Tenaún

About 27 kilometers south of Quemchi [1] and 37 kilometers east of Dalcahue [2] via gravel roads, tiny Tenaún is a remote fishing village with an attractive waterfront park, opposite Isla Mechuque. Its 19th-century church, regrettably, seems to be riding a wave—the floors, walls, and columns are all out of plumb, the foundations are sagging precariously, and the next earthquake or tsunami seems likely to knock it to the ground. In the 1920s, locals replaced its alerce shingles with galvanized iron cladding. To visit the interior, which has a small ecclesiastical museum, ask for the keys at the house across the street, next to the fire station.

Affiliated with the Red de Agroturismo, the recommended and inexpensive Hospedaje Vásquