Full Day Castro & Dalcahue Chiloe Island
Description
Discover the magic, culture, and traditions of Chiloé on an unforgettable full-day adventure from Puerto Varas. Cross the Chacao Channel to reach the legendary Isla Grande de Chiloé, a land of colorful palafitos, historic wooden churches, vibrant markets, and breathtaking coastal landscapes. Explore the charming towns of Ancud, Castro, and Dalcahue, each offering a unique glimpse into the island’s rich heritage and way of life. As you travel through this fascinating archipelago, learn about the myths and legends that have shaped Chilote culture for generations, from mysterious sea creatures to stories passed down through local folklore. Admire stunning scenery, discover traditional architecture, and immerse yourself in one of Chile’s most distinctive destinations. A perfect combination of history, culture, nature, and local traditions, this tour is the ideal way to experience the authentic spirit of Chiloé in just one day.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will begin the pick up in Puerto Varas, around 08.00 am.
We will continue pick up in Puerto Montt until 8:45 AM, later continue the traveling along the famous Pan American Route to the town of Pargua, where we will embark on a ferry that will take us to Chacao.
From this place we will board a ferry to navigate through the Chacao Channel, which separates the mainland from the Isla Grande de Chiloé. During the navigation (45 minutes) we will be able to observe sea lions, pelicans and marine birds typical of this region.
We will dock at Chacao town, is one of the oldest on the island, founded in 1567. It has a Plaza de Armas where we can appreciate typical larch wood constructions and also see the church of San Antonio de Chacao.
Arrival in Quemchi, where we can visit its beautiful Costanera, which the writer Francisco Coloane baptized as the commune of 1000 landscapes. Later we will go to a wonderful place; Aucar, the Island of Navigating Souls that we can enter through a 430-meter wooden bridge.
Later we will head towards Dalcahue (a city located in front of the Isla de Quinchao) and that on its waterfront has a gastronomic and handicraft market with a spectacular view. We will visit the Fair and walk to the Nuestra Señora De Los Dolores Church, a typical Chilote construction that is part of the World Heritage Site.
Later we will continue our trip to the city of Castro, capital of the Isla Grande de Chiloé; making a stop to take pictures in the Palafitos (houses where the pillars are arranged on the water), we will visit the San Francisco Church in front of the city Square and its Craft Market.
In the afternoon, after this incredible visit, we will return to Puerto Varas at approximately 6 PM.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up service is available from selected hotels in Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. Please provide the name and address of your accommodation when booking. If your hotel is located outside the designated pick-up area, we will inform you of the nearest available meeting point. Pick-up time will be confirmed prior to the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Churches closed on monday
- This service is not valid for cruise passengers. These excursions or transfer have a special operation and rate.
Reviews(9)
Our guide, Nelly, did a very professional and pleasant job. Excellent treatment and willingness to inform well and make an important one feel good in the group. Delicious and hearty food
¡Muchas gracias por su comentario! Nos alegra saber que disfrutó de la experiencia y que Nelly hizo que el recorrido fuera tan especial con su profesionalismo, dedicación y cercanía. También nos complace que haya disfrutado de la comida. Esperamos tener el placer de acompañarlo nuevamente en una próxima aventura.
Great day but a very long one. You get an excellent overview of the island and our guide was fantastic.
Thank you for your kind review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and felt it provided a great overview of the island. We're also pleased that your guide helped make the experience memorable. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Chile!
A very good overview of land and people, Chiloe and nature. A cautious bus driver and an enthusiastic guide whose English was sometimes difficult to understand.
Thank you for your feedback! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed learning about Chiloé, its people, and its beautiful natural surroundings. We're also pleased that you felt comfortable with the driver's careful service. We appreciate your comments regarding the guide's English and will take them into consideration as we continue working to improve our guests' experience. We hope to welcome you again in the future!
