Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández Islands)

Today we embarked on various excursions. Maria joined a guided hike. Tommy first went on a submarine tour to a German shipwreck from World War I (the Dresden) and then took two hikes up the surrounding hills.

The dive with the submarine was impressive. The submarine has two capsules each with three passengers and the pilot in the middle. The seats can be turned in all directions and the submarine can travel in any direction as well. Although it's a large warship, it was not easy to locate even with all the technology. You can get very close to the objects and examine everything. The Dresden was state-of-the-art at the time (steam turbines and much faster than other ships). However, they ran out of coal, and to prevent the technology from falling into British hands, it was scuttled by the crew during the British assault.

The island is interesting and quite large. It has a few small rivers that can swell during heavy rain, and the mountains almost always hold clouds, leading to considerable vegetation. The climate is influenced by the sea and the Humboldt Current on the edge. This means the sea is not completely cold but still nutrient-rich. You can already feel that you are approaching the more tropical regions of the South Sea. The islands are inhabited by about 1,050 people, who primarily rely on fishing (lobster), some agriculture, and tourism.

The hills are around 900m high, and the hikes to the hills range from 6 to 15 km round trip. The trails are somewhat maintained, but less traveled sections are so overgrown that you can't get through even with a machete. The locals find nothing appealing about the hikes and see them as dangerous. However, they offer beautiful views of various sides of the island, showcasing the diversity of plants and animals as well as remnants of history. The special location between various ocean currents has also produced some animal species (particularly birds, sea lions, and fish) that only live there. Additionally, there are also introduced species like rats, goats, rabbits, or blackberry bushes. The endemic species of sea lion was nearly exterminated because their fur was very popular. In total, it seems that about a million sea lions were killed.

In the town, there are still caves that were dug in the early 19th century by Chileans deported by Spain to seek some shelter. They were deported because they advocated for Chile's independence from Spain. One of the hiking trails also passes by the remnants of Selkirk’s hut. Selkirk was the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe. He survived alone on the island for over four years.