Getting around Patagonia inevitably involves ferry rides. For motorized tourists this can be a huge problem because often in the summer months the ferries get booked up months in advance. If you talk to the agents on the phone or at the terminals you might get more than a little anxious that you may not get a spot. Well not to worry they always have room for bikes. They will not tell you that though. Do not bother getting there early to make sure you have a spot because bikes always load last. Usually there are not a lot of people taking the ferries that do not also have a car although there are some. Even if you get there early and there a ticket agent they most likely will not even sell you a ticket until the last minute to make sure there is room for you and your bike. Many ferries they will collect your money after you board. If you are an obsessive planner this will take some getting used to. Take some deep breaths and relax.
I take it back that there will always be room. On the smaller tour boats that run from Villa O'Higgins across the lake you might have to wait a day. When we got there they had not been running the tour boat to the glacier because of high winds and waves. So when they decided it was not too windy to make the trip there was a back log of people wanting to go. On the not so windy day we were able to get on the fifty foot tour boat Laurie got violently sea sick and I was afraid that the boat was going to capsize. I kept looking at the captain to see if he looked concerned but he always looked like he was out enjoying a Sunday drive steering the wheel with one finger. This is on a lake mind you. Many of the numerous lakes are huge in this area. The winds come out of the ice fields and across some sixty to ninety mile long lake with a desert on the other end. That is a recipe for serous wind especially at this latitude.
The ferry fees are typically very reasonable for bikes and we were told you can avoid the fee for the bike if you put it in someones truck. Then you only pay for your personal passage. That is if you want to go to that trouble to save five or ten dollars.
It is possible on most ferries to be able to charge electronic gear.
This is not much of a page but it is a big concern if you have never been there and are planning your route. We got more and more relaxed about catching ferries as the trip went on. But we did not have any tight time constraints like many people do.
I hope it helps.