It is a very beautiful tour, with beautiful landscapes the guide Mauricio was excellent. I loved to know the UNESCO heritage wooden churches. Only I do not give maximum score because I felt deceived by Viator. They told me the value of 2 people to ensure the tour and when I did the tour there were more people.... When I reported I was given an indication for me to contact the operator! After that I was refunded in only 1/3 and not in 1/2 of what I had paid
Thank you for your review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the beautiful landscapes, the UNESCO wooden churches, and that Mauricio made your experience even more special. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the booking and refund process. While reservation management is handled through the booking platform, we're glad the situation was at least partially resolved. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Chile!
Island has its charms. But there is a long time of displacement, exploring little attractions (surface)
Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you enjoyed the island's unique charm. We understand that the travel time may feel long, and we appreciate your comments regarding the pace of the tour. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you again in the future!
This trip involves 8hrs in a bus for only 2hrs of sight seeing (couple of short visits) and a lunch (extra cost). The towns visited didn’t have much to offer part from the boat trip to see houses on stilts at Castro (extra cost not included in trip cost). The roads were busy and Chiloe island road has been badly damaged by trucks so not nice drive. Only positive is guide was good and had good interaction with the guests.
Thank you for sharing your experience on our Chiloé Island tour. We greatly value your comments, as they help us to better understand the expectations of our travelers. We sincerely regret that the perceived bus travel time did not match the time spent sightseeing according to your expectations. We design our tours to provide an overview of the region, including transfers between different points of interest which can sometimes involve longer journeys due to geographical distances and road conditions on the island. We note your observation about the attractiveness of the towns visited. The beauty of Chiloé lies in its cultural uniqueness, traditional architecture and natural landscapes, aspects that we try to highlight in our tour. We understand that preferences may vary and that perhaps the towns visited did not offer what you expected to find. Regarding the boat excursion in Castro, it is indeed offered as an optional activity at an additional cost, which is specified in our tour description. We seek to offer flexibility to our passengers so that they can choose the activities that interest them most. We are sorry to hear of your experience with road conditions and traffic, factors beyond our direct control but which we understand can affect the comfort of the trip. We are very happy to hear that the guide was up to standard and that his interaction with the guests was positive. We strive to have professional and enthusiastic guides to enrich our travelers' experience. We thank you again for your constructive feedback. We will take it into account to review and optimize our future tours on Chiloé Island, seeking a better balance between transfer times and destination exploration.
Very beautiful and picturesque localiad, very good offer of restaurants and hotels. Coast to the lake as if for hiking. The whole commercial part is very well presented.Ideal complement the whole visit to the waterfall with a very beautiful road in landscapes overlooking the Osorno volcano
¡Muchas gracias por su comentario! Nos alegra saber que disfrutó de los hermosos paisajes, la costanera, la oferta gastronómica y las impresionantes vistas al Volcán Osorno. Esperamos tener el placer de recibirle nuevamente en una próxima aventura.
This is a full day with lots of travel. We visited four towns and probably could have got away with just two as many are so similar it’s difficult to tell them apart. The artisan fairs sell the same products in each town so if you visit one of the larger fairs you’ll have seen what’s on offer. Would have liked to have more free time to roam two towns rather than have four 10-30 minute stops. Still learned a lot a out the area and had a wonderful time seeing what we could in the brief time we were in towns. Lunch was good except for the chicken soup which was watery with few carrot pieces and a spoonful of rice. The main dish offerings were enjoyed by all and the chefs were flexible and accommodating for allergies. The ferry crossing of Chacao channel was one of my favourite parts of the tour and our guide Carlos was fantastic!
Thank you for your detailed feedback! We're glad to hear you enjoyed the experience, especially the ferry crossing, the local culture, and Carlos' guiding throughout the day. We also appreciate your comments regarding the itinerary pace and meal service, as they help us continue improving our tours. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you again in the future!
Had a good trip with the guide, Jorge, and the driver, Klaus. Jorge is really friendly and makes an effort to chat with everyone. Klaus is the reason for the smooth ride. Both are really professional and helpful during the tour! Lunch was reasonably priced, and the host at the local restaurant is super hospitable! The scenery is definitely worth a visit!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that Jorge and Klaus helped make your experience so enjoyable. We'll be sure to share your kind words with them. It's great to know you enjoyed the scenery, the lunch, and the warm hospitality along the way. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon!
