Marble Caves Chile: A Guide To Kayaking Patagonia's Capillas de Mármol 2025
- Kate Colliety
- Nov 27
- 10 min read
Updated: Dec 12
The Marble caves in Patagonia have become an Instagram sensation and are a unique geological display, but are they worth a visit and the long journey down the Carretera Austral?
After visiting these sculptured marble formations then we can confidently say yes (if you’re driving the road anyway), BUT there's one crucial decision that will make or break your experience: boat or kayak?
We chose kayak, and here's why we think you should too.
The small town of Puerto Rio Tranquilo isn’t short of a few campers as people flock to experience the Marble Caves, a highlight of Chilean Patagonia and one of our favourite tours during our time roadtripping south.
Puerto Rio Tranquilo, a tiny town on Chile's largest lake, is the place for Marble Cave tourism. While most visitors opt for the quick boat tours, we paddled out with 99% Aventura on a kayak tour that took us right up to and through the white marble formations streaked with ripples of brown, grey and yellow.
The turquoise water reflects off the cave walls, creating the dazzling blue effect.
Over millions of years, lake erosion and howling Patagonian winds carved out the Catedral de Mármol, Capilla de Mármol, and our favorite: the Túnel de Mármol, which you can kayak through while running your hands along the cool marble and its unique hexagon patterns.
In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know: how to get to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, boat vs kayak tours, the best tour companies, which formations you'll see, and our honest take on whether the Marble Caves deserve a spot on your Carretera Austral itinerary.
TLDR:
Location: Puerto Río Tranquilo, Chile
Access: Via The Carretera Austral
Cost: 50,000 CLP for kayaking
Duration: 2–3 hours
Best time: Sunny days between Oct–Apr
Best Tour Company: 99% Aventura
What Are The Marble Caves In Chile?
The Marble Caves (Cuevas de Mármol in Spanish) are a collection of stunning mineral formations carved into the shoreline of Lago General Carrera, Chile's largest lake.
The Three Main Marble Cave Formations
When you take a kayak tour from Puerto Rio Tranquilo, you'll visit three distinct formations:
1. Catedral de Mármol (Marble Cathedral)
This massive standalone formation rises dramatically from the lake. We can see why it's called a cathedral. Imagine ornate artifacts and glistening stained-glass windows reflecting light, all replicated in natural geological form. This formation is protected, so you can't touch it, but as you kayak past, it towers over, a looming mass of white marble that if you’re lucky with the sun will put on a display to rival any disco ball.
2. Capilla de Mármol (Marble Chapel)
The smallest of the three formations but with the most personality, in our opinion. Thin stilts of marble support the top-heavy rock, which is covered with vegetation. Our guide told us to look for the Gorilla face in the formation, which we just about saw!
3. Túnel de Mármol (Marble Tunnel)
Our favorite part of the kayak tour! When lake levels are low enough you can paddle directly through a tunnel carved through the marble cliff. Inside, you'll see spiral patterns, arches, and columns. Our guide encouraged us to run our hands along the cool marble to feel its unique hexagonal grooves.
Tip: The marble formations look different depending on the lake's water level, which fluctuates throughout the year. The caves are most accessible and dramatic during Chilean spring and Autumn when water levels are lower.
Are The Marble Caves Worth Visiting?
If you’re already driving the Carretera Austral then yes! You’ll be going through Puerto Rio Tranquilo anyway so it’s worth the stop.
We highly recommend visiting by kayak as this will add to your experience making it more worthwhile! The caves are unique, unlike anything else we’ve ever seen and we’re unsure if there’s anything else like this. The kayak tour is more affordable then other excursions in the area meaning it can fit into your budget.
Why you might want to skip them. However, if you don’t plan of driving down anyway it’s too far to come just for the marble caves, the nearest airport is 3.5 hours away! We also think if you have rainy weather it’s better to wait for a sunny day.
Where Are The Marble Caves In Patagonia?
Sitting on Lake General Carrera the marble caves are reached from the town of Puerto Rio Tranquilo in the Aysén Region of Chilean Patagonia.
