HelenChiloe is Chile’s second largest island and yet it definitely still has that sleepy island feel, at least off the main Ruta 5 that sweeps down the middle. Everything seems to slow down, the locals are friendly and there’s always that seaside seaweed smell where ever you are. Our perfect new years wild camp on a quiet Sandy bay is so nice we stay for two nights. We reluctantly pack up the next day and head off, retracing our steps initially to Ancud, and then head towards the east coast of the island. There’s a mixture of dirt track and good paved road, and the sun shines bright, as we look across to the main land towards a long spine of snowy mountains.
We find another beach to camp on, I look out and can see at least three volcanoes in the distance. In the morning we drink tea and watch hundreds of dolphins, their fins popping in and out of the water, as they fish for breakfast. It’s really stunning and we appreciate every moment. But we’re so tired, I’ve been feeling it for a while now, but it’s taking me longer and longer to get going in the mornings. My body aches and I feel a fatigue I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before. I’m not sure how I’m going to get to the south of this island at the moment, never mind to Ushuaia! As beautiful as Patagonia is, it’s really expensive, and so it’s not so easy now to find a hostel or hotel for the night, or even a campsite with facilities. So everything gets a bit harder. We’ve been swimming in the lakes and sea to get clean and wash our clothes which actually feels great, but now I’m starting to feel dirty, and desperate for a hot shower!
Today was a long hard day. We didn’t get going until almost 11am and then we slowly wound our way around the coast for fourteen miles until we reached Quemchi, a small and pretty seaside village. We stopped and sat on the shore front for lunch in the warmth of the sun, the usual bread rolls with cheese and tomato. Then Chris disappeared for ten minutes and came back with a carton of chips and a cup of tea! It was like being at the seaside back home. Perfect! We set off late afternoon and the rest of the day was filled with rollercoaster hills, straight out of the village we climbed steeply up and around and then dropped steeply down, followed by another and another. It was seriously painful on the quads, and not quite the day I’d hoped for.
We eventually drop down an incredibly steep hill (which I know I’m going to have to climb back up tomorrow!) to a river leading into the sea. We camp next to the river, and fall asleep listening to the sounds of the different birds. The mornings here on the island always seem to be filled with a sea mist, but eventually the sun shines through and the clouds clear leaving a deep blue sky. Today is no different, as we head towards Castro, the capital of the island. It’s another rollercoaster hill day but these are longer and more gradual, as we move away from the coast heading inland before dropping steeply back down to the coast to Dalcahue, a big coastal town. We sit on the beach and have lunch, and look at the small ferry making the short crossing over to one of the many small islands. It would have been nice to have had the time to explore some of these, but it feels like we’re on a tight time schedule now. Also by the look of the steep ascent from the ferry I’m slightly put off anyway!
We find an estuary five miles from Castro to camp at. It’s quiet, apart from the horses in the field behind us and the many different sea birds flying by. We’re just dropping off to sleep that night when there’s rustling all around the tent and huge shadows. I’m terrified for a moment before I realise it’s the curious horses escaped from the field behind! Eventually they get bored and disappear. It rains during the night and it gets heavier in the morning. We sit and drink tea in the tent, then coffee, hoping it will pass. We eventually have more tea and breakfast before it eventually stops and we quickly pack up before it starts again. We just about manage the five miles to Castro and dash into a warm cafe before it starts again. The cafe is very British with teapots everywhere and it reminds me of home.
I book a hostel for the night and we set off to find it. Sandro the lovely owner greets us with a warm smile, and allows us to drag our wet bodies and bikes through his month old hostel. It’s a quirky place, and he’s clearly made a real effort. It’s warm and friendly and exactly what we need for the night. We have a hot shower, put our clothes in the laundry and sit around drinking tea looking out at the rain. Sandro puts the log burner on and I think I could stay here some time!
