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When the early morning fog shrouds misty-eyed Chiloé, it's immediately apparent something different this way comes. Isla Grande de Chiloé is South America's fifth-largest island and is home to a fiercely independent, seafaring people.
Immediately apparent are changes in architecture and cuisine: tejuelas, the famous Chilote (of Chiloé) wood shingles; palafitos (houses mounted on stilts along the water's edge); the iconic wooden churches (16 of which are Unesco World Heritage sites); and the renowned meat, potato and seafood stew, curanto. A closer look reveals a rich spiritual culture that is based on a distinctive mythology of witchcraft, ghost ships and forest gnomes.
All of the above is weaved among landscapes that are wet, windswept and lush, with undulating hills, wild and remote national parks, and dense forests, giving Chiloé a distinct flavor unique in South America.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Chiloé.
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Shrouded in folklore and Huilliche mythology, Chiloé's 'Dock of Souls' was built in 2007 by architect Marcelo Orellana. The curved boardwalk spans 17m along an outrageously cinematic landscape and seemingly disappears off a 70m cliff into the Bay of Cucao. According to legend, wandering souls must call to a passing boatman, Tempilcahue, for transport to the afterlife, or they will mourn in the area for all eternity.
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Created and owned by Chilean business magnate and current president Sebastián Piñera (and run by his foundation, Fundación Futura), this private nature preserve is the only place in Chile outside Torres del Paine that you can traverse a park via a multi-day hut-to-hut hike (there are three-, four- and five-day options; all require advance booking). Encompassing 130km of trails throughout 1180 sq km west of Quellón, the park's biodiversity is astounding. Nature lovers willing to make the effort are justly rewarded.
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The magnificent Unesco-listed church (1837), for which the town is named (Tenaún means 'three mounts') has been meticulously restored down to the last shingle. Its three beautiful blue towers and star-adorned facade appear to reflect the cerulean blue sea that sits right across the street, the church's distinctive stars and trimmings adding to the surreal vibe.
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Italian Eduardo Provasoli chose a marriage of neo-Gothic and classical architecture in his design for the elaborate Iglesia San Francisco, one of Chiloé's Unesco gems and finished in 1912 to replace an earlier church that burned down (which had replaced an even earlier church that had also burned down).
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Achao's 18th-century Jesuit church, on the south side of the Plaza de Armas, is Chiloé's oldest (1740). Crowned by a 25m tower, the World Heritage site has alerce shingles; the whole structure is held together by wooden pegs rather than nails. The church has been slowly restored, with new wood juxtaposing the old, but its restoration has remained faithful to the original design.
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Just 4km south of Castro is another of Chiloe's Unesco-recognized churches, restored in 2012. Built from cypress and larch wood between 1887 and 1888, its prominent 25m tower can be viewed from Ruta 5. Of note in the interior are an all-wood sculpture of St Michael with a demon, and columns painted to look like marble. A rudimentary landscaped garden and adjacent cemetery add to the atmosphere here; a small visitors center next door affords this church better tourism infrastructure than most.
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This larger and newer version of Chiloé's mystical and famous Muelle de las Almas is reached via a 45-minute boat ride from Muelle Anguay near Refugio Lugar de Encuentro in Chepu. Attractively perched on a pier dropping off where the Chepu river meets the ocean, the dock is engrossing, but it lacks the strong mythological background of Almas and, having been built on land donated by the fisherman's union, is an expensive proposition (the union monopolize the boat access).
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The 430-sq-km Parque Nacional Chiloé, 30km west of Chonchi and 54km west of Castro, is well-known for its abundance of Chilote wildlife (including 110 different types of bird as well as foxes). Even the reclusive pudú, the world’s smallest deer, can be sometimes seen milling about the shadowy forests of the contorted tepú tree, which grows here in plentiful numbers.
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Don't even think about visiting Chiloé's Unesco-listed churches without first stopping in at this excellent museum housed in the former Convento Inmaculada Concepción de Ancud (1875). It's home to wooden scale models of all 16 churches, which show the workings of the intricate interior woodwork of each.
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