundoMarítimo.
No source we read gives the pier’s street position, or a check-in time for boarding. Silversea warns that on several occasions the only way on or off is by Zodiac. Your documents set where and when you report — not this page.
On a Fly Cruise, the pier doesn’t come into it. Silversea says you land on its charter between noon and 1 pm, ride about 10 minutes to The Cormorant, and fly to King George Island from the airstrip. That’s Silversea’s plan for voyages from 2026, per the line — confirm the routing and the hotel night in your documents.
| Quay | Where | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| The multipurpose pier | Puerto Williams; no street position published | 130 m berthing head; Stage 2 due about February 2027; ships over 300 m can’t use it |
| By Zodiac | Wherever the ship anchors | Silversea says it’s sometimes the only way to embark or disembark |
| WPU airstrip | Guardiamarina Zañartu, on the western edge of town | Fly Cruise guests fly to King George Island from here, per Silversea |
Send us your ship and sail date and we’ll tell you which quay and which night. Ask us ↓
Sources: MundoMarítimo (August 2026), Voyagers Travel (April 2025), silversea.com and its blog, read October 18, 2026. Confirm with your line — the quay can change with the ship.
Parking, in short
No cruise parking is published in Puerto Williams. Parking arrives with the pier’s Stage 3 land works, per MundoMarítimo.
There’s no road from the mainland, either. Driving means the weekly ferry from Punta Arenas, about 30 to 33 hours — so fly.
Getting here
Almost everyone flies. DAP flies from Punta Arenas Monday to Saturday from November to March, leaving at 8:00, per DAP; Chile’s tourism board puts the flight at about 1 hour 15 minutes on one page and about 1.5 hours on another. Silversea’s Fly Cruise guests come direct from Santiago on the line’s charter.
The slow way is the Yaghan, the weekly ferry from Punta Arenas, about 30 to 33 hours. From Ushuaia there’s a speedboat to Puerto Navarino and a minibus on, about three hours, listed from about US$160 plus a US$10 port fee on Civitatis. If you’re connecting through Punta Arenas, our Punta Arenas airport page covers PUQ.
| From | Taxi | Public transport |
|---|---|---|
| WPU — airstrip to town | No fare published. Silversea puts the ride at about 10 minutes. | No bus. Silversea’s flight package includes the transfer; two lodges list a free shuttle. |
| Punta Arenas — by air | DAP, 8:00 from PUQ, Mon–Sat in season | Hold 10 kg plus 5 kg cabin, per DAP; no fare published on the pages we read. |
| Ushuaia — across the channel | About 3 hours, from about US$160 + US$10 fee (Civitatis) | Speedboat to Puerto Navarino, then a minibus to town. |
No taxi fare is published in Puerto Williams that we could find. Visa rules are covered above. Puerto Williams airstrip to the ship has the rest.
The night before, ranked: we’ve scored six places for the night before a Puerto Williams departure, from three small hotels in town to two lodges out on the Navarino road. None has a website we could read (we tried lakutaia.cl, the only own site we found, and it didn’t load for us), so their listings’ facts are shown but earn no points; only our distances score. Four worth knowing:
| Hotel | Where | One thing to know |
|---|---|---|
| Akainij | Austral, in town | No. 1 on the tie-break: thirty rooms in town, but check-in runs 11:30 to 13:00 on its listing. |
| Forjadores | Arturo Prat, in town | Tied on 30, with family suites and a late breakfast on its Expedia listing. |
| Lakutaia | Seno Lauta, west of town | The lodge by the airstrip: a restaurant, a bar and a free pick-up, per Expedia. |
| Errante | Ruta Y-905, km 5.5 | Farthest out, with a free shuttle on its listing — closed from February 22. |
Planning a Puerto Williams cruise?
Tell us your sailing, and we’ll sort the flight and the night before.
Questions here come down to the DAP flight, the 10 kg bag limit and whether your Silversea package covers the hotel. Send the voyage and we’ll line it up.
We say where each fact comes from, and date it.
Puerto Williams FAQ
Which cruise lines sail from Puerto Williams?
Silversea is the one we confirmed on its own site for 2026-27, with Silver Wind and Silver Cloud voyages and its Antarctica Fly Cruise. A third-party schedule lists an HX ship in October 2026 that HX’s own pages didn’t confirm.
How do I get to Puerto Williams?
By air, usually: DAP flies from Punta Arenas Monday to Saturday in season, leaving at 8:00. Silversea’s Fly Cruise guests take the line’s charter from Santiago. A weekly ferry from Punta Arenas takes about 30 to 33 hours.
How much luggage can I take on the DAP flight to Puerto Williams?
10 kg in the hold and 5 kg in the cabin, per DAP, with excess charged by the kilo at the counter.
Do Silversea ships dock or tender in Puerto Williams?
Ships have used the new pier’s 130 m berthing head, and Stage 2 works run until about February 2027. Silversea says Zodiacs are sometimes the only way on or off, so check your documents.
Can I cross from Ushuaia to Puerto Williams?
Yes. Civitatis lists a speedboat to Puerto Navarino plus a minibus, about three hours, from about US$160 plus a US$10 port fee. Allow for weather and the border.
Do I need a visa for Chile?
Not as a US citizen on a tourist passport for 90 days or less, per travel.state.gov. Your passport must be valid for the stay.
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