An enchanting village like no other, Tortel sits in its own cove nestled in the Tortel Fjord deep in Chiles Patagonia. Situated between Chiles southern and northern icefields the village is overlooked by the Andes mountain range. Though now a tourist hotspot the commune was only connected by road to Chiles Carretera Austral in 2003. Previous to this the cove could solely be reached via sea or air, leaving it untouched by outsiders for decades.
What makes Caleta Tortel so special?
Tortel is built within the Cypress tree forests on the mountain side overlooking the Tortel Fjords. The Stilt wooden houses were adopted by Tortel having been brought by the settlers from Chiloe Island. The architecture hidden between tall cypress trees is not the only magical design of this rural community. Once reaching the edge of the village the rest can only be accessed by foot. Not only are there no vehicles permitted into the town, they can’t actually access it. Keeping to it’s heritage each building is connected by wooden boardwalks weaving you through the captivating settlement. It’s easy to get lost in the maze of wooden boardwalks encapsulated by the forest and spend the day finding hidden cafes and restaurants among the cypress trees.
Indigenous people of Tortel
The community was officially founded in 1955 but had been inhabited by Chiloets and Europeans for many decades before that. However, for thousands of years previous to the settlers arriving the land was occupied by the Kawesqar people. For more than 7000 years the nomadic Kawesqar people navigated the sea, fjords, rivers, and land from Tortel in the Aysen region all the way to Tierra del Fuego region in southern Patagonia. Using canoes they carved from the Cypress trees the seafarers explored the far reaches of Patagonia. Though in modern times the indigenous population has drastically declined the Kawesqar people do still exist and are recognised as one of the 11 indigenous peoples of Chile by Chilean law.
Dark History
Islas de los Muertos or the Island of the Dead is one of Tortels darkest moments. At the mouth of the Baker river lays a small island where a tragedy took place over a century ago. Around 200 men were shipped from Chiloe Island and assigned with a task to forge a route to the Chubut province in Argentina. This is no small task given today it is a 13 hour drive from Caleta Tortel. The months past and winter came, the men were stranded as no ship came to retrieve them. With no provisions arriving the labourers were left to fend for themselves, attempting to live off the land and consuming the rotting food. Soon a mysterious and fatal illness befell the desperate men, with up to 120 perishing. It wasn’t until the following year the surviving workmen were rescued from the isolated island.
To this day it is still unknown what mysterious illness enveloped the island. Though there are a few theories. Some believe scurvy took them or an illness from the rotten food. Other theories take a darker turn believing they may have been intentionally poisoned to avoid paying wages or possibly being poisoned by the indigenous Kawesqar people.
Bonus Fun Fact
Prince Harry spent three months working in Tortel during his gap year in late 2000. He lived in a local campsite and helped construct some wooden walkways. The Princes presence in the commune helped out Tortel on the tourist map.
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