A new ferry ride across Lago O'Higgins connects Patagonia's wonders to the rest of us.

Patagonia's best sights—Mount Fitz Roy, Torres del Paine, and the Aisén wilderness—fall on one side or the other of the impassable Southern Andes, which means that seeing them all in a single trip traditionally involved either a circuitous overland journey or a long sea voyage. But in February, Chilean Hans Silva created a shortcut. The professional trekking guide purchased a 68-foot (20-meter), 49-ton Chilean Navy vessel, the L/M Quetru, and hauled it more than 300 miles to Villa O'Higgins, a town on the north shore of Chile's massive, fjordlike Lago O'Higgins. There, he's turned the boat into a ferry across the lago, which punches a gap through the mountains, creating a link between the stunning, little-visited Aisén to the west and the rest of must-see Patagonia to the east.
 
Negotiating the area remains challenging—when the Quetru docks, travelers still face at least a day's journey by foot, horse, or bicycle to Fitz Roy's base camp, for instance—but Silva's new enterprise makes seeing the region's best more a matter of priorities than sacrifices.
 
To close the circuit yourself, allow at least two weeks. Head south from Coihaique, Chile, along the Carretera Austral highway, past the basalt spires of 9,249-foot (2,819 meter) Cerro Castillo and the distant glacial fingers of the Northern Patagonian Icefield. By the time you reach the ferry crossing at Lago O'Higgins, you'll think you've seen it all, yet Patagonia's greatest hits are still ahead. 

Adventure Guide: Patagonia
Do-It-Yourself: Fly to Coihaique's Balmaceda airport on LAN Chile ($1,080; www.lan.com). Rent a jeep ($180 a day; www.budget.cl), drive for four days to Villa O'Higgins, and ferry across Lago O'Higgins ($30; www.villaohiggins.com). Then hike 12 miles (19 kilometers) to Lago del Desierto, spend the night at the gendarmería ($2). Hike around the lake the next morning and catch a van ($10) to El Chaltén, where Chaltén Travel operates twice-daily runs to El Calafate ($15; www.chaltentravel.com). Guided: In March, Geographic Expeditions will run a 20-day Patagonia trek ($5,850; www.geoex.com) with a crossing of Lago O'Higgins. For local outfitters, contact Aisén Bridges Travel (www.aisen.cl) and Villa O'Higgins Expediciónes (see ferry contact, above).
 
The Vitals
Eat: Mincho's Lodge (www.minchoslodge.com) in Coihaique roasts line-caught salmon and herb-encrusted ostrich in a wood-fired oven, all served with a view of 9,711-foot (2,960-meter) Mount Macá.
 
Sip: At El Chaltén's El Bodegón cervecería (www.elchalten.com/elbodegon), a cozy cabin favored by climbers, the Czech owners brew their own pilsner.
 
Sleep: Every room at Puerto Guadal's wood-framed Terra Luna Lodge ($100; www.terraluna.cl) looks out on the turquoise waters of Lago General Carrera.