Chiloé is an island of wooden churches, and the one at Achao on Quinchao island is the oldest of the survivors. The Church of Santa María de Loreto was built in the eighteenth century by Jesuit missionaries and local carpenters, using native timber, cypress and larch, joined with wooden pegs and not a single iron nail. The facade has a long portico with a tower, and the interior, with its vaulted ceiling shaped like an upturned boat hull, shows the skill of the island's shipbuilders. The Churches of Chiloé are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this is one of the stars.
Getting to Quinchao takes a short ferry hop from Dalcahue, across a narrow channel, with the water often grey and the weather moody. Dalcahue, a town of about thirteen thousand, is the sensible place to fill the tank and have a meal, because the island is small and services are limited. The main road on Quinchao runs through rolling farmland, past fishing hamlets, smoke-stained cottages and shingled churches, with views of other islands and the Andes across the water.
The riding on Chiloé is atmospheric rather than fast. The roads are mostly paved but often wet, with potholes that gather water and patches of gravel, and the weather changes in minutes: sun, drizzle, wind, then rain again. Pack proper rain gear. Sheep graze on the verges, and cyclists and horse carts share the lane. Traffic is light, and people are friendly, often curious about a foreign rider.
Try curanto, the island's traditional dish, a stew of shellfish, meat and potatoes once cooked in a pit with hot stones, and drink an infusion of local herbs afterward. The best months are January and February, when the days are long and the rain is lighter, though the island is wet at any time of year. The wooden shingles on the church walls, in patterns like fish scales, glow after rain, and the smell of damp timber and woodsmoke stays with you.