The Chiloe Island, Chile Guide

Located at the southern end of Chile, between the gulfs of Corcovado and Ancud, a cluster of very beautiful and scenic islands is located known as, Chiloe Island. It is the second largest island in Chile and fifth largest of South America.

Chiloe is a legendary island famous for its various myths, traditions and folk-tales.

(This article was written by Kim)

The Island is about 111 miles long and 31 miles wide and is covered with big masses of quaternary glaciers deposits, which make it a stunning beauty for the tourists and travelers.

Because of its multicultural history, Chiloé’s people, who are known as Chilotes, are found to be very warm, welcoming and peace loving. Due to long Spanish occupation, most people speak and write in Spanish.

Brief History

The Island was first claimed for Spain in 1567, however later in 1784 it became the direct dependency of colonial viceroyalty of Peru.

Although central Chile was fallen into a long war of independence after occupation from Spain, Chiloe Island never joined the old republic.

In December 1817, the Island became last of the Spanish strongholds, however Chilean expeditions lead by Thomas Cochrane compelled the forces of Spain to withdraw subsequently.

In 1826 it was fully incorporated into the independent republic of Chile and later recognized by Spain in 1844.

The Areas Of Attraction

The following are some of the major attractions of Chiloe Island:

Chiloé National Park

At the west coast of Chiloe Island, a national park full of flora and fauna and with the habitat of a wide variety of birds, foxes and pygmy deer, among other species can be found.

The zones of dunes, temperate rain forests, swamps and peat bogs altogether make this National park a dream land for ecotourists and nature lovers.

Historical Landmarks

The Architecture of Chiloe is very unique and almost all of the houses and buildings in colonial Chiloe were built with wood, in which the roof shingles were used extensively.

These unique buildings are also designated for the world heritage site of UNESCO. In addition to local architecture, the Spanish forts, historical churches and sites of Jesuit missionaries are worth seeing

Stilt Houses And Boat Navigation

The Stilt houses of the Island are basically constructions over columns placed on water and possess great attraction for the tourists.

Navigation through boat trips provides a more relaxing alternative to sea kayak trips, which is another major attraction.

Visitors, through boat trips, cruise around northern and eastern coasts of Island while watching the islanders, busy in their routine tasks, and various other historical sites in once glance.

The Accommodation And Best Time To Visit

Ideal time to visit this legendary and elegant Island is in summer, when flowers are fully bloomed and climate is also wet and temperate.

There are several state of the art hotels and accommodations available for visitors out of which, the best is Hotel Natura for $159-$334 a night. For an economic Budget, the Peulla Hotel is best with a stay of only $45/night.

(This article was written by Kim)