Why this ride
A 225 km round trip from Dalcahue - roughly 4 h 40 in the saddle. The stops in between: Church of Tenaún, Church of Castro and back through Church of Tenaún. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of Achao and Church of Castro
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 225 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 40
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Chiloe Island Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 56 km this is Chiloe Island Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 56 km
- Named road
- Chiloe Island Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of Achao
Chiloé is an island of rain, green hills and wooden churches, off the coast of southern Chile, and the church of Achao, on the small island of Quinchao, is the oldest of them. Built in the eighteenth century by Jesuit missionaries and local carpenters, it is made entirely of wood, joined with wooden pegs instead of nails, and its interior is painted in soft blues and whites, with a vaulted ceiling and carved altars. It is one of the sixteen churches of Chiloé inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Read the complete Church of Achao write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Achao is where the day begins. Next is Church of Tenaún.
2. Church of Tenaún
Out on the eastern coast of Chiloé, where the island looks across a channel at the smaller islands of the inner sea and, on a clear day, the snowy volcanoes of the mainland, the village of Tenaún gathers around a wooden church that looks almost too bold for its setting. The façade is painted deep blue, scattered with white stars, and topped not with one but with three towers. It is one of the sixteen churches of Chiloé on the World Heritage list, masterpieces of a unique tradition of wooden architecture.
Read the complete Church of Tenaún write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Tenaún comes up about 57 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Castro.
3. Church of Castro
Castro's church is the first thing that makes visitors to Chiloé stop talking. San Francisco stands on the Plaza de Armas of the island's capital, a big building with a corrugated-metal skin painted in yellow and violet, two towers and a wooden interior that is mostly hand-cut native timber. It was built in the early twentieth century to replace an earlier church that burned, by an Italian architect, and it is one of the sixteen Chiloé churches that UNESCO listed in 2000. The rest are mostly smaller and older, scattered along the coast, built by Jesuit missionaries and their Chilote carpenters, who were boat builders first and used what they knew. If you tip your head back inside, the vaulted ceiling looks like an upturned hull.
Read the complete Church of Castro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 113 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Castro. Next is back through Church of Tenaún.
4. back through Church of Tenaún
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Tenaún write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Church of Tenaún, late in the day. Next is Church of Achao.
5. Church of Achao
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Achao write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Church of Achao. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Church of Achao to Church of Tenaún
Church of Achao → Church of Tenaún is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Tenaún to Church of Castro
Church of Tenaún → Church of Castro is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Castro to back through Church of Tenaún
Church of Castro → back through Church of Tenaún is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Tenaún to Church of Achao
back through Church of Tenaún → Church of Achao is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.