More about Chiloé island

Because of its history, Chiloé has a unique traditional culture, different in several aspects from mainland Chile.

For more than a century Chiloé was the southern most spot populated by Europeans. The first Spanish settlers in Chiloé were isolated by both, hostile mapuche indians that lived in continent to the north, and by the sea to the south. During 17th and 18th centuries, the settlers lived in isolation receiving only one ship per year from Peru. This was the only way to get news and manufactured things that were scarce in the island. In time Spanish settlers and the natives that already lived in the island conformed an interesting cultural tradition.

Chiloé has two main towns (Castro and Ancud), some little wooden villages (Achao, Dalcahue, etc), and around 150 wooden churches most of them built in 18th century , 9 of these churches were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000.

Another site with Chiloé pictures.

Chiloé island: an unknown world

Although very well known to Chilean people, Chiloé island is still a sort of secret destiny that just some foreign travellers visit.

Measuring 112 miles from north to south, Chiloé is the second largest island in South America, after Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia, it also comprehends many small islands (a lot of them inhabited) that surround the main island.

Most of these inhabited little islands have no electrical power and no telephone, so going there is like travelling to the past. I remember, in one of my travels to these small islands around Chiloe in the 1980s, that people used car batteries to watch TV and that the main communication media were local radio stations in Castro (main town in Chiloé) or Puerto Montt (nearest city in the continent) that included many messages from people of the islands in their daily broadcasting. For example messages saying that someone was arriving tomorrow with two sacks of flour, or that a baby was born in an island. Of course, the only way of travelling between the islands is by boat.

An excellent picture from a typical daily scene in Chiloé.
If you want to see more beautiful Chiloé or Chile's pictures, you can visit Tim's Travel Page.

Trekking in Atacama

Atacama desert is the driest desert in the world. It is conformed by a series of plateaus that climb from sea level to the Andes mountains, including with many surprises as moon like landscapes, saltpeter fields, rocky formations, mountain lagoons, geysers, oasis, volcanoes, etc.


Holidays trekking in Atacama desert.

Ski and Language Learning

For those interested in learning Spanish, there is this possibility that combines intensive Spanish learning with trips to ski centers in the Andes mountains.

Not Only Summer Has Begun

Summer has begun in North Hemisphere, so its winter time in South Hemisphere, just the best time of the year to experience winter sports in some of the best ski and snowboarding centers in the world. This year has been particularly good in terms of snow, so the Andes mountains slopes are completely snow covered, just ready to receive winter sports fans.

Portillo is the most classic ski resort in Chile.

Also an interesting guide to many other winter sports centers in Chile.