El Tepual trail
A boardwalk.
Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0
A national park on Chiloé's wild western coast, protecting dense temperate rainforest, bogs, sand dunes and a long beach pounded by the Pacific. Its best-known entrance is the Chanquín sector near the small village of Cucao. Easy trails start at the visitor centre, the best known being the El Tepual trail, a raised boardwalk through a forest of twisted tepú trees over wet, moss-covered ground, like walking through a fairy tale. Another trail crosses the dunes to a wide beach stretching for kilometres. The park has many birds, small foxes and the pudú, the world's smallest deer, rarely seen. On the edge of the lake near Cucao there are boats and horse rides on the beach. Rain falls all year, so bring a jacket and waterproof shoes. The entry fee is small, paid at the gate or online.
A boardwalk.
To the beach.
Smallest deer.
Chanquín sector near Cucao village, about an hour west of Castro
By car or bus from Castro to Cucao in about an hour, then a short walk to the Chanquín sector.