Capillas de Marmol
Capillas de Marmol
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Hugh S
Patagonia44 contributions
Jan 2020
The caves are wonderful, but the growth of the village is unpleasant, street hawkers touting tours, which leave every five minutes. It's a queue of boats jostling to see the caves. Prices have sky-rocketed, accommodation and food are mediocre and expensive, and the caves across the lake are far nicer and not so well-known. It's a pity, as the Carretera Austral was "off the beaten track" until recently. Tranquilo, and the caves, are a worrying omen of where this region is heading.
Written 6 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2Vagabonders
Asheville, NC163 contributions
Jun 2020 • Couples
We took a group boat ride out to the caves - we were lucky it was a beautiful sunny day (and pre-Covid!). This was actually in Feb 2020 but TA won’t seem to let me review that far back so just adding that caveat here. Definitely worth checking out.
Written 1 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David M
Santiago, Chile17 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
The day was fantastic, the tour that the Kaweskar guys gave us was impressive. At all times the disposition to answer and clarify doubts. They handle the issue, they talk, if you go alone they help you take photos, nooo honestly nothing to say, I would come back again.
Written 7 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janet130764
Montevideo, Uruguay75 contributions
Feb 2014 • Family
Choose nice weather to take this tour, the lake is lightly to get rough when windy and you will not appreciate as much on a cloudy day. A Must See, because it is very rare. These huge total marbel caverns will take your breath away, plus the magnificent views of the Lake Gral Carrera and surroundings. Cant Miss!
Written 25 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jason J
Honolulu, HI18 contributions
Feb 2014 • Solo
When comparing the marble caves to any other site throughout the Patagonia Region, it comes out to be pretty average. There is so much more to see from the hikes throughout El Bolson, to Perito Moreno Glacier, to the worth while hikes like Fitz Roy in El Chalten on your way to Torres del Paine. If you're on your way south in Chile, stop by... if you're on the Argentina side, I recommend to save your time and money. Whatever you do, if you find yourself in Chile Chico, stay away from a travel guide for the marble caves by the first name Alonzo (check out his photo that I've uploaded). Poor communication, made our group wait for two and a half hours after our 1 hour tour was over to take a different bus when we hired him to take us back privately which then broke down and demanded we pay upfront or he wouldn't drive us even though we guaranteed we would be back to Chile Chico by 7pm which we never did. He's not necessarily a scam artist but more of a untrustworthy guide. Stay away!
Written 24 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas P
Valparaiso, Chile113 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
First of all, this place is amazing.
Second of all, careful! This is NOT in Chile Chico. There are several areas around Lake General Carrera with marble caves: the villages of Puerto Guadal, Puerto Rio Tranquilo and Puerto Sanchez, mainly. While some are part of the territory of Chile Chico, ALL of them are far from the town itself.
While the Capillas de Marmol and Catedral de Marmol, in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, are the most famous, the most impressive in my opinion are the ones in Puerto Sanchez. There is an island there that has close to 1 kilometer of marble caves! It is less accessible as the dirt road to the town of Puerto Sanchez is a bit difficult (but it has beautiful landscapes and views!), but it is even more spectacular than the Marble Chapel & and the Marble Cathedral.
Contact Luis Alarcon for a fairly priced boat tour from Puerto Sanchez. He is a good, friendly and knowledgeable guide and boat driver, and a pioneer of the tourism at the marble caves: lualo1@hotmail.com
Second of all, careful! This is NOT in Chile Chico. There are several areas around Lake General Carrera with marble caves: the villages of Puerto Guadal, Puerto Rio Tranquilo and Puerto Sanchez, mainly. While some are part of the territory of Chile Chico, ALL of them are far from the town itself.
While the Capillas de Marmol and Catedral de Marmol, in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, are the most famous, the most impressive in my opinion are the ones in Puerto Sanchez. There is an island there that has close to 1 kilometer of marble caves! It is less accessible as the dirt road to the town of Puerto Sanchez is a bit difficult (but it has beautiful landscapes and views!), but it is even more spectacular than the Marble Chapel & and the Marble Cathedral.
