Full Day Tour to Chiloe Island

Chiloé Island (Spanish: Isla de Chiloé), also known as Greater Island of Chiloé (Isla Grande de Chiloé), is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. This full-day tour will leave your hotel in Puerto Varas or Puerto Montt early in the morning and take the route to the south for about 130 kilometers to arrive at a small town called Pargua. Once in this city, we take a ferry that will allow us to cross the Chacao Canal and reach the Isla Grande de Chiloe. Chiloé Island is the second-largest island in Chile, after the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, and the fifth largest in South America.

We will go to Chacao, one of the oldest villages of the island founded in 1567 which has a typical square where stands a curious and picturesque building of strong color. We will visit the old and interesting church.

The Churches of Chiloé are a unique architectural phenomenon in the Americas, and one of the most prominent styles of Chilota architecture. Unlike classical Spanish colonial architecture, the churches of Chiloé are made entirely in native timber with extensive use of wood shingles. The churches were built from materials to resist Chiloé Archipelago’s humid and rainy oceanic climate.

The churches represent the fusion of European Jesuit culture and local native peoples’ skills and traditions: an excellent example of mestizo culture.

The Churches of Chiloé were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000. The University of Chile, Fundación Cultural Iglesias de Chiloé, and other institutions have led efforts to preserve these historic structures and to publicize them for their unique qualities

We will go to the city of Ancud, to visit the Plaza de Armas, the Church, the crafts market, the Museum, the Gulf of Quitalmahue, Cerro Huaihuén and Fort San Antonio, historic site located in the uptown built in the late eighteenth century, all in the midst of stories of customs and myths of one of the larger islands of South America. Ancud is the second largest city of the Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. It was established in 1768 to function as the capital of the archipelago and held that position until 1982.

Later we will go to Castro, the capital of Chiloé Island. Castro is Chile’s third oldest city in continued existence. Rodrigo de Quiroga as the temporary governor of Chile in 1567 launched a campaign led by his son-in-law Captain Martín Ruiz de Gamboa to conquer Chiloé Island, establishing the city of Castro there, and pacifying its inhabitants, the Cuncos. From its founding on 12 February 1576 until 1767 Castro was the administrative center of Chiloé Island. In 1594 Castro had 8.000 inhabitants most of whom were farmers. Up to the mid of the 17th century, the town was looted by Dutch pirates several times. In 1767, during the time of the Bourbon Reforms that sought to modernize the Spanish Empire, Chiloé was separated from the General Captaincy of Chile to which it had previously belonged and made a direct subject of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The town hall and many of the wooden palafitos houses ( typical constructions made wooden pillars on water), were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake and the tsunami of 1960. Only in 1982 did Castro regain its role as capital in the Chiloé Archipelago.

We will visit the local Church which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, the handicrafts market, and the Mirador del Barrio Gamboa to appreciate the famous “Palafitos”. We finish our tour visiting Dalcahue, famous for its craft fair on Sundays where locals bring from the outer islands of the archipelagos the most varied handicrafts for marketing. During the tour, we will have time for lunch in a typical restaurant Chiloé Island