Chilo-where? Chiloe!

I’d never heard of this place until our Southern Hemisphere travel planner recommended it, and all I can say is, wow, Phil—thanks for introducing us to one of our favorite spots so far.

Chiloe is an island, the largest in an eponymous archipelago off the coast of Chile. You pronounce it sort of like “chill away,” and it is both chill (in terms of atmosphere, if not climate) and away, as in remote.

To get here, you have to take a plane to a tiny little town called Punta Montt (I don’t know why the extra “t”, but there it is) and then drive for a couple hours down roads that are challenging on one’s suspension.

One thing I’ve noticed in our travels so far: the harder it is to get somewhere, the better that place tends to be. And that is 100% true here.

What with the natural beauty waiting to be explored by boat, on foot or horseback, and the little towns dotting the shores of the islands (the UNESCO World Heritage folks noticed!), once you’re here, you’ll never want to leave. Once we dragged ourselves away (Patagonia called) we put this place squarely atop our We’ll-Be-Back list.