Ancud

Ancud occupies the northern tip of Chiloé Island, bordered by the Pacific Ocean, dense forests, and low hills. You can walk through Fort San Antonio’s wooden ramparts, examine Huilliche artifacts at the Ancud Regional Museum, and observe Magellanic penguins on the rocky islets of Puñihuil. The city’s grid of bright wooden houses slopes toward a bay, with black sand beaches like Arena Gruesa nearby. Fishermen sell clams and mussels at the Mercado Municipal, and a concrete-and-wood cathedral built after the 1960 earthquake dominates the main square. This mix of Spanish forts, wildlife habitats, and resilient architecture defines daily life here.

See Penguins at Islotes de Puñihuil Natural Monument

Travel 25 kilometers west from Ancud to find boat tours circling three granite islets near Puñihuil Beach. Between September and March, Magellanic penguins dig burrows in grassy slopes while Humboldt penguins claim higher rock crevices. Guides point out otters cracking open shellfish on their chests and sea lions hauling onto flat boulders. To reach the beach departure point, drive past dairy farms and patches of native tepú trees, then cross a shallow stream at low tide. Tour times depend on daily tidal conditions—ask at Ancud’s tourist office for departure updates.

Walk Through Ancud’s Forts and Museums

Climb the slopes of Fort San Antonio to see rusted 18th-century cannons facing the bay. Spanish troops once lit signal fires here to warn of pirate ships approaching through the Chacao Channel. Two blocks east, the Ancud Regional Museum displays dugout canoes used by Huilliche communities and maps tracing Spanish land grants. A detailed model of the galleon Sancti Espíritus shows how it sank near Chiloé in 1578, scattering ceramics now exhibited in glass cases. These sites explain how Ancud guarded Chile’s southern waters long after independence.

Discover the City’s Streets and Markets

Start at Plaza de Armas, where a clock tower with blue-and-white tiles marks the central square. The angular Cathedral of Ancud replaced a 19th-century church destroyed by earthquakes, its concrete walls reinforced with local alerce wood. Walk two blocks north to the Mercado Municipal for bowls of razor clams, sacks of dried cochayuyo seaweed, and hand-knitted wool socks. Follow Calle Libertad downhill to Fuerte Ahui, a small fort with crumbling stone walls overlooking fishing boats in the channel. Notice how older homes use overlapping alerce shingles, angled to shed rain from Chiloé’s frequent storms.

Prepare for Ancud’s Weather Patterns

Temperatures in Ancud rarely exceed 15°C in summer or drop below 7°C in winter. Rain showers occur year-round—carry a waterproof jacket even during drier months from December to February. Mornings often begin with fog obscuring the bay, usually clearing by early afternoon. June and July bring stronger winds, choppy seas that cancel penguin tours, and occasional hail. Locals counter gloomy weather with indoor events like July’s seafood festival, where chefs demonstrate curanto cooking using heated stones buried in the ground.

Eat Local Dishes and Join Coastal Traditions

Order milcao, a fried pancake mixing grated potatoes and pork fat, at simple eateries near the bus terminal. For lunch, try curanto stew loaded with clams, chicken, potatoes, and chapaleles dumplings at the market’s food stalls. Buy ceviche made with corvina fish marinated in lime juice and chopped cilantro, sold in plastic cups with a fork. On clear evenings, families walk along Costanera Pedro Montt, stopping to skip stones or watch cormorants dive near the shore. If visiting in February, catch the Fiesta Costumbrista’s horse races and accordion competitions at the fairgrounds east of town.

Get to Ancud by Ferry or Road

Take a 30-minute ferry from Pargua on Chile’s mainland to Chacao village, then board a bus for the 50-minute ride to Ancud. Drivers follow the paved Route 5 south from Chacao, passing through hills planted with eucalyptus and gorse shrubs. Ancud’s central streets are easily navigated on foot, but renting a car helps reach Puñihuil’s penguin colony or the wooden churches near Chepu. Flights from Santiago land at Mocopulli Airport near Castro, with direct buses to Ancud taking 90 minutes via gravel roads through farmland.