On the road to Quemchi, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

For various reasons we have not been able to update our site since early December. Now we are in San Pedro de Atacama,, some 2,750 km (1,709 miles) north of Isla Grande de Chiloé. It makes more sense to us to record our journey in chronological order, though, so we will retrace our steps back to Pargua, in the south. This is where we embarked on a ferry to Chiloé.

Our itinerary around Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

This unique island is distinctly different from the mainland. The main attraction.here are their unusual` wooden churches, 14 of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Built of native wood, they were started by the Jesuits in the 17th and 18th century and represent a fusion of indigenous and European culture. In order to convert the indigenous population they honored their superstitions and incorporated their symbolism and mythological characters.

Our first stop was Ancud, one of two major cities on the island . We wanted to visit Centro de Visitants Inmaculada Concepción, a former convent that is home to wooden scale models of each of Chiloė’s UNESCO and Patromonio de Humanized churches. We stayed there an extra day as the museum was closed because of a religious holiday so we walked around the city instead. We had been warned about the weather here; it rains frequently or is at least misty. It was beautiful and sunny, though, on the day of our walk. We sampled curanto, an island specialty which our guidebook had described as seafood stew. We ate at Kuranton, a charming restaurant that our guidebook had recommended but what we got instead was a gigantic plate of various kinds of sausages, potatoes, and shellfish! Next we checked out one of the artisan markets and found indigenous women industriously knitting alpaca hats, scarves and sweaters. Woolens are the major handmade item in Chiloé. The best place we found to buy handmade knitwear was in the town of Dalcahue.

Religious procession, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Ancud, Chile

Restaurant Kuranton, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Ancud, Chile

UNESCO churches, Centro de Visitatanes, Inmaculada Concepción, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Ancud, Chile

Model church, Centro de Visitatanes, Inmaculada Concepción, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Ancud, Chile

On the way back to our campground we passed through Fuerte San Antonio, Spain’s last Chilean outpost.  There is not much left except a well preserved wall.  The views and historical significance are impressive though.

View from Fuerte San Antonio, Ancud, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

Fuerte San Antonio, Ancud, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

Beginning our adventure, we stopped at Monumento Natural Islotes (Islands) de Puñihuil, breeding grounds for Magellanic and the near-extinct Humboldt penguins. We arrived on the rugged beach in time to take a boat to the island, but it just didn’t seem worth it because it had started to rain!  We were also put off by the fact that we could not disembark on the island which would further reduce our chances of spotting any of the little creatures.  We continued on, to Chepu, the Northern sector of Parque Nacional de Chiloé.

Chepu, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

The rolling green hills and plump sheep of Chepu reminded us of the countryside in Wales or rural England. The gravel road left a lot to be desired, however. We had hoped to camp on the beach there but we didn’t have high enough clearance to go through the deep water that had accumulated on the road. We had no choice but to stop for the night and camp amid a cacophony of frogs and shorebirds.

Further south there is another entrance to the national park.  We found the campground and there were also several good hiking trails but the rains of Chiloé came that night and continued with fury  the entire next day.  The campground had a very pleasant and warm cafe where we spent the entire day enjoying the wifi and delicious freshly prepared food.  It cleared enough for a short hike before leaving, albeit a muddy one!

Camping, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chiloé National Park, Chile

A pleasant afternoon out of the rain, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chiloé National Park, Chile

On the trail, Chiloé National Park, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

Over the next few days we saw some amazing sights, including the iconic palifitos (houses on stilts over the water) in the city of Castro.  The Iglesia de San Francisco there is one of the most important churches on the island.

Iglesia San Francisco de Castro, Castro, Isla Grande de Chiloé,, Chile

Iglesia San Francisco de Castro, Castro, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

“Palafitos” (houses on stilts), Castro, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

We managed to visit all the most attractive churches in Chiloé. Some were beautifully restored but many were not and we were disappointed that most of them were closed when we were there.  Surprisingly, the roads to most of the churches were paved, even in the remote villages. There were unpaved roads everywhere else in the villages though. The most impressive one we saw was  the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Patrocinio in the faraway village of Teanaún.  It took most of the afternoon to get there but it was well worth the time. On the outside were three magnificent blue towers with matching blue stars and trimmings. The beach in this bucolic village was also a perfect place to camp after the seemingly endless ride.

Iglesia de Quinchao, Quinchao, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

Church of Tenaún, Tenaún, Grand Isla de Chiloé. Chile

Typical Chilote house, Quinchao, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

Cloth painting outside Church of Quemchi, Quemchi, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

Returning to the mainland, Chacao, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

It was an interesting and relaxing excursion that allowed us to see a part of Chile that is completely different,  The seafood stew was a disappointment but the fresh fish here, a la plancha (grilled) was delicioso!  Then we took a ferry back to the mainland in time to meet Andrea and Danielle’s arrival in Puerto Montt…

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