Chiloé Island

Chiloé Island is the largest island of the eponymous archipelago located off the coast of central Chile in the Los Lagos Region. It is renowned for its unique architecture, particularly the 16 wooden churches that have been UNESCO World Heritage sites since 2000, showcasing the fusion of European Jesuit traditions with indigenous craftsmanship. The provincial capital is Castro, famous for its colorful stilt houses known as palafitos, built along the waterfront. Chiloé possesses a rich mythology and a distinct cultural identity reflected in local cuisine such as curanto, a traditional earth-oven meal. The island covers an area of approximately 8,394 square kilometers and features a diverse landscape of rolling hills, dense forests, and the Chiloé National Park on the western coast. Today, the economic foundation is primarily based on fishing, salmon farming, and a growing ecotourism sector.

Nearby cities

Castro

The geographic capital of Chiloé Island, famous for its rows of vivid palafito stilt houses and the striking yellow San Francisco Church.

Nature

Chiloé National Park

A park on the west coast of Chiloé Island, known for its dense rainforests, dunes, and Pacific coast.

Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Chile's oldest national park with the impressive Petrohué Waterfalls and Osorno Volcano.

More places

Chiloé Archipelago

A group of islands in southern Chile, characterized by its unique culture, architecture, and maritime nature.

Fort Ahui

A historical military fortification on the Lacuy Peninsula that controlled maritime access to Chiloé.

Fort San Antonio

An old Spanish fortress in Ancud, built in the late 18th century to defend Chiloé Island.

Church of Achao

The oldest standing wooden church in the Chiloé Archipelago, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Church of Quinchao

The largest of the historical wooden churches of Chiloé, a beautiful example of the unique island architecture.

Pumalín National Park

A vast nature reserve in the Patagonian rainforest protecting ancient Alerce trees and a rich biodiversity of animals.

Alerce Andino National Park

Part of the temperate rainforest biosphere reserve, important for the protection of the millennia-old Patagonian Cypress (Alerce).

Hornopirén National Park

A rugged natural paradise in the Andes with dense Alerce forests and glacial valleys, providing a home for pumas, foxes, and rare bird sp…