Although it's only a 30-minute ferry crossing away from mainland Chile across the Chacao Channel, verdant Isla Chiloe – the largest in the Chiloe archipelago – is another world. Sixteen wooden churches clustered around Castro on the island's east coast have UNESCO World Heritage status, and traditional palafitos (houses on stilts) dot its shores. To the west, Chiloe National Park shelters foxes, sea lions and otters and provides unspoiled terrain for horseback riding, sea kayaking and fishing.
Think of this region as the Southern Hemisphere's Switzerland, where snow-capped peaks, dozens of deep mountain lakes and emerald valleys create a fairy-tale landscape. Stretching from the Bio Bio River to the northern edge of Patagonia, it's home to picturesque German-influenced villages like Frutillar, Puerto Octay and Puerto Varas, plus wildlife-rich Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. The culture and handicrafts of the native Mapuche Indians are found in the northern areas around Temuco.
A rainbow assortment of palafitos (wooden houses on stilts) are the unofficial calling card of Castro, the capital city of Chiloé Island. Once home to thousands of farmers and a target for European pirates, Castro was established in the 16th century and is Chilé’s third-oldest city. Highights here are the astonishing wooden church, an impressive contemporary art museum and the charming wharf in the Gamboa district.
Although it's only a 30-minute ferry crossing away from mainland Chile across the Chacao Channel, verdant Isla Chiloe – the largest in the Chiloe archipelago – is another world. Sixteen wooden churches clustered around Castro on the island's east coast have UNESCO World Heritage status, and traditional palafitos (houses on stilts) dot its shores. To the west, Chiloe National Park shelters foxes, sea lions and otters and provides unspoiled terrain for horseback riding, sea kayaking and fishing.
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