Caleta Tortel
A cypress-logging village with no streets at all, built entirely on boardwalks and stairs above the water.
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Tortel sits where the Baker reaches the sea, on a steep shore with no flat ground, and the village solved that by building itself on stilts: about seven kilometres of boardwalks and staircases of guaitecas cypress, running along the water and up the slope, connecting every house, with no roads and no vehicles inside it at all. The village was founded in 1955 by families cutting that same cypress, and the timber built the walkways it stands on. A road only reached the place in 2003; before that everything came by boat. Everything is still carried by hand along the boardwalks.
What you actually see
- Seven kilometres of boardwalk - the village's entire street system.
- Built of guaitecas cypress - the timber the settlers came to cut.
- No vehicles inside - everything carried by hand.
- A road only since 2003 - before that, boats only.
When to go
December to March. A full day.
Honest expectations
Everything you bring you carry, up and down stairs, in rain - and it rains here most days. Accommodation is small guesthouses. The boardwalks are slippery. The spur road from the Carretera is long gravel.
Nearby
The Baker river runs in here; Villa O'Higgins is south at the road's end.
What to pack for Caleta Tortel
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.