Puerto Rio Tranquilo sits roughly halfway along the Carretera Austral, a 1,240 km (770 mi) mostly unpaved route that is the only road access to this remote region of Chile. Puerto Rio is 223 km south of Coyhaique (the nearest city with an airport), 165 km from the Chile Chico border crossing to Argentina and over 1,000 km from Puerto Montt (the northern starting point of the Carretera Austral)!
Puerto Rio Tranquilo is extremely remote, think £4 for a bag of crisps remote and there are no quick day trips here from bigger towns. The Carretera Austral is a rugged dirt road flanked by fjords and glaciers.
Only visit the Marble Caves if you're already committed to driving a significant portion of the Carretera Austral. This isn't a standalone destination, it's a highlight along one of Patagonia's most spectacular road trips.
We spent 4 nights in Puerto Rio Tranquilo waiting for clear skies to do our kayak tour, and we don't regret it. The weather in Patagonia is notoriously unpredictable, and the marble formations look completely different under grey skies versus sunshine.
Although Puerto Rio Tranquilo is small, we enjoyed exploring the road up to Glacier Exploradores while we waited for our weather window. You can find a few hikes up here as well as some amazing wild park ups (although we did do one night in a campsite which we will recommend below.)
Best Time To Visit The Marble Caves
Patagonia is known for unpredictable weather (rain, snow, heat all in one day). That being said the best chance for good weather is between October and April with the main season starting in December. We visited the Marble Caves in November and waited around for a sunny day. If you have a flexible schedule we recommend waiting for sun as this will transform the caves.
Our guide told us that we had an unusually calm day, this meant the lake had no waves and our kayak was blissful!
Just remember if you visit in peak peak season there will be more tourists around and the tours will be busier plus the water level may rise meaning you can’t enter the tunnel. In November when we visited there were only 4 of us on our tour.
How To Get To The Marble Caves?
So, you’re driving the Carrattera Austral… Amazing! That means you’ll pass through Rio Tranquilo.
There are plenty of tour companies in town but we recommend 99 %Aventura! We met them at their office (the one with the big orange kayak outside) and they transferred us to the start of the tour which leaves from Puerto Marmol.
We didn’t take the bus, but we saw a few pull up. There are buses from Chile Chico, Cochrane, Villa Cerro Castillo and Coyhaique - although we really recommend you drive this roadtrip yourself for the freedom.
We heard from fellow travellers that the public transport was quite hard to navigate and in the end you’ll have to end up hitchhiking as they only stop in the main towns (altough the Marble Caves are found in the town!). We saw lots of hitchikers so it’s not uncommon however we have no backseats and were therefore unable to pick anyone up… Sorry!
Boat Tour vs Kayak Tour For The Marble Caves
We have to say here, we’re super glad we did a kayak tour with 99 %Aventura and this is what made it so worthwhile for us. We saw a few boat tours go past and they were pretty crowded and couldn’t get as close (as well as being loud and disrupting the peace of the glacial lake).
However, boat tours are cheaper so you will need to factor that in when you are making your choice.
If you can, pick a kayak tour for a more immersive experience, you’ll get to kayak surrounded by snow peaked mountains, skimming the surface of the tranquil lake.
Which Marble Caves Tour Company Should You Book?
Once you arrive in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, you'll need to book a kayak or boat tour.
Our Recommendation: 99% Aventura (Kayak Tour)
We kayaked with and highly recommend them for kayaking the Marble Caves.
Why we recommend them:
Small group sizes
Experienced guides who explain the geology and history
They let you touch the marble and paddle through the Túnel de Mármol
Kayak tour is more intimate than crowded boat tours
You can find their office easily - it's the one with the big orange kayak outside!
Our Experience Of Kayaking The Marble Caves In Chile
We set off early from our wild camping spot and headed to 99% Aventura office in Puerto Rio Tranquilo. From here we had a short 10 minute transfer to Puerto Marmol.
We were provided with a kayak skirt, wind sheet and life jacket, the skirt a saviour as it prevents the cold water (8-10°C) dripping down your lap! As our day was sunny we didn’t wrap up warm, just a t-shirt and fleece but we can imagine some days it gets cold.
Luckily, our guides spoke excellent English and the safety briefing covered paddling technique, what to do if you capsize (unlikely but good to know), and how to navigate around other boats on the lake. We actually asked how many people fall in and the answer is not many, and it normally happens as they’re leaning out to take a selfie!
