Hello,

i am trying to figure out how much a bus trip from Santiago, to Punta Montt, to Punta Arenas would cost? or if it would be better just to get a flight? I am hoping to take language lessons in Punta Montt. Also how many days does one unually spend in Santiago. Also, is Punto Montt one of the best cities down south on the way to Punta Arenas.

Thank you,

It's "Puerto Montt" and "Punta Arenas." Puerto Montt is almost exactly at the 1,000-km. mark on the toll highway south from Santiago, so that puts it at around 600 miles. The buses take about 16 hours and run overnight. You're looking at about $20-$25 for a basic one-way ticket.

Flying is a lot quicker. Check the website for LAN airlines and see what fares and schedules are.

www.lan.com

You don't say when you are going and that influences the price a bit. I would take "salon cama" for an overnight trip. They are a lot more comfortable and less likely to make a lot of stops, thus adding on hours. An overnight bus will take about 11-13 hours. depending on the stops, the quickest salon cama I can find at the moment takes 11 hours. The cost for a salon cama, one way, is about 40 dollars. Prices would rise sharply around the national independence day (18 Sept) drop a bit and rise again toward the summer holidays. Probably about 10 dollars more.

Thank you! if I go to Pucon, can I get down to Punta Arenas?

Not directly. You'd have to start from Osorno.You have to sidestep into Argentina and it is an extremely long journey. You can get a boat from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas or you can fly.
http://www.enjoy-chile.org/punta-are...fers-chile.php