A JOURNEY TO DEEP CHILOÉ

Private transfer from Castro airport to hotel in Castro (25 minutes approx.).

Half-day private tour Castro & Dalcahue “Churches and Shipyards”: In this tour, we will visit the major attractions of the city of Castro (church, viewpoints and stilt houses) and the Dalcahue fishing cove with its important craft fair

After an attractive tour of the city of Castro visiting the points of greatest interest, such as the Farmers’ Fair, the palafitos (stilt houses built above water), the Church of San Francisco and the Craft Market, later we will take the route that takes us to see the Church of Tey, which was transferred from its place of origin to where it is located today, in what is called “Minga de Tiradura de Iglesia”, a task that is carried out voluntarily with all the local community.

Then, we will arrive at the town of Dalcahue (place of boats) which is characterized by its craft shipyards, its church that is a World Heritage Site, for the great variety of tile designs you can appreciate when touring the town with its unique houses, a small but attractive museum (when it is open), for being a meeting point for many artisans who come together to sell their products at the Artisan Fair and finally for its attractive kitchens with a varied typical Chiloé cuisine.

Lemuy Island Full Day “The Route of Devotion”: Leaving Castro we head to the town of Huicha to board the ferry that will take you to Lemuy Island, which is characterized by the great devotion of its inhabitants, which is reflected in that 3 of its 8 churches, Ichuac, Detify and Aldachildo, are today World Heritage Sites, which we will try to visit during this tour. Other points to highlight during the tour are the miraculous Sanctuary of Manuel Mansilla, panoramic views, contact with local artisans and a visit to Yayanes Park, where you can walk its attractive path through the forest, which is accessed after crossing a suspension bridge.

On the way back, we will make a brief stop in the town of Chonchi to see its heritage church.

Lunch in an agritourism house.

Full Day Chiloe National Park: This route will show you the nature of which the naturalist Charles Darwin was amazed when exploring the Huillinco and Cucao Lakes and the Pacific Ocean. The tour includes a visit to the city of Chonchi, known as the “City of Three Floors” for its different slopes where its church stands out, a World Heritage Site, the Museum of Traditions, the waterfront and craft market, and then continue to the lacustrine town of Huillinco where you will be able to appreciate a cemetery of very characteristic houses of Chiloé. The visit to the Chiloé National Park includes a visit to the Visitor Center, an attractive walk along the “El Tepual” trail where you can appreciate the typical Chilote forest.

Finally, an encounter with the Pacific Ocean and a walk along the beach, to be returning to Castro at sunset.

Full-Day Tour Chepu “Muelle de la Luz”: On this route, we will go directly to the Chepu area, where they will await us for 40-minute navigation in a local boat, in which we will first see a forest united after the 1960 earthquake in which we will do birdwatching during that time, before disembarking on the beach facing the Pacific Ocean. From this point, we will walk approximately 20 minutes to the Muelle de la Luz, where we will have an extensive view of the ocean.

On the way back, we will pass by a rural tourism house to understand a little more in-depth about the agricultural culture of the island. Being Chiloé an island, a fundamental reserve of agrobiodiversity is propitiated. Examples of this are the varieties of garlic and a huge variety of native potatoes, among other crops. Here they will await us with a sweet snack based on products from their field and then continue the return to Castro

Private Half-Day Gastronomic Tour “Curanto al Hoyo”: On this tour, we will visit the Yumbel fair to understand Chiloé’s gastronomic identity and after this, we will go to the countryside to enjoy and learn all about the tradition of curanto al hoyo with a family of countryside people as hosts.

The FAO designated Chiloé among the first seven Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), for being a fundamental part of the conservation of both the agricultural heritage and its peasant culture. Bearing this in mind, we will start touring the Yumbel fair in Castro, where we will be able to appreciate very well the gastronomic and agricultural context of the island, where fruits and vegetables, seafood and fish and typical foods are sold, among other products that are part of the Chilote culinary culture. After this, we will pass through the stilt houses of Castro, to finally head towards the rural sector of the Island, where a peasant family will receive us and teach us everything about this typical Chilote dish: curanto al hoyo, a preparation that brings together products from the sea and land, such as shellfish, meat, potatoes, milcaos and chapaleles.

Private transfer from your hotel in Castro to Castro Airport (25 minutes approx.).