Why this ride
A 414 km round trip from Dalcahue - roughly 7 h 08 in the saddle. On the way it passes Church of San Juan, Church of Achao, Church of Rilán and Church of Chelín.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of Dalcahue and Church of Chelín
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 414 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 08
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. 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 17 km this is Chiloe Island Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 17 km
- Named road
- Chiloe Island Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of Dalcahue
Chiloé is a damp, green island off the coast of southern Chile, and its wooden churches are its soul. The Church of Dalcahue stands on the waterfront of a small town on the eastern side of the island, facing the inner sea and the islands of the archipelago, with a long arcaded porch along its front and a tall tower rising above. Built entirely of wood, with shingles cut from native trees, it is one of sixteen churches inscribed in 2000 as the Churches of Chiloé.
Read the complete Church of Dalcahue write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Dalcahue is where the day begins. Next is Church of San Juan.
2. Church of San Juan
San Juan is a tiny village on a sheltered inlet on the east coast of Chiloé, the big green island off the coast of southern Chile, and its wooden church stands right by the water, painted white with a tall tower, looking out over the boats moored in the channel. It is one of the sixteen Churches of Chiloé on the World Heritage list, a unique school of wooden architecture that grew out of the Jesuit missions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and was continued by the Franciscans and the islanders themselves. The churches were built by local carpenters using native woods, with techniques borrowed from boat building, and many of them are covered in wooden shingles. Inside, the vaulted ceilings often look like the hull of an upturned ship.
Read the complete Church of San Juan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of San Juan comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Achao.
3. 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
about 108 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Achao. Next is Church of Rilán.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Church of Chelín.
5. 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
Church of Chelín sits at 208 km, about halfway. Next is back through Church of Rilán.
6. 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 comes up about 260 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Church of Achao.
7. back through 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
about 308 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Church of Achao. Next is back through Church of San Juan.
8. back through Church of San Juan
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of San Juan 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 San Juan, late in the day. Next is Church of Dalcahue.
9. Church of Dalcahue
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Dalcahue 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 414 km.
Leg by leg
Church of Dalcahue to Church of San Juan
Church of Dalcahue → Church of San Juan is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of San Juan to Church of Achao
Church of San Juan → Church of Achao is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Achao to Church of Rilán
Church of Achao → Church of Rilán is 49 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 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Chelín to back through Church of Rilán
Church of Chelín → back through Church of Rilán is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Rilán to back through Church of Achao
back through Church of Rilán → back through Church of Achao is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Achao to back through Church of San Juan
back through Church of Achao → back through Church of San Juan is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of San Juan to Church of Dalcahue
back through Church of San Juan → Church of Dalcahue is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.