Why this ride
A 148 km round trip from Chonchi - roughly 2 h 56 in the saddle. On the way it passes Church of Dalcahue, Church of Colo and back through Church of Dalcahue. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of Vilupulli and Church of Colo
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 148 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 56
- 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 38 km this is Chiloe Island Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Chiloe Island Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of Vilupulli
On the island of Chiloé, in southern Chile, the churches are made of wood, and the whole archipelago has been built around that fact. Vilupulli is one of the sixteen churches that UNESCO lists as an exceptional example of a local tradition, combining European ideas with the shipbuilding skills of Chilote carpenters. Jesuit missionaries arrived in the seventeenth century and planned a circuit of chapels, and after they were expelled the communities kept them going, with local families caring for the buildings and holding festivals. The result is a string of timber churches with plank walls, shingled towers and painted interiors, each in a fishing village or on a quiet inlet.
Read the complete Church of Vilupulli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Vilupulli is where the day begins. Next is Church of Dalcahue.
2. 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 comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Churgh of Caguach.
3. Church of Colo
Colo is one of the quiet places of Chiloé that most visitors never reach, a small settlement on the eastern side of the big island, with a wooden church on a rise above the water. It belongs to the family of churches that the Jesuits and local carpenters created in the colonial and early republic periods, and which UNESCO protects together. Their charm is simple. A front porch of columns, a tower with an octagonal top and a roof like an upturned boat. Inside, the nave is a hull of curved timbers, the ceilings painted with stars or sky, the altars carved by local hands. They were built without nails in some cases, using wooden pegs, and the big planks were cut by axe.
Read the complete Church of Colo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Colo, about halfway. Next is back through Churgh of Caguach.
4. back through 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
back through Church of Dalcahue comes up about 110 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Vilupulli.
5. Church of Vilupulli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of Vilupulli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of Vilupulli closes the day.
Leg by leg
Church of Vilupulli to Church of Dalcahue
Church of Vilupulli → Church of Dalcahue is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Dalcahue to Church of Colo
Church of Dalcahue → Church of Colo is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Colo to back through Church of Dalcahue
Church of Colo → back through Church of Dalcahue is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of Dalcahue to Church of Vilupulli
back through Church of Dalcahue → Church of Vilupulli is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.