Contact Luis Alarcon for a fairly priced boat tour from Puerto Sanchez. He is a good, friendly and knowledgeable guide and boat driver, and a pioneer of the tourism at the marble caves: lualo1@hotmail.com
Written 12 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MT-Wents
37 contributions
It is such a unique place, nothing else like it in the world that I know of.
There is not much information about The Marble Caves on the Internet so I will try to give some here...
The town you visit these from is called Puerto Rio Tranquilo which is a beautiful 4 hour drive west of Chilè Chico.
If you are trying to come by public bus it is definitely possible but hard, the buses from Chilè Chico only run a couple of days per week and cost about 12,000CPN.
Once you arrive here there will be a bunch of caravans set up on the main street trying to sell you their tours.
I think the going rate is about 35,000CPN for a boat to go, so find some people and each pay your part. We got it for 5,000CPN each, 5 people.
We originally wanted to rent a kayak for cheap and take ourselves but nobody wants to do this for you, they will either take a kayak on the boat with you and let you paddle around for 5 mins or the othet option is you will go with a guide, it will take a couple of hours from the port to kayak and it will be expensive.
I had heard that the best time of year is October so the water level is low and you can disembark the boat and walk around the caves, this is probably true but I was there in mid December and still got to walk around two separate cave networks.
In my opinion the best time of day to photograph them would be early in the morning between sunrise and 9:00AM, that way the sun will be shining into the cave walls rather than just on the water and causing shadow inside. But ask around, people will have different ideas.
Last thing is don't expect the caves to look like the pictures on Google Images, they are heavily edited, however in real life they are still painfully beautiful.
There is not much information about The Marble Caves on the Internet so I will try to give some here...
The town you visit these from is called Puerto Rio Tranquilo which is a beautiful 4 hour drive west of Chilè Chico.
If you are trying to come by public bus it is definitely possible but hard, the buses from Chilè Chico only run a couple of days per week and cost about 12,000CPN.
Once you arrive here there will be a bunch of caravans set up on the main street trying to sell you their tours.
I think the going rate is about 35,000CPN for a boat to go, so find some people and each pay your part. We got it for 5,000CPN each, 5 people.
We originally wanted to rent a kayak for cheap and take ourselves but nobody wants to do this for you, they will either take a kayak on the boat with you and let you paddle around for 5 mins or the othet option is you will go with a guide, it will take a couple of hours from the port to kayak and it will be expensive.
I had heard that the best time of year is October so the water level is low and you can disembark the boat and walk around the caves, this is probably true but I was there in mid December and still got to walk around two separate cave networks.
In my opinion the best time of day to photograph them would be early in the morning between sunrise and 9:00AM, that way the sun will be shining into the cave walls rather than just on the water and causing shadow inside. But ask around, people will have different ideas.
Last thing is don't expect the caves to look like the pictures on Google Images, they are heavily edited, however in real life they are still painfully beautiful.
Written 14 December 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adam B
2 contributions
Feb 2014
I would recommend either driving or busing to Rio Tranquilo. Amazing small town with a lot to offer. A lot of boats leave here for marble caves (6000) and puerto Sanches caves (more spectacular) but are (40000) to hire a boat. We gathered up 6 people to make it afordable. I would recommend using the little green caravan as he is the oldest operator and has very new boat and life jackets. This operator took is time explaining the caves and so all can take amazing photos. We also took a tour to a near by glacier, were we had crampon experience for 45000 (explorer Dora). Includes part English guide, food, transport, only crampons that fit on to your shoes. Would recommend checking this out! Spectacular! We stayed a hostel called la Paz (9000) lovely local family. Clean, tidy, warm, good kitchen.phone Rene Aguilar 97871930 or Lidia 75801566
Written 3 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glenn M
Neptune, NJ36 contributions
Sept 2013 • Friends
Do not let posts on the internet fool you; Capillas de Marmol or the "Marble Caves" are not located in Chile Chico. I made this mistake while traveling through Chile and even booked a hotel in Chile Chico because of everything I read on the internet. Chile Chico is actually a 3 hour drive along the coast of Lake General Carrera to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, the town that the caves are actually located. This is a beautiful drive but not for the faint of heart as you have to travel up and down the mountain side, swerving around the corners next to the cliff side leading into the lake. When you get to Puerto Rio Traquilo you will see the mobile trailers lined up against the lake shores and across from the towns 3 hostels. Tours travel out daily usually after 10 am and most of the tours are the same. Its about 20$ US or 10,000 Chilean pesos to take the tour. It lasts about 1 and 1/2 hours and take you through the caves. The crystal clear lake and surrounding snow-capped landscape brings you about a 20 minute boat ride to the caves. Tucked underneath the cliffs surrounding the lake is where you will find the caves. Once you arrive you are in for a once in a life-time experience. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and something you can not duplicate anywhere else in the world. I would recommend to anyone who is willing to travel there because it is well worth it. I drove 18 hours from Punta Arenas and it was worth every second of it to see the caves.
