Why this ride
A 348 km round trip from Dalcahue - roughly 9 h 00 in the saddle. It goes by way of Church of Rilán, Church of Chelín, Church of Ichuac and Churches of Chiloé.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of Achao and Churches of Chiloé
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 348 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 00
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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 18 km this is Chiloe Island Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 18 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 Rilán.
2. Church of Rilán
Chiloé is an island of rain, wood and faith, lying off the coast of southern Chile across the narrow Chacao channel, and its wooden churches are its great treasure. Built by island carpenters following a tradition introduced by Jesuit missionaries in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and continued by Franciscans, they combine European church forms with local shipbuilding skills, using native timbers and covering the walls with overlapping wooden shingles called tejuelas. Sixteen of them were listed by UNESCO in 2000, and the church of Santa María de Rilán is one of them. It stands on the Rilán peninsula, east of Castro, facing a quiet inlet, its tall tower and painted wooden facade rising above the low houses and green fields of the village.
Read the complete Church of Rilán write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Rilán comes up 19 km in. Next is Church of Chelín.
3. Church of Chelín
Getting to Chelín is part of the pleasure, because it lies on Lemuy, a small island off Chiloé's east coast reached by a short ferry. From Chonchi the crossing is quick, and the vehicles line up on a ramp, with the sea bright and often choppy. Lemuy is a rolling island of small farms, potato fields, sheep and hedged lanes, with a population that is mostly spread over small settlements. There are no big towns here at all, and fuel is not something to count on, so fill up in Chonchi, about 21 km away by the map, before you cross.
Read the complete Church of Chelín write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
38 km in you reach Church of Chelín. Next is Church of Ichuac.
4. Church of Ichuac
Chiloe is a large, green, rainy island off the coast of southern Chile, and its wooden churches are among the most unusual in the Americas. In the seventeenth century, Jesuit missionaries arrived to convert the Chono and Huilliche people, and they found a population of skilled carpenters and boatbuilders. The churches that arose from this meeting, built entirely of local timber, with shingles of alerce cypress and pegs instead of nails, combine European plans with the techniques of ship carpentry. About sixteen of them were listed by UNESCO in 2000, and the one at Ichuac is among the most appealing, on the island of Lemuy, a short ferry ride from the main island.
Read the complete Church of Ichuac write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Ichuac, about halfway. Next is Churches of Chiloé.
5. Churches of Chiloé
Chiloé is a large, rain-washed island off the coast of southern Chile, a place of mist, green hills, wooden houses on stilts and a culture of its own. The Spanish Jesuits arrived in the seventeenth century, and with few resources they trained local carpenters, who built churches out of native timber using the shipbuilding skills of the islanders. The result is a collection of wooden churches with pitched roofs, covered porches and towers, covered in shingles of alerce or cypress, many painted in bright blue, yellow or white. Sixteen of them are listed by UNESCO, and the town of Castro has one of the grandest, the San Francisco church, built in the early twentieth century, yellow outside and in warm varnished wood inside.
Read the complete Churches of Chiloé write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Churches of Chiloé sits at 76 km, about halfway. Next is back through Church of Ichuac.
6. back through Church of Ichuac
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Ichuac 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 Ichuac comes up 94 km in. Next is back through Church of Chelín.
7. Back to 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
113 km in you reach back through Church of Chelín. Next is back through Church of Rilán.
8. back through Church of Rilán
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Rilán 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 Rilán, late in the day. Next is Church of Achao.
9. 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
The route ends here after 151 km.
Leg by leg
Church of Achao to Church of Rilán
Church of Achao → Church of Rilán is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Rilán to Church of Chelín
Church of Rilán → Church of Chelín is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Chelín to Church of Ichuac
Church of Chelín → Church of Ichuac is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Ichuac to Churches of Chiloé
Church of Ichuac → Churches of Chiloé is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Churches of Chiloé to back through Church of Ichuac
Churches of Chiloé → back through Church of Ichuac is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Ichuac to Back to Church of Achao
back through Church of Ichuac → Back to Church of Achao is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Rilán to Church of Achao
back through Church of Rilán → Church of Achao is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.