We choose a double kayak, Mike sat at the back to control the pedals and Kate sat in the front to take photos. You can also choose to have a single kayak if you’d prefer.
The weather gods were on our side, we had clear blue skies and only a breath of wind. This means the lake was unusually calm and our kayak over to the formations was extremely peaceful. We could hear bird chirping and the gentle lapping of waves against the hull. This peaceful 15-minute paddle to the formations was honestly as memorable as the caves themselves.
Reaching the formations took around 15 minutes where we admired Capilla de Marmol first. A protected structure that we did two loops around it taking in the different patterns. As we rounded the pillars the sun lit up the marble creating dazzling strobe effects, something that is unusual in nature.
Next up we skirted round the Marble Cathedral, here the sun really did it justice, getting into each nook and cranny to bring it to life.
Finally, we headed to the tunnel, here we had to wait for a tour boat to pass (bigger boats have priority on the lake) but once it had noisily chugged away we could enter the caves. Touching the cool marble, feeling the indented patterns and admiring the way the sun creates an ethereal setting - this was the highlight of the tour.
On our way back our guides from 99% Aventura explained about the formation of the marble caves, that calcium carbonate deposits formed over 6000 years ago from glacier sediment that have now been eroded and formed by the wind and waves. They also pointed out shapes to look for in the formations.
We paddled back, the whole tour including the transfers took about 2 ½ hours.
Marble Caves Common Questions
What To Bring?
You don’t need much and remember anything that you do bring may get wet. We packed our dry bag with a bottle of water, suncream, sun hats and sunglasses plus we brought our GoPro.
How Much Do The Marble Caves In Chile Cost?
Kayaking with 99% Aventura costs 50,000 CLP you can check the prices here as they are subject to change.
Kayak or Boat Tour For The Marble Caves?
This one's easy! Take a kayak, it'll be a more immersive experience with less people. You can get closer to the formations, enjoy paddling surrounded by mountains and really have an experience that you’re going to remember!
How To Photograph The Marble Caves?
We took our Gro Pro and risked taking our Google Pixel. In the end the Google Pixel took the better photos, allowing us to capture the striking blue colour of the caves without upping the saturation.
A lot of it is down to the weather… blue skies and sunshine really help.
Best Places To Stay In Puerto Rio Tranquilo
We stayed at Bellavista campsite. This is a great budget place to stay, we only paid 5000 CLP each. We got use of the refugio which had a sink and good Wi-Fi plus water fill up, bins and showers. The showers are advertised as hot but unfortunately both our showers were cold, however for the price, you can’t complain!
If you’re looking for good wild camping we recommend driving up the Glacier Exploradores road. Along here you will find loads of great spots both suitable for 2x4 or 4x4 cars. We spent three nights along this road, our favourite spot being here.
Final Thoughts: Are The Marble Caves Worth It?
Do we recommend the marble caves? Absolutely, and we'd choose kayaking over a boat tour every single time.
The intimacy of kayaking, being at water level, hearing only nature, touching the marble, paddling through the tunnel made this feel like a genuine adventure rather than a tourist attraction.
We’d also recommend waiting for a sunny day as this is when you see the ethereal blue colour as the marble reflects the lake.
Convinced? Book a tour with 99% Aventura here!
Top Tips For Travelling Chile
Travel by Campervan - This is the best way to explore Chile's diverse landscapes! For longer trips, check out Suzi CTW - a brilliant concept where you buy a campervan, do your journey, then sell it to another traveller.
Pack for All Weather Conditions - Chile's climate varies dramatically from the Atacama Desert to Patagonian winds. Invest in quality layered clothing and waterproof gear.
Seek Out Off-the-Beaten-Path Destinations - While Torres del Paine and San Pedro de Atacama are stunning, don't overlook lesser-known gems like the Lakes District's hidden villages, Chiloé's mystical islands, or the Conguillo National Park.
Embrace the Adventure - Chileans are warm and welcoming people who love sharing their country's beauty. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations or chat with locals - you'll discover the best picadas (local eateries) and secret spots that no guidebook mentions!
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Thank you for reading and enjoy your Chilean adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
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