Ab auf die Insel (Chiloé)

We didn't have Chiloé in mind at the beginning of our trip. However, we liked our week in Pucón so much, especially because of the great landscape here in the lake region of Chile, that we wanted to stay a little longer. After a guidebook and accommodation search, we ended up on the relatively untouched tourist island of Chiloé, just before Patagonia. The theme of 'untouched by tourism' made our rather short and not very well-prepared time of only three nights on the island a bit challenging: there was hardly anything spontaneous to do in terms of tours or car rental.

However, we were able to admire one highlight of Chiloé on the ferry ride: penguins! Yes, there was only one swimming next to the boat, but on the next day we were able to observe whole groups of the animals on the offshore rocks. That was a great experience and luckily the top attraction of the island was not too crowded. A small sea lion and numerous cormorants also joined the penguin groups.

Otherwise, Chiloé is simply original, partly dingy and strongly influenced by fishing. Some coastal areas are very beautiful and overgrown with fantastic vegetation - sometimes you can even see the Chilean mainland and the Andes in the distance. We stayed in the tranquil town of Ancud, where we took the time to search for and find probably the best café and bar in town. If we ever find ourselves in Patagonia (which we currently consider very likely), we would certainly consider the route via Chiloé, like some other backpackers, to discover more of this special place. However, for now, we are slowly heading north in Chile, step by step, until we reach the Atacama Desert, where we want to arrive at the end of January.