Castro

Day Trips

Land in Castro and check into a colorful seaside guesthouse near the historic palafitos. Step out to wander the bustling Plaza de Armas and admire the colonial architecture of the cathedral. Warm up with a cup of rich Chilean coffee at a nearby café while watching local artisans set up their stalls.

Explore the craft shops around the plaza, discovering handwoven textiles and carved wooden souvenirs. Stop at a street food cart to sample sopaipillas topped with pebre, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere. Visit the Museo Municipal to learn about the island’s unique cultural heritage.

Enjoy a traditional curanto dinner served under a wooden shelter with glowing embers heating the island’s signature seafood and meats. Take a leisurely stroll along the waterfront as lanterns cast golden reflections onto the water. End the night with live folk music at a cozy pub frequented by friendly locals.

Rise early for a guided walking tour of the iconic palafitos, stilt houses painted in vivid colors beside Castro’s bay. Learn about the history of these unique dwellings and their adaptation to tidal shifts. Snap panoramic photos as fishermen prepare their boats for the day.

Head to the nearby Muelle Cultural to browse contemporary art exhibits housed in a repurposed pier building. Grab a fresh seafood lunch featuring ceviche or machas a la parmesana at the waterfront café. Wander along the boardwalk, greeting playful sea lions basking on the wooden pilings.

Book a table at a restaurant perched on stilts for panoramic views of the sunset over the channel. Sample local wines and sampling desserts made from maqui berries harvested on the island. Return to your palafito lodging to relax under the gentle lapping of waves.

Depart Castro early by ferry and private transfer into Chiloe National Park’s misty forests and rugged coastline. Hike along the Cascadas de las Damas trail, marveling at moss-covered trees and hidden waterfalls. Listen for the calls of endemic birds like the Chucao tapaculo echoing through the undergrowth.

Enjoy a picnic lunch beside a serene lagoon, tucking into fresh empanadas and seasonal fruit. Continue to Pingüinera Puñihuil, where you can observe Humboldt and Magellanic penguins nesting on offshore islets. Return via the park’s scenic viewpoints that overlook dramatic cliffs plunging into the Pacific.

Head back to Castro and cleanse your palate with a hearty bowl of chupe de locos in a traditional waterfront eatery. Stroll through dimly lit alleys to discover hidden bars where locals gather for chicha and story-sharing. Drift to sleep to the distant cry of night-birds and ocean waves.

Set out on a private coach to visit UNESCO-listed wooden churches scattered across Chiloe’s rolling hills. Step inside Iglesia San Francisco in Castro to admire its intricate carpentry and golden altarpiece. Continue to Dalcahue, pausing en route to watch artisans carve church doors by hand.

Arrive in Achao for lunch at a roadside comedor, sampling fried fish caught that morning in the channel. Explore the whitewashed interior of the village’s church, one of the oldest surviving on the island. Wander the riverside market to shop for locally made ceramics and wool blankets.

Return to Castro, stopping at a hilltop lookout to capture sunset views of the island’s scattered settlements. Dine on grilled mussels and chorizo at a lively seafood tavern near Plaza de Armas. Cap off the day with a hot mug of calafate berry tea in your cozy room.

Travel to a family-run estancia on the outskirts of Castro and meet your guide and gentle horses. Ride through pasturelands dotted with grazing sheep and cattle, stopping at a centuries-old stone corral. Learn about traditional Chilote ranching techniques from your hosts as you trot across wooden bridges.

Enjoy a farm-style lunch of roast goat, seasonal vegetables, and creamy queso chilote under a rustic barn roof. Try your hand at milking a cow or feeding the lambs in the barnyard. Walk along tree-lined trails to a nearby viewpoint overlooking the rolling green hills.

Return to Castro as golden light spills over the bay, changing the palafitos’ colors. Select a local tavern for chorrillana, layering fries, beef, onions, and eggs in a hearty skillet. Unwind with a craft beer brewed on the island while swapping tales with fellow travelers.

