The continental part of Chile ends around the city of Puerto Montt, and after that there are just islands, including the Chiloé archipelago, which consists of one big island and many smaller ones. Because of this, the archipelago is culturally and architecturally quite distinct from the rest of Chile, and going there kind of feels like visiting a different country.
Our tour started at 7:20am when we were picked up at our hotel in Puerto Varas, and then we went round picking up the rest of the passengers in Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. Then we drove to the village of Pargua, from where we would catch the ferry to Chiloé. At the moment, the 30 minute ferry ride is the only way to get to the island, other than flying to Castro airport. (A bridge is currently under construction, but isn't expected to be finished for another couple of years.)
It was Claudio's first time on a ferry, and he enjoyed the experience a lot! We were allowed to get off the minibus and go and sit in the lounge, and also take in the views from the top deck. It was very foggy, so we couldn't see much of the landscape, but we did spot a seal bobbing about in the water!
Our first stop was Chacao, which is where the ferry arrives. It is a very small village, with a colourful, picturesque square, and a wooden church. The archipelago is famous for its wooden churches, and in fact, 16 of them make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site (we saw 2 of them later in the day!). However, Chacao's church was built more recently, so is not on the list, but is still a very nice building.
We had a little walk over to the beach, where we saw our first palafito of the day! Palafitos are buildings on stilts, and are another thing that Chiloé is famous for.
I found Chacao to be a very charming little village, and going there was a nice start to our time on the archipelago.
Next we drove south to the town of Quemchi, where we stopped for a short amount of time. There was a lot of work going on around the church here, so it wasn't quite so picturesque as the other ones we visited during the day, but we still enjoyed our time here. We put our hands in the sea, which surprisingly was much less cold than the ocean in central Chile, because this part of Chiloé is facing the interior sea rather than the Pacific Ocean.
We also got to meet a very friendly dog!
The next place we visited was possibly my favourite of the entire day: Isla Aucar, known as Isla de las almas navegantes (island of sailing souls). This is a tiny island near Quemchi which can only be reached by walking along a long wooden bridge.
The island is so small that it can be walked around in a short space of time, and the only building there is a traditional wooden church. It has beautiful beaches and trees, and a very peaceful atmosphere. Being there really makes you feel that you've ventured to somewhere that not many people have gone before!
Next we had a long stop in the town of Dalcahue, where we had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the sea. I was lucky enough to spot a sea lion swimming close by!
Dalcahue was where we saw our first UNESCO-recognised wooden church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. It was closed to visitors, but it was still nice to see from the outside.
We also enjoyed exploring the rest of the town, and meeting some very cute cats and dogs!
Afterwards, it was time to continue driving south towards our final destination of the day: Castro, the capital city of the archipelago. We had some incredible views of the sea and the Chilote landscapes along the way.
As we approached Castro, we drove past some rows of colourful palafitos - one of the iconic sights of Chiloé.
The first thing we did once we arrived in Castro was to take a boat tour around the Castro fjord. During this trip, we were able to see the most famous palafitos on the island. These houses were built in the 19th century and were originally inhabited by fishermen, but now some of them are hotels, cafés and restaurants. If we come back to Chiloé for a longer stay in the future, it would be great to actually go into one of them!
Chiloé has an amazing history of myths and legends, and the best-known character from these stories is definitely El Trauco. He is an ugly sort-of goblin who is able to bewitch women into thinking he is a handsome prince! On the boat trip, we saw a little blue building which is said to be his house, though it's hard to spot in my photo!
The tour also took us to a set that was specially designed for the telenovela Isla Paraíso (Paradise Island)!
Overall, the boat trip was really entertaining, and the scenery of the fjord was stunning.
Afterwards, we drove up to the centre of the city, where we were given some free time to look around.
Of course, the most important sight here is San Francisco Church, which like Dalcahue's church, has UNESCO status. It is a huge and very colourful building, and just as beautiful inside as it is outside.
We had a nice walk around the city, seeing some more of its sights. There were many statues of Chilote mythological characters, including El Trauco!
And then it was time to begin the long journey back to Puerto Varas. We had had a wonderful day on this truly magical archipelago! Chiloé is definitely one of my favourite places I've visited in Chile - it has such a unique and interesting culture, and many beautiful landscapes.
It has taken me a while to get this post written, as I've been busy celebrating my civil union with Claudio, and then preparing to come back to England. Now I'm back at my parents' house and getting ready for my upcoming move to Malta! I still have a couple more posts to write about our holiday in the south of Chile, and I also want to write a few posts about the rest of my time in Chile, including our civil union. It may take a while for me to write them all, but I'll get it done eventually!
See you soon! 😊
