Parque Tantauco is a privately owned park (owned by the current Chilean president and billionaire businessman Sebastián Piñera) open to the public (similar to Parque Pumalin) in Chiloé Island, Chile.

Understand

There is an office in Quellón at Avenida La Paz 068 that can answer all your questions. They also have a booklet with much more information than the website abou the park that they can email (try calling or emailing them) or print out for you.

Parque Tantauco (Tantauco Park) was created in 2005, when Fundación Futuro decided to build a nucleus of local development in order to conserve the region’s unique ecosystems while boosting Quellón district and Chiloé Province.

In May 2005, advised by the “Corporación Chile Ambiente” corporation, Fundación Futuro began developing the "Management Plan for the Conservation of Parque Tantauco." In September of that year, after the first infrastructure works were well underway, building of the Inio lodge, Tantauco’s center of operations, began.

In February 2006, the Parque Tantauco offices opened in Quellón. As well as serving as the park’s administrative headquarters, the offices also serve as an information center for visitors. The Park is comprised of two campgrounds; 120 km of hiking trails; Chiloé Island’s southernmost museum, Museo Parque Tantauco; and various facilities for visitors wishing to enjoy nature and the zone’s beautiful landscapes.

Landscape

The natural barriers separating Chiloé from Chile create special conditions that enable the existence of unique and valuable species and marine and land ecosystems on the Island.

In this context, public access to Parque Tantauco is an important opportunity given that its territory is located on one of the world’s 25 Biodiversity Hotspots (www.biodiversityhotspots.org) Moreover, its surface is part of “Sitio Chaiguata”, defined by Chile’s CONAMA (National Environmental Commission) as a priority spot for the conservation of wildlife.

Flora and fauna

The park’s flora includes species such as the Guaitecas cypress (Pilgerodendron uviferum) and the coastal Olivillo (Aextoxicum punctatum); its fauna includes the huillín otter (Lontra provocax), the chilote fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) and the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus).

Climate

The Parque Tantauco climate is governed by its latitude, its altitude, the cold Humboldt current and the location of the territory as regards the sea. The zone’s climate can be classified as rainy cold temperate maritime climate on the western coast. Its distinguishing features include a permanent environmental humidity and high probability of precipitations throughout the whole year.

Maximum temperatures observed during summer stand at 27°C. Although in general, the weather during summertime is pleasant, rain and cold temperatures are also to be expected. Average annual precipitation stands at approximately 2500mm.

Get in

The northern sector is accessed via 40 km of unpaved road (the first 18 good quality, the rest 4x4 is recommended) off of ruta 5. The southern sector is accessed by boat (lancha) which carries personnel and supplies (and tourists) from Quellón. There is limited space on the boat, reserve your spot with the guardaparques office in Quellón.

Fees and permits

Entrance cost CLP$3500 per adult and CLP$500 per child (Jan-Mar 2018).

Sleep

Lodging

There is a guesthouse in Caleta Inio (CLP$60,000/70,000 for double room with shared bathroom/private bathroom. Cabins for up to 8 people cost CLP$84,000-98,000. (High season rates Jan-Mar 2018 - up to 1/3 less in low season)

Camping

Camping costs CLP$15,000 (high season Jan-Mar 2018 - up to 1/3 less in low season).

Backcountry

A system of 60 km of trail link refugios throughout the interior of the park.