Tales of mermaids, witches, trolls, and other mythical creatures and events are woven deeply into the ancient culture of our company’s island home. You won’t find those kinds of stories in most business plans. But it’s impossible to capture Secret Island’s true magic without summoning the spirit of the powers that have shaped the land and lives off the Chilean coast for thousands of years.
Those forces are no fantasy. Glaciers from the last ice age carved out the Gulf of Corcovado between Chile and the isle of Chiloé, sealing its “secret” destiny by placing it 30 miles out to sea. Our island and the smaller ones in the Chiloé Archipelago can be reached only by boat or plane. And though the glaciers have long retreated, the wild weather on our western shore reminds us that nature’s never very far away. You can hear its thunderous rumble regularly in the skies above and in the earthquakes and volcanoes that form the “Pacific Rim of Fire” that our island sits upon.
There’s no lack of natural drama inside of our borders either. From the blue whales that gather around the islet homes of penguins on the northwest coast, to the mountain ranges running north to south, to the rolling hills, fields, and forests scattered in between, Chiloé is a pastoral patchwork of verdant ecosystems. The sea nurtures this fertile framework at every turn. The waters of the Southern Pacific flow around and within the island through a rich array of peninsulas, inlets, straits, natural harbors, and bays.
The places where the weather meets these natural wonders are where Chiloé’s deepest secrets are born. Radiant rainbows in this watery world are as common as the sea mists that roll in. These banks of fog can transform the terrain in an instant. Sun-splashed woodlands turn into sunken forests, swallowed by the smokey veils that cling to the crests of hills and sheer sides of the peaks that float above.
The history of those living on Chiloé is as rich and varied as the island they’ve called home for centuries. Our local population is a unique mix of indigenous and European cultures shared by the descendants of the Mapuche and Chono peoples and the Spanish colonists who arrived here in the mid-16th century. Their definition of themselves as “Chilotes” first, Chileans second, reflects their well-earned status as a people apart. This proud population is united by the history of struggles and joys they’ve shared in their continuing collaborations to farm and fish the island’s gifts so they can thrive together.
That exclusive identity, however, contrasts sharply with the warm welcome you’re likely to find at this end of the world. And the Chilotes’ easy and open attitude informs our own as well. Whether you believe the purity and freshness of the fish raised in the seas around our Secret Island are born from mystical sources or more natural forces, we offer them in that same generous spirit—and with our appreciation for all that makes this land truly legendary.