A lovely stop on our way down to Patagonia. Isla Chiloe (who had to fight 18 years to get independence from the Spanish and belong back to Chile) didn't mark us as something incredible in terms of landscape but more as a cute and lovely place to visit which however do offer a lot in term of culture and traditions, at least more than in any other places we had seen before. And that's what we enjoyed about it: the niceness and sincerity of the locals, the fisherman heritage they still hold to date, the calm, chill and peaceful life they seem to live out of a simple life made of nature and traditions, how much they smile and share with you in any situation, and the richness of their gastronomical culture. All in all we found them very friendly, polite and respectful, helpful and simple and happy in any type of situation.
The island is made of a type of rural countryside with housing which I would describe as cheap (but cute!) because it seems that they would break down with a gust of wind, made of simple fabrics and colourful. Yet the traditional houses from back in the time and which characterise the island are the palafitos houses which are houses nested on the water and holding with wood poles. These houses belonged to the fishermen giving an easier access to early fishing in the day. Unfortunately to this date due to tourism expansion most of the palafitos were transformed into restaurants and hotels, mostly by foreign locals. Between this and the see exploitation (thousands of kg of seaweed bought the Chinese per day for cosmetic along with seafood markets) the traditional side that one could encounter before is slowing fading away, as tourism pushes people to charge for any type of services.
The island is made of a type of rural countryside with housing which I would describe as cheap (but cute!) because it seems that they would break down with a gust of wind, made of simple fabrics and colourful. Yet the traditional houses from back in the time and which characterise the island are the palafitos houses which are houses nested on the water and holding with wood poles. These houses belonged to the fishermen giving an easier access to early fishing in the day. Unfortunately to this date due to tourism expansion most of the palafitos were transformed into restaurants and hotels, mostly by foreign locals. Between this and the see exploitation (thousands of kg of seaweed bought the Chinese per day for cosmetic along with seafood markets) the traditional side that one could encounter before is slowing fading away, as tourism pushes people to charge for any type of services.
Transport: there are buses frequently leaving from the continent to the island for a relatively correct price. We took a direct bus from Osorno to Castro (5h, CLP 8'100 - 11,60€) but Queilon Buses (the bus goes on the ferry for about 15-20min and some snacks are available on board)
Accommodation: a lovely lady came to us at the bus station offering accommodation. For CLP 8'000 - 12€, we were hosted in a typical local home a couple of blocks from the main station, including a private room, hot water and use of the kitchen. We enjoyed very much this alternative to a hiatal full of tourists as it gave us an inside into traditional life and enabled us to exchange with local people discovering more about local life. And the beds were very comfortable!! :)
F&b: the island is rich in traditional dishes made of fish, seafood or meat. The most traditional one which I regret I didn't try is the Curanto, a dish slowly cooked "underground" and cover by a plant leave to give a most taste. Personally I enjoyed eating cheap but delicious cheviches (which you can find in restaurants - we ate one of the best ceviches and seafood dishes at the 'Cevicheria gourmet' by the seasid street Pedro Montt 721 - or at the market for about 1500-2000CLP per portion). Other traditional dishes which we enjoyed include sapaipilla (beignet), milcao(potatoe like fried bread stuffed with meat), empanadas, rellenas de papa (potatoes stuffed with meat). We didn't really like pan asado (too dry) and chilote cake.
In total I spent 16.350CLP (23€) including snacks I bought for the ferry the next day
Activities: we spent the first day visiting the national park of Cucao which we didn't enjoy very much, especially because of the bad weather. But we didn't think it had a lot to offer. The entrance was free but the bus was CLP3500 return. Then we enjoyed wandering around Castro. The next day we took a bus (CLP per commute) to the little cute and traditional harbour village of Dalcahue where there's not much to do but it was so enjoyable to admire the local life, market, fisherman at work, artesanial market. There we tastes delicious local food and the best cheese we had so far! For those who like seafood you should try the fresh oysters they sell at the harbour!
Accommodation: a lovely lady came to us at the bus station offering accommodation. For CLP 8'000 - 12€, we were hosted in a typical local home a couple of blocks from the main station, including a private room, hot water and use of the kitchen. We enjoyed very much this alternative to a hiatal full of tourists as it gave us an inside into traditional life and enabled us to exchange with local people discovering more about local life. And the beds were very comfortable!! :)
F&b: the island is rich in traditional dishes made of fish, seafood or meat. The most traditional one which I regret I didn't try is the Curanto, a dish slowly cooked "underground" and cover by a plant leave to give a most taste. Personally I enjoyed eating cheap but delicious cheviches (which you can find in restaurants - we ate one of the best ceviches and seafood dishes at the 'Cevicheria gourmet' by the seasid street Pedro Montt 721 - or at the market for about 1500-2000CLP per portion). Other traditional dishes which we enjoyed include sapaipilla (beignet), milcao(potatoe like fried bread stuffed with meat), empanadas, rellenas de papa (potatoes stuffed with meat). We didn't really like pan asado (too dry) and chilote cake.
In total I spent 16.350CLP (23€) including snacks I bought for the ferry the next day
Activities: we spent the first day visiting the national park of Cucao which we didn't enjoy very much, especially because of the bad weather. But we didn't think it had a lot to offer. The entrance was free but the bus was CLP3500 return. Then we enjoyed wandering around Castro. The next day we took a bus (CLP per commute) to the little cute and traditional harbour village of Dalcahue where there's not much to do but it was so enjoyable to admire the local life, market, fisherman at work, artesanial market. There we tastes delicious local food and the best cheese we had so far! For those who like seafood you should try the fresh oysters they sell at the harbour!