Islands of Chile

The south of Chile is scattered with several hundreds of islands located in the Pacific Ocean.
The Mas a Tierra island is popularly known as Robinson Crusoe Island, getting its name from the famous novel by Daniel Defoe, which was based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who was stranded alone on the island in 1704 for over 4 years. Luckily for Selkirk, the island was not inhabited by cannibals as the book suggested! Instead, Robinson Crusoe Island is the largest island in the Juan Fernandez archipelago in the South Pacific with less than 1000 inhabitants that survive on spiny lobster fishing and tourism. Being so isolated, about 670 km west of the mainland, it is a world biosphere reserve with its own ecosystems of rare and endemic plants and animals, including colonies of Magellanic penguins. This remote and largely undiscovered part of the world is a perfect romantic hideaway for the adventurous at heart, and a place for unique explorations.
Even further out in the South Pacific, and home to the world’s most famous giant stone statues called moais, are the Easter Islands, also known as Rapa Nui. It is almost 3700 km away from the mainland, the most remote inhabited island in the world.. Close to 900 moias can be found here.. The cultural uniqueness of Rapa Nui does not just end with its moais – you will also be fascinated by the Birdman cult ‘Tangana Manu’ and the representative petroglyphs around the island. The cult centered around an annual ceremony involving a perilous competition, climbing down a treacherous cliff off the Rano Kau crater lake , diving off and swimming across shark-infested waters to bring back unbroken, an egg of the Sooty Tern, from an islet. During the Tapati festival in early February, you are treated to a celebration where the locals share their history, culture and local rituals. These include competitions representing the Birdman cult (albeit less treacherous). No wonder Easter Island is on UNESCO’s World Heritage listing.
The biggest Chilean island is Chiloe which is located a short flight from Santiago in North Patagonia. The Chiloe archipelago is known for its mythology, ghost ships, witches and several legends, adding a magical and mythical touch to your visit. It is also famous for its distinctive and colorful Spanish colonial wooden churches covered with wooden shingles, as well as its stilted dwellings, palafitos. Several world heritage sites, viewing points of large colonies of whales, and rich culture and cuisine that are some of the best of Chile, make this an ideal place to visit for a unique cultural experience or simply to relax and disconnect.