Head south to the village of Quilquico to explore its vibrant artisan community. Watch weavers transform raw wool into striped ponchos and colorful shawls on traditional looms. Peak inside wooden workshops where master carvers sculpt sea motifs into door frames and sculptures.

Sample homemade murtilla jam and mesh waffles at a family-run tea house overlooking the bay. Continue to Mocopulli market to haggle over ceramic bowls painted with folkloric scenes. Sip a cup of locally roasted coffee while chatting with artisans about their techniques and inspirations.

Return to Castro for a festive folkloric show featuring dance and music from Chiloe’s cultural clubs. Savor a multi-course dinner with seafood risotto and milcao under thatched roof beams. Wander back through the quiet streets to your lodging as lanterns glow softly in the night breeze.

Depart Castro for a full-day rafting expedition on the Buenos River, renowned for its Class II and III rapids. Gear up with helmets and paddles, then launch into the tumbling water surrounded by lush rainforest. Feel the adrenaline rush as you navigate frothy waves and gentle drops.

Pause on a riverside gravel bar for a camp-style lunch of grilled trout, salad, and freshly baked bread. Swim in a calm downstream pool or try cliff jumps from low rock ledges. Continue paddling through shaded channels, spotting herons and kingfishers perched on overhanging branches.

Return to town muddy but exhilarated, cleansing off in an outdoor shower at your riverside lodge. Enjoy a well-earned dinner of seafood cazuela in a warm dining hall lit by lanterns. Relax around a crackling bonfire with fellow rafters, swapping river stories late into the evening.

Drive through patchwork fields to the foothills of Chonchi volcano for a guided ascent. Trek through lenga forests alive with the chatter of Darwin’s fox and occasional woodpecker drumming. Pause at a ridge with sweeping views of Castro’s palafitos framed by the Pacific.

Reach the summit area in time for a picnic lunch on volcanic rocks, feasting on roasted vegetables and cured sausages. Descend toward the hot springs nestled in a mossy ravine, shedding boots to soak aching muscles in mineral-rich pools. Watch steam rise as you sip herbal tea infused with local mint.

Return at sunset to Castro just in time for a cocktail at a rooftop bar overlooking the bay. Order pisco sours flavored with native calafate berries and share plates of octopus ceviche. Drift off to sleep to the gentle lull of volcanic earth and distant church bells.

Meet your guide at the marina for a sea kayaking excursion through Castro’s sheltered channels. Paddle past colorful palafitos and beneath wooden boardwalks where sea lions sun themselves. Keep an eye out for cormorants dive-bombing the water in search of anchovies.

Land on a secluded beach for a seaside picnic of local cheeses, fresh bread, and smoked salmon. Explore hidden coves on foot, discovering tide pools teeming with starfish and barnacles. Return to your kayak to navigate narrow inlets flanked by windswept pines.

Back in Castro, treat yourself to a seafood feast featuring razor clams and pulmay, a lighter version of curanto. Stroll through the Plaza de Armas as lamps illuminate the cathedral’s wooden façade. Conclude the day with a nightcap at a bohemian café where poets and musicians gather.

Spend your final morning at Playa Gamboa, strolling the sandy crescent as waves lap at your feet. Collect smooth pebbles and driftwood washed ashore during low tide. Sink into a beach chair with a good book and a cool drink from a nearby stand.

Enjoy a waterfront lunch of grilled shellfish and sweet potatoes at a family-run chiringuito. Take a sunset horse ride along the beach or simply laze under a palm frond umbrella. Capture your last panoramic snapshots of Castro’s palafitos against the blue horizon.

Return to your accommodation to pack and bid farewell to your hosts over one last glass of island wine. Head to the airport shuttle feeling refreshed by the sea breeze and full of Chilote memories. Depart Castro with the promise to return to this land of wooden churches and stilted houses.