After finishing the Dientes de Navarino circuit, we had a couple days to spare on Isla Navarino for another fun adventure: What lies at the end of the road here at the southern end of the world? We decided to bike as far east as possible on the island to Puerto Eugenia. We chose the eastern terminus of the road because (1) the ride is quite a bit shorter than to the west and (2) if you continue east past road’s end, you will eventually reach Puerto Toro, a fishing village currently only accessible by boat. Completing the trek around the east side of the island to Puerto Toro someday sounds like an awesome adventure, and we figured we could scout out part of the route for the future.

Background

  • Trip: Bike ride to Puerto Eugenia (Eastern terminus of road on Isla Navarino)
  • Total Distance: 46 km out-and-back
  • Location: Isla Navarino, Chile (see map below)
  • Closest City: Puerto Williams
  • Duration: 4.5 hours

Our Experience

First of all, renting mountain bikes at Turismo Shila (at O’Higgins and Prat) was an experience in itself. When we spoke to the owner she told us in spanish “half day rentals cost 3500 CLP, full day 7000 CLP, and if the store isn’t open when you arrive feel free to just grab a bike and go”. Seeing the look of surprise on our faces she said, “we live on an island, you’re not going anywhere”.

We headed out of town around noon on an uncharacteristically warm day. The route follows the dirt road along the Beagle Channel to the east. The road is hilly, and there are incredible views across the channel to Tierra del Fuego the whole trip. We saw road signs that Puerto Eugenia is 19 km away but on our GPS it was actually 23 km.

Biking Isla Navarino
Dirt road all the way with views of Tierra del Fuego
Biking Isla Navarino
Passing one of the few small villages along the way
Biking Isla Navarino
Our tired legs from the Dientes trek made these hills tough
Dogs in Puerto Eugenia
Locals escorting us on the final stretch of road to Puerto Eugenia
Puerto Eugenia, Isla Navarino
The end of the road in Puerto Eugenia
Fauna Isla Navarino
Great bird watching along the way
Stairs in Puerto Williams
Arriving back to Puerto Williams
Biking Isla Navarino
Arriving again to the Puerto Williams lookout

Recommendations

  • As with anywhere in Patagonia, be ready with extra layers and rain clothes.
  • Be conscious of the wind – we had a deceptively easy trip east, turned around and realized we’d be going 23 km back to town completely against the wind.
  • The next day we drove about 20 km down the road to the west. Although the views are also nice, there’s a lot more car traffic and parts of the road are under construction (Dec 2016).