Chiloé Island – Bespoke Chile Itineraries

The Chilean Lake District will leave you enchanted with its stunning, diverse scenery, charming local residents, and sheer contrast to Southern Patagonia.

With a mix of glacial lakes, temperate rain forests, natural hot springs, snow-capped volcanoes, and rivers rich in fish and bird life, this stop is sure to please all types of travelers. This region is both the gateway to Patagonia and a thrilling adventure haven. To make the most of the idyllic outdoor setting and activities, we recommend visiting from October to March.

A snow-capped volcano rises behind a European-style church and colorful lakeside town in Chile.

A placid lake reflects green forested hillsides and a distant snow-capped peak in Chile.

Colorful stilted wooden houses line a waterfront with small boats moored below in southern Chile.

Why visit the Lake District and Chiloé?

Activities are abundant in the Lake District, with hiking, volcano trekking, rafting, fishing, horseback riding, kayaking and mountain biking all on the excursions menu. This is also one of the most culturally interesting parts of Chile, with indigenous Mapuche community presence, traditional fishing villages, and German architecture and cuisines from settlers in the 1850s.

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Activities are abundant in the Lake District, with hiking, volcano trekking, rafting, fishing, horseback riding, kayaking and mountain biking all on the excursions menu. This is also one of the most culturally interesting parts of Chile, with indigenous Mapuche community presence, traditional fishing villages, and German architecture and cuisines from settlers in the 1850s.
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A short ferry ride from Puerto Montt carries you across the Chacao channel to Isla Grande de Chiloé, where colorful stilted houses (Chiloe’s famous “Palafitos”) dot the shorelines as a symbol of the island’s architectural identity. Head to the southern part of the island to Castro where history and culture converge. Stroll the main square where you’ll see the iconic church of San Francisco. Introduced by the Jesuit missionaries, these shingled wood churches (16 of the 60-70 structures have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites) represent the fusion of Huilliche and Chono traditions with Spanish Catholicism.
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Explore Chiloé on a day trip from Puerto Varas, or base yourself there for a handful of nights to fully traverse the Pullao Wetlands or trek parts of the Chiloé National Park. Chiloé has several islands and islets home to Magellanic and Humboldt penguins, which can be seen in their natural habitat between October and March. However long you are here, be sure to try a bowl of curanto, a stew of meat, potatoes (there are 300 varieties grown on the island!) and shellfish cooked in the ground with hot stones.

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Other areas to explore

A visit to the Lake District puts you within easy reach of many other beautiful and fascinating parts of Chile.

Torres del Paine

Surrender to awe in southern Patagonia's most iconic national park

Santiago

This relaxed capital welcomes a gentle start to a Chilean sojourn

Atacama Desert

Home to bewitching landscapes like simmering geyser fields, lunar valleys, crystalline salt flats, and snow-covered volcanoes, northern Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the country’s most dramatic and captivating regions.

A weathered moai statue stands in grassy fields, with the Tongariki platform and distant coast behind it.

Easter Island

Few places on the planet exude as much magnetism as this tiny dot of land afloat in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Known to the locals as Rapu Nui, Easter Island is one of the most isolated places on Earth, which only adds to its allure.