On the way back from Puerto Montt to Santiago, my friend reflected that Puerto Varas was charming and definitely worth a return visit. However, when it came to that “small fishing village,” it was a bit of a mixed bag…
The so-called small fishing village we’re referring to is Chiloé Island, the largest island in Chile 😄😄
Why did we feel this way? Honestly, it wasn’t all bad. As they say, if you’re there, you might as well make the most of it, right?
Day 3: A day trip to Chiloé Island
Photos 12 are of the ferry
👉🏻 We set off from the hotel around 10:30 AM, heading to Castro to explore the UNESCO World Heritage wooden churches. Their fish-scale-like exteriors and stilt houses were truly unique. The streets were eerily quiet, and it seemed like we were among the few visitors. We were craving breakfast, but unfortunately, not a single place was open [Crying laughing emoji][Crying laughing emoji] Photos 34
👉🏻 Next, we drove to Soul Pier Park. Along the way, we stumbled upon a small shop where we quickly grabbed some water and coffee. After another 70 kilometers, we reached the park entrance. Surprisingly, there was no one on duty, so we pushed the gate open ourselves and embarked on a 5-kilometer round trip hike to the Soul Pier (Muelle de las almas). The scenery was breathtaking, Photos 56.
👉🏻 By the time we left the park, it was already 3 PM. We found a restaurant called Swan for lunch, which was highly recommended by TripAdvisor. To our surprise, the restaurant had no menu, but thankfully, Google images came to the rescue. The food, however, was just average.
👉🏻 After our meal, it was 5 PM, and we returned to Castro to capture some photos of the stilt houses. Unfortunately, it wasn’t high tide, so the view wasn’t as spectacular as the promotional photos, Photos 78.
👉🏻 We departed at 6 PM, heading to Tepual Airport. When we arrived at the ferry dock, we were the second-to-last car to board. It felt like perfect timing, and this was probably the highlight of our day 😎
👉🏻 We arrived at Puerto Montt airport at 9 PM, returned the car, and still managed to squeeze in a quick dinner before our flight back to Santiago.
Reflecting on the experience, if we hadn’t gone during the holiday season and had more time to leisurely explore the island, would it have been different? Probably, right?