The rain eventually stops and we stray out to the town for a look around. Castro has a nice feel, it’s a quirky busy town with lots of colourful houses, some of them on stilts on the shore front. Wooden sculptures depicting indigenous history line the sea in front of the hostel, each telling a different story of the towns history. The sky clears and turns bright red. I look forward to my Comfy bed!
My hair definitely needs cutting now. I don’t get to look in mirrors that much these days but I can tell when Chris starts looking at my hair rather than my eyes that it looks a bit of a mess! But I can’t be bothered now, I might just attempt to cut it myself!
The weather doesn’t improve so we get a bus to Quellon, the town in the south where we’ve booked tickets to get on the ferry back to the mainland at Puerto Chacabuco. It eventually does clear and so we camp on the beach with the sun setting as we watch boats come in for the day. In the morning I’m awoken by the heat of the sun rising on my side of the tent. I get out and make tea, sitting and listening to nature come alive. The sea is so still it glistens in the morning sun. Ducks Bob about and a dolphin swims by, oblivious to my excitement. These beautiful mornings feel so precious. Especially as about three hours later just as we’ve finished packing the tent away, the heavens open and we get soaked! We cycle a few miles out of our way to see the monument for the start of the Pan-American highway, which goes all the way from here up to Anchorage in Alaska. We don’t hang around, and quickly cycle to town, finding a petrol station with a coffee machine. We chat to the woman there serving, she’s interested in our journey and it feels good to have these simple connections.
Chiloe is a beautiful island worth exploring, it has a friendly and almost indigenous feel to it, not quite captured by too much tourism as other parts of Patagonia have felt. But it’s definitely not flat cycling!
It’s still raining when we finally board the ferry at 5pm. It’s very basic and I think we’ll probably have a bad nights sleep, but I’m excited and hope the weather clears so we can go up on deck and enjoy the views. It does clear and we manage a quick picture of the sun setting. But the sea is choppy and the boat is rocking about all over the place. I start to feel a bit sick and have to sit and focus on my breathing until I eventually fall asleep. I awake around 6.30am, it’s all quiet and the sea has calmed. I go onto the deck and the sun is starting to rise through the broken clouds, casting white rays up into the sky. I’m surrounded by sea and green tree covered mountains, small islands dotted around. It’s really stunning and I feel so lucky to be experiencing this. I stand and watch the sun setting for quite a while until I start to feel cold. I wait patiently for Chris to wake up then we sit with coffee on the deck in the morning sun. Around here the weather seems really changeable and we’re quickly escaping the rain, before moving out into the sun again. The ferry stops at various ports to drop locals off, or sometimes supplies of fruit and veg, and I even see one brand new cooker being wheeled off. We stop at one tiny beautiful island, Isla Toto, there are colourful small boats taking people around the island and behind I can see some colourful small wooden houses, some on stilts. It must be amazing to live on an island like this but they’re completely dependent on boats and ferry’s both for transport and supplies. I wonder what it would be like during the winter. We sit in the afternoon sun, looking at the consistently changing views. The landscape seems so natural, forests drop all the way down to the coastline and climb their way up steep rock faces, small hidden beaches that you could only get to by boat. we see seals and dolphins and we pass hanging glaciers. It’s stunning.
As the day passes the weather worsens until it starts raining again. We hide indoors looking out. We’re told the ferry will be late into Puerto Chacabuco, it will arrive at 3.30am rather than 11pm as planned! We eventually fall asleep and get awoken by the cleaners to say we’ve arrived. It’s dark, cold and raining! We head to the waiting room where we try to get a few more hours sleep, but I’m awake by now so I sit in the warmth of the heater drinking coffee and watching night slowly turn to morning, and wait for Chris to wake up.
The rain eventually stops but there’s snow on the lower hills so there’s a cold wind. We set off and head towards Ruta 7, the famous Carratera Austral we’ve heard and watched so much about. This in a way feels like the last part of our journey. I hope it’s as memorable as the rest!
