Tours

Plan tours, access to the most recondite places, as well as those chosen by all. Do not miss the opportunity to learn about the culture and life of Chiloé.

Here below, we show you the different activities and attractions to know this pleasant Chiloe.

Chile attractions
ANCUD
Is well-known for its wooden houses and churches, boasting their magnificence all around the main square. Seven Spanish colonial towers surround a replica of the Ancud schooner, a "Chilotan" vessel which took possession of the Straits of Magellan in 1843.
The promenade is also of great interest to tourists, since from it one can obtain interesting views of Quetalmahue Gulf and its beautiful inlets as well as Lacuy Peninsula
Ancud is located at the northern tip of Grande Island and has a population of 23,854. It was founded on August 20th, 1768 by the Spanish brigadier Carlos Berenguer. It is currently the area of Chiloe most in contact with continental Chile. It is 1109 kilometers from Santiago and 30 kilometers from Puerto Montt.

CASTRO
Stands alone among the other cities in Chiloe for its "houses on stilts": wooden columns are fixed to the island's foundation rock to prevent houses from flooding when the tide rises. It is located on the shore of the Grande Island, on the estuary of the Gamboa river.
Other points of interest are the "Plaza de Armas" (Main Square), the Regional Museum, the Museum of Modern Art of Chiloe and the San Francisco Church, which was declared a World Cultural Heritage item by UNESCO. At the same time, Castro is the main starting point for tourist excursions. The city, founded in 1567 by Maño Ruiz de Gamboa, is the capital of the province of Chiloe. It is located 175 kilometers from Puerto Montt and 1187 kilometers from Santiago. Tourism and fishing are the population's main activities.

DALCAHUE
Dalcahue Channel is an important sea link between Grande Island and Quinchao. On its rocky beaches, one can find numerous mollusks and crustaceans, these being one of the main sources of income in the region and providing raw material for the rich local gastronomy.

CHONCHI
Is also called the "city of the three floors", because of the cypress wood used in its constructions. The Regional Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Llau-Llau, Vilopullí, Rilan and San Francisco Churches, the Quilquico Chapel, Mt Millantue and Castro Municipal Park are all a must. It is possible to access Lemuy Island in just 15 minutes on a ferry leaving from Chonchi. This is a picturesque destination due to the beauty of Ichuac Church, Puchilco Lagoon, and the villages of Puqueldon, Aldachico and Defif, which are surrounded by channels, tiny-island archipelagos and dreamy beaches. Chonchi is located in the central area of Grande Island, 23 kilometers south of Castro.

QUELLON
Is a city of charm affording a beautiful view of Corcovado Volcano and the nearby islands. This site is home to the only indigenous communities in Chiloe: Compu, Chadmo Central and Hauipulli. The city -located 75 kilometers south of Chonchi and 92 from Castro- was founded in 1906 by the "Destilatorio Quellon" company, which manufactured acetone, methyl alcohol and charcoal until the mid-20th century. In spite of the disappearance of this local industry, the population still has a healthy commercial-industrial interchange by sea with the Chilean continental towns of Chaitén and Aisén.

CHILOE NATIONAL PARK
Which covers 43,957 hectares, is a wild-life redoubt, a bastion of nature buried deep in the heart of Great Island. Tours to the park leave from Castro, heading south, skirting the Huillinco and Cucao lakes and arriving in Cucao village, the main access to the park. This protected area features heavenly beaches and a rich variety of flora and fauna species. Among the main flora species, we can mention the coihue, the "olivillo canelo", the "ulmo", the "cifre", the "arrayán", the hazel and the "luma". It is also possible to find mammals such as wolves, otters, Chiloe foxes, Chiloe "monitos de monte", Chiloe red mouse, "pudu" or Chilean deer and Chiloe "diuca". Among the birds the Patagonian woodpecker, the kelp goose, the flightless steamer duck, flamingoes and several penguin species are present.

ADVENTURE TRAVEL

-Pali-Aike National Park
Is a vast rock field of volcanic lava origin whose crater has remained active since the Pliocene. Throughout its 5030 hectares area tourists can admire extensive fields of basaltic lava, which have long determined the existence of sparse, almost desert-like vegetation. The local fauna comprises skunks, grey foxes, guanacos and bats; there are also several low volcanic cones, lava formations and plots of land which resemble lunar landscapes. Also, prehistoric human remains about fifteen thousand years old were discovered in the Pali Aike and Fell caves. The park is located in the area of San Gregorio, province of Magallanes, just 196 kilometers north-west of Punta Arenas. .

Magallanes National Reserve
Reserve covers an area of 19,625 hectares and was created in 1932. It has an undulating topography and the Las Minas river is its main watercourse. The area features several indigenous flora species, such as coihue and lenga trees, and a varied wild fauna, comprising the "culpeo" fox, pumas, "little woolly mice" and "small-footed mice". Besides there are various native bird species, such as the Upland Goose, the Bustard, the Lake Duck, the Ashen-headed Goose , the Southern Thrush, the Rufus-collared Sparrow, the Long-tailed Meadowlark, the "chercán", the "tiupe", the Black-bodied Woodpecker, the Chilean "Flicker" and the Condor. The reserve is located west to Punta Arenas, about 5 miles away.

Alacalufes National Reserve
Presents a landscape of low mountainous islands with numerous channels and fjords. It contains the western archipelagos of the province of Ultima Esperanza. Its indigenous fauna consists mainly of bird species and mammals.

Parrillar Lagoon National Reserve
Reserve covers an area of 18,414 hectares and its altitude ranges from 300 to 650 meters. It was created in 1977 and is located 52 kilometers south of the city of Punta Arenas. The main attraction within this protected area is the Parrillar Lagoon, with a surface area of 970 hectares. In winter, the rivers and lagoons freeze, forming ice layers up to 30 cm. thick.
Within the reserve, tourists can practise trekking along the San Juan river (60 kilometers south of Punta Arenas) and admire one of the most beautiful hydrographic basins in the Brunswick peninsula.