Chiloe'

We went to the offshore island of Chiloe' yesterday. What was planned as a day trip would have been far too exhausting. And what we would have missed....

So we impulsively added an extra night. From Fruitillar, it takes just over an hour to reach the ferry. The highways are very well developed. We were lucky to be among the last to board the ferry - otherwise, we would have had to wait much longer...

After nearly 30 minutes, you arrive at Chiloe'. Here the world is a bit different: good country roads exist only between the larger towns; the rest of the roads are poorly or not paved at all. Accordingly, a lot of time is needed.

We first drove from Ancud to Castro. There are several wooden churches that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. In fact, many houses are built of wood, which is very beautiful and environmentally friendly. In Castro, there are also Palafitos, houses built on stilts. We continued past a huge lake towards Cucao, which lies on the Pacific. Here is also the entrance to the local national park.

Today we visited the national park and saw a black Chilean wildcat. Everyone was absolutely thrilled. What looks a bit like our house cat is actually a critically endangered wildcat species found only in Chile and Argentina. It was sensational.

Here in Chiloe', there are only a few tourists, and you do need Spanish (and we can manage a little). The Chilean people are incredibly friendly: whether in the supermarket, restaurant, or park, you are greeted warmly everywhere. We feel very safe here.

In the morning/forenoon, it is very foggy and a bit mystical here due to the proximity to the Pacific and the lake. But as can be seen in the last two pictures, the fog banks come and go.

Tomorrow we will return to Fruitillar and on Sunday we will fly to Punta Arenas, Patagonia.