Chiloe

Chiloe is the largest island in its own archipelago, separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Strait and, in feel, by rather more than that. Its wooden churches, many of them UNESCO-listed, and stilted palafito houses reflect a culture that developed largely on its own terms, away from the pull of tourism further north. Forests, wetlands and rolling foothills give way to craggy mountains inland, and the pace of life here still runs to the tides rather than the clock.