Written 5 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Svitlana Z
Odesa, Ukraine1,407 contributions
Nov 2016 • Solo
I visited the Marble Caves and Cathedral in November 2016. Not easily reachable. I did it from Puerto Rio Tranquilo, which seems to be the closest village to the caves. I flew to Balmaceda airport, stayed for the night in Coyhaique (50 minutes by minivan from the airport, there are minivans waiting for passangers of each flight, I paid 5,000 pesos for the ticket). In Coyhaique there are 2 buses a day, leaving at the same time at 9:30 (November 2016) from different places: one from the bus terminal, another, called "Buses Don Carlos" from the place close to the Plaza de Armas. The buses are small, the one from the bus terminal is for 16 people, Don Carlos' bus for 25. The tickets at the terminal are sold very quickly. The ticket office opened at 8:30. I arrived at 9:00 - there were no tickets already. I took a taxi to Don Carlos buses, about which not many foreigners know, so there were places. One can buy a return ticket on a Don Carlos bus, they even sell tickets with seats assigned. Both buses routes are Coyhaique - Cochrane, with stops in between. Almost 5 hours from Coyhaique to Puerto Rio Tranquilo. It is Carretera Austral. It is scenic, I did not notice those 5 hours at all. The bus made a stop for 20 minutes 2 hours after leaving Coyhaique for a coffee, toilette.
In Rio Tranquilo (a small village, literally 3 streets) a boat can be hired. There are about 10 booths on the main street of the agencies selling those boat trips. A boat was 60,000 pesos, but we were 5, so that amount was divided by the number of people. All trip was about 1.5 hours: 20-25 minutes to the caves, time there (Marble Caves and Cathedral) and 20-25 minutes back.
All is weather dependent there, so if you arrive and the weather is decent (not much wind, no rain) do not put the trip for tomorrow. What I saw was amazing, incredible, mind-blowing!
The bus from Cochrane passes Rio Tranquilo around 11:00 AM (I took a Don Carlos Bus, so 11 AM is for Don Carlos Bus, I don't know about the other schedule) There is a kind of shop, where sandwiches, drinks, coffee can be bought, and the tickets for the bus to Coyhaique. It is just on the other side of the road where those booths, that sell boat trips, are. I bought a return ticket in Coyhaique, so I did not buy it in that shop. The bus stops just on the side of the road near those booths.
One can rent a cabin in Rio Tranquilo, there is a hostel, a kind of restaurants. I booked a cabin there on Internet but paid in cash when arrived.
5 h back to Coyhaique with a stop for 10-15 minutes. Again, on the same Careterra Austral, the most scenic road in South America. Most of that road is gravel, but it is scenic - that is true.
It was not an easy trip (because of lack of information everywhere), but so worth it.
The Marble caves are AMAZING! They are the result of wind erosion, who knows how long they will stand more...
In Rio Tranquilo (a small village, literally 3 streets) a boat can be hired. There are about 10 booths on the main street of the agencies selling those boat trips. A boat was 60,000 pesos, but we were 5, so that amount was divided by the number of people. All trip was about 1.5 hours: 20-25 minutes to the caves, time there (Marble Caves and Cathedral) and 20-25 minutes back.
