The last wild corner of Chiloé. Explore the untamed Tantauco Park

"The jungle of huge trees, crowded with vines and ferns, pierced by moisture, forms a dark green complex that seems the absolute owner of the island ... Large trees whose trunks link climbing plants form real walls on the sides of the road ..." This is how Charles Darwin described what we know today as the Chiloé Island. Today, much of the island is inhabited, but there is still a wild corner that could be described just as the English naturalist did.

The Tantauco Park covers some 118,000 hectares of millenary forests, peat bogs dating from the last glaciation and large lakes where a wide variety of animals live, some of them endemic and in danger of extinction.

Its remote location has made this park, an ecosystem unique in the world. It is located in one of the 35 "hotspots of biodiversity", which means that it has at least 1500 endemic species of vascular plants and that it is in danger, having suffered a loss of habitat surface of at least 70% of its original surface.

Explore this paradise of biodiversity

The park is a conservation project that seeks to protect the ecosystems and species of the marine and insular territory of Chiloé, and best of all, it is open to the community.

There are seven trails to walk on foot, seven trails where you can find unique animals from the Chilean forest. Darwin fox, Geoffroy cats or pudús. All elusive species, two of them endangered and one endemic.

The Tantauco separates in the northern zone and in the southern zone. The path that goes to the north ends in Caleta Zorra, a spectacular cliff towards the Pacific Ocean and where you can see blue whales. The path that goes to the south, the "Transversal", ends in Caleta Inio, near the lighthouse, and where you can also arrive by sailing from Quellón.

The campsites, shelters, trails and footbridges are excellent, but still you have to travel prepared with good equipment, enough food for the amount of days and good physical condition. Another important requirement is to respect the flora and fauna of Chile, taking care not to litter or fire in places where it is not allowed.

If you want to feel like Charles Darwin discovering a wild island make click here!​