AnnaThe island of Chiloé, located in Chile’s Los Lagos region, is a place of misty landscapes, UNESCO-listed wooden churches, colorful stilt houses, and enchanting forests. While it’s less famous than Patagonia further south, Chiloé is rich in folklore, nature, and culture. Whether you’re drawn by its mystical atmosphere or its unique wildlife, here are 15 amazing things to do when visiting Chiloé.
1. Explore Castro’s Colorful Palafitos
Castro, the island’s capital on the biggest of the inlets, is famous for its palafitos—wooden stilt houses lining the waterfront. These colorful homes reflect the island’s maritime heritage and make for one of the most iconic views of Chiloé. On the map, you’ll find them as Palafitos de Pedro Montt, and it’s reachable by an easy walk from the town center.
2. Visit the Iglesia de San Francisco in Castro
The simple, wooden churches of Chiloé got recognized by UNESCO for following Jesuit heritage from the 17th and 18th centuries. While all wooden churches in Chiloé are worth to visit, we really recommend to start with Iglesia San Francisco in the center of Castro. This UNESCO World Heritage wooden church, painted in bright yellow and purple, is one of the most striking examples of Chilote architecture.
3. Shop at Feria Campesina Yumbel
This local market in Castro offers fresh produce, seafood, and handmade crafts such as wool socks and sweaters—perfect souvenirs to take home.
As for fresh local produce, expect to find a variety of daily seafood and fish directly from nearby waters—clams, mussels, and other shellfish; local cheeses with traditional flavors; ajo chilote (Chilote garlic) and other condiments, such as house-made garlic pastes and salsas featuring flavors like ají cacho de cabra, merkén, ciboulette, and more; native potatoes in all kinds of unique colors and flavors. The second floor of the market houses a canteen with local vendors. Come either for a traditional Chilote breakfast or for a daytime snack, look out for milcaos (a traditional potato pancake dish from Chiloé), and regional bread.
4. Step Back in Time at the Church of Nercón
Just outside Castro, in Nercón, the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Gracia de Nercón is another UNESCO-listed wooden church, dating back to the late 19th century. Inside, you’ll find a wooden sculpture of Saint Michael standing over a demon, carved from a single piece of wood, with interior paint that gives it the illusion of marble. You can reach Nercón with an infrequent bus, a taxi or hitchhiking.
5. Wander Through Chiloé National Park
Covering more than 430 square kilometers, Chiloé National Park is the only national park on the island, on the western side. It’s a magical place, as this is where freshwater and saltwater ecosystems merge. Here, the Andes meet the Pacific, forming a stunning landscape of mountains, fjords, and sweeping ocean views. More specifically, the national park features wetlands, tepual forests, peat bogs, and dunes. It’s a great visit for nature lovers of all abilities/time on hand: you can take easy boardwalk trails or challenge yourself with longer, or even a multi-day hike. Find information on how to get there and up-to-date entrance prices on the park’s website (in Spanish).
6. Marvel at the Tepual Forest
If you are in Chiloé National Park, make sure you don’t miss the ancient, mossy tepual forest. It feels like a scene from a fantasy novel, with twisted trees and enormous leaves. The trail is called El Tepual and is less than a km long, and easy walk on boards.
For those interested in a bit of botanica: Tepual forest got its name from its most emblematic plant, the tepu. It’s characterised by lanceolate shaped leaves with a spicule at the tip, and a twisted trunk. Native to South America, this plant thrives in the temperate forests of southern Chile and Argentina. It favors waterlogged soils in both the Andes and the Chilean Coastal Range, flourishing in extremely humid environments such as peat bogs. Over time, it forms dense forests known as tepuales, where tangled trunks and a mossy, epiphyte-covered ‘false floor’—sometimes rising up to three meters above the ground—make them notoriously difficult to cross.
7. Take a Hike to the Cucao Dunes
The Dunas de Cucao trail is another trail in the Chiloé National Park. It’s a short and easy walk of 1.4 km, offering sweeping views of sand dunes meeting the ocean. You’ll find wide beaches with white sand, ideal for a picnic or reflection. Swimming is not allowed in the national park.
8. Visit Quinchao Island
A short ferry ride from Chiloé’s main island to the east, Quinchao is home to charming villages and the UNESCO-listed Church of Quinchao, one of the oldest and largest wooden churches in the archipelago. Although it’s too big (and a bit hilly) for going around on foot, hitchhiking is easy everywhere on the island.
9. Stroll Through Dalcahue’s Craft Market
Dalcahue, on Chiloé’s main island’s eastern coast, is known for its vibrant artisanal market where you can find textiles, wooden crafts, and ceramics made by locals and of high quality. Hopping to this market can be linked to visiting Quinchao, as it’s just a short ride away, between the inlets.
10. Relax on Lemuy Island
Lemuy is a tranquil spot with rolling hills, quiet villages, and beautiful ocean views. It’s also home to several UNESCO-listed wooden churches. Lemuy is less visited than other inlets, so we found it more peaceful and off the beaten path. Although I’d argue that whole Chiloé is quite off the beaten path.
Chiloé island stole our hearts from the first moment… read about our own experience visiting Chiloé.
11. See Penguins at Puñihuil
On Chiloé’s northwest coast, Puñihuil is one of the few places in the world where Magellanic and Humboldt penguins nest together. Boat tours also reveal sea lions and seabirds. You can see these sea animals best by approcahing the rocks just off shore – which you can do by hopping on a tour by local companies. Simply head to the coast and ask around, there are always companies operating and offering a tour.
12. Discover History in Ancud
Once the island’s capital, currently the second most important town, Ancud offers historical charm with its Museo Regional and the 18th-century Fort San Antonio, which overlooks the sea. In the Museo Regional, you can learn about the history of the island and its people, starting from its original inhabitants, the Chonos and the Huilliches, who developed a rich culture rooted in the sea and the land, with the Huilliches notably cultivating native potato varieties. The entrance to the museum is free and is suitable for kids as well.
13. Experience the Mystery of Muelle de las Almas
On the western side of the main island near Cucao village, about 1.5 hrs drive from Castro, the ‘Dock of Souls’ is a wooden pier tied to local legend: it’s said to be where the souls of the departed wait to cross into the afterlife. The pier extends into the water and is surrounded by serene forest.
14. Go Hitchhiking with the Locals
Hitchhiking is common and safe in Chiloé. Many Chilotes are happy to give travelers a ride, making for a fun and authentic way to explore. Especially easy to hitchhike on the inlets, and outside of Castro / Ancud. If you try to hitch, stick your thumb on the road leading outside of the town/village.
15. Taste Chiloé’s Unique Cuisine
If you are omnivore, don’t miss trying curanto, a traditional Chilote dish where seafood, meat, potatoes, and vegetables are slow-cooked in an earthen pit, covered with nalca leaves. This way of cooking is the traditional Chilotean – the dish remains saucy and flavoursome. Being vegetarians we didn’t try it, but it seems like a fun activity preparing the food in a pit in the soil!
How to get to Chiloé? Read about it in our article, how to take the ferry to Chiloé.