All is weather dependent there, so if you arrive and the weather is decent (not much wind, no rain) do not put the trip for tomorrow. What I saw was amazing, incredible, mind-blowing!
The bus from Cochrane passes Rio Tranquilo around 11:00 AM (I took a Don Carlos Bus, so 11 AM is for Don Carlos Bus, I don't know about the other schedule) There is a kind of shop, where sandwiches, drinks, coffee can be bought, and the tickets for the bus to Coyhaique. It is just on the other side of the road where those booths, that sell boat trips, are. I bought a return ticket in Coyhaique, so I did not buy it in that shop. The bus stops just on the side of the road near those booths.
One can rent a cabin in Rio Tranquilo, there is a hostel, a kind of restaurants. I booked a cabin there on Internet but paid in cash when arrived.
5 h back to Coyhaique with a stop for 10-15 minutes. Again, on the same Careterra Austral, the most scenic road in South America. Most of that road is gravel, but it is scenic - that is true.
It was not an easy trip (because of lack of information everywhere), but so worth it.
The Marble caves are AMAZING! They are the result of wind erosion, who knows how long they will stand more...
Written 16 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Se pueden tomar tour en puerto rio tranquilo sin la necesidad de reservar antes?
Written 31 January 2024
Patricia L
Padre Hurtado, Chile
Hola, si uno llega por cuenta propia a puerto río tranquilo , horarios de las embarcaciones para ir a las capillas de marmol en septiembre 2021.
Y si alguien tiene el contacto de don Pedro Contreras
Written 19 August 2021
Hola a todos, alguien sabe si están realizando los tours a las capillas de mármol actualmente y todos los días? Gracias :)
Written 23 May 2021
Hola a todos. Vi una oferta con descuento de la empresa Carretera Austral, de un paquete de 5 días 4 noches para las Capillas de Marmol. El 1er día se va al Lago Gral Carrera, 2do día Pto Guadal, 3er día Chile Chico, 4to coyhaique. Incluye alojamientos, desayunos, entrada a parques nacionales y ferry. Les parecen las condiciones? Alguien conoce a la empresa??
Agradecería mucho opiniones ya que no conozco nada de la zona y me parece una buena opción.
Written 24 November 2019
No conozco a la empresa. Pero hace un lindo recorrido!!
Written 25 November 2019
a traves de cual agencia lo hicieron? tienen el nombre o contacto? se los agradeceria mucho
Written 30 October 2019
Si vas en vehículo propio no tendrás los problemas que origina el traslado de Coyhaique hasta Puerto Tranquilo , de no ser así tendrás que trasladarte en tour . El tour puede ser "Pato Aventura" ,sale de Coyhaique a eso de las 800 hrs. de la mañana para llegar a eso de las 1400 hrs a Puerto Tranquilo (busca Pato Aventuras en Google) pero paga solo de ida ya que deberás tener en cuenta al menos de hospedarte por una noche en Puerto Tranquilo ya que normalmente hay viento en la tarde en el Lago General Carrera y si es así , a las lanchas les prohíben el zarpe hacia la catedral de mármol , Puedes hospedarte en el restaurante "La Cabañita" en los Arrayanes # 253, buen alojamiento y buena comida .Las lanchas salen a las catedrales a eso de las 800 hrs y es además una buena hora ya que si esta el dia despejado, la salida del sol ilumina el interior de las catedrales de mármol y de esa manera obtendrás una fotos geniales . Hay buses que pasan en la mañana tipo 1200 hrs hacia Coyhaique en los cuales podrás regresar, eso sí tendrás que asegurar pasaje. Las lanchas cobran 10.000 por persona. Espero te sirva la información que te envío y si tienes otra duda solo pregunta. Esto lo escribí hace un tiempo atrás pero aún sirve que tengas un buen viaje
Written 2 November 2019
Hola! Espero me puedan ayudar. Quiero ir durante febrero a las capillas de mármol. Partiría desde Coyhaique. Por lo que he leído es conveniente irse hasta puerto tranquilo desde Coyhaique y dormir una noche ahí y visitar temprano al día siguiente las capillas. Mi consulta es si hay buses que salen regularmente desde Coyhaique a puerto tranquilo y viceversa. Además, si sugieren hospedarse en puerto tranquilo en hostales o cabañas que estén en el centro. Por último, hay agencias en puerto tranquilo que te lleven a las capillas? Al ser algo turístico imagino qué hay harta oferta de donde elegir. Muchas gracias.
