Our blogger David Escribano writes:

"For nature and adventure lovers, this archipelago and especially the "Big Island" are a particular delight. One example is the hike we did from Cucao to the wild, remote Cole-Cole Beach outside the village of Quinchao, accessible only via this trail or by boat. We left our farmhouse at 8 am and walked for hours in the rain through dramatic countryside, along the way encountering other small villages; long, vacant beaches; dense forests; and narrow trails carved into green hills. 

Meanwhile, the Parque Nacional de Chiloé on the island's west coast offers more dramatic landscapes, including sand-dune-backed beaches, Valdivian rain forest (an ecosystem particular to Chile and part of neighbouring Argentina, characterised by lots of everygreens - some endemic to this region - myrtles, ferns, and bamboo), and even an islet called Metalqui, home to a large colony of sea lions. 

Another marvelous is the penguin colony at Puñihuil, some 30 kilometres (miles) southwest of Ancud - a beach and handful of islets that are nesting grounds for two species which normally aren't found together, Humboldt and Magellanic. Visitors may also kayak along this stretch of coast, along the way spotting whales and dolphins."

Read more in our post Chiloé, Chile´s Magical, Mystical Island.

Matyas Rehak