Written 29 September 2019
Hola , si lo leíste en tripadvisor es porque es cierto ,pues cuando he viajado siempre busco información en esta página y me ha resultado de mucha utilidad , debido a eso es que también escribo mis experiencias de viaje ya que las agencias de viajes o tour les importa muy poco como les resulte el viaje a los turistas . En una oportunidad fui a Isla Damas en la Serena, dos horas para allá de viaje para tener que devolvernos de inmediato pues estaba prohibido el zarpe de las embarcaciones y me toco ver lo mismo cuando fui a Puerto río Tranquilo con un matrimonio que tuvo que devolverse ya que también estaba prohibido el zarpe de las embarcaciones por que había mucho viento
Written 19 November 2019
Hola a todos ! Quería ver si me podían guiar para visitar las catedrales de mármol, capillas o la catedral en Aysen. 1-No se si todas estas formaciones son lo mismo o están ubicadas en diferentes lugares. 2- conviene visitarlas en Enero o es mejor Abril por la altura de las aguas? 3- es conveniente hospedarse en Rio tranquilo para salir temprano en los botes? 4- no es aconsejable hacer los trayectos con auto particular? 5- desde los antiguos en Argentina no es posible ir en tour por el día? 6- en Bahia mansa salen otros tours ? Por favor gracias por su colaboración en lo que puedan aclararme
Written 7 September 2019
Hola! Todas las formaciones están en el mismo lugar. Enero es una buena época, por el clima (que, de todos modos puede cambiar de pronto). Yo fui desde Puerto Tranquilo (donde me hospedé en un hotel espectacular, ecológico) que además es un hermosísimo lugar para conocer. Creo que también se puede hacer el trayecto desde Chile Chico, sin dar toda la vuelta al lago(recorrido que, de todos modos es imperdible). No se va desde Los Antiguos, porque hay que pasar la frontera. Y en un día no lo recomendaría,pues es demasiada distancia de recorrido!.
En auto se llega perfectamente al lugar.Y uno se puede embarcar en un semi-rígido, o salir en kayak, para meterse en cuanta caverna u oquedad hay, porque son muchas y de unos colores increíbles.
No estuve por Bahía Mansa, pero vi que es muy lindo el lugar.
Written 7 September 2019
If we arrive at the airport at 2:20 pm day 1, is that too late for the tour?
Written 10 August 2019
Yes it is, there is a long distance between those 2 points and the route is not the best.
Written 10 August 2019
Hola , recomienda alguna agencia para realizar las capillas en un día . O hacerlo particular en un auto?
Muchas gracias
Written 28 April 2019
la agencia que esta ubicado en el norte de Rio Tranquilo en la entrada al lugar a la izquierda
Written 4 June 2019
Camilla C
Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Olá, vou para Santiago agora em Junho, tenho a intenção de passar alguns dias no Deserto do Atacama e também gostaria de visitar Puerto Tranquilo sozinha. Qual seria melhor forma de chegar? Quanto custa em média o passeio para visitar a Catedral de Mármore? E Junho é um mês indicado? Obrigada!
Written 26 March 2019
La mejor manera de llegar es por avión a Coyhaique , luego por" turismo pato aventura"(buscar pato aventura en google) a puerto Río Tranquilo , los botes cobran alrededor de 10.000 pesos chilenos y si lloviera los botes van de igual forma a la Catedral de Mármol tienen capas impermeables para los turistas, siempre y cuando no este demasiado ventoso
Written 29 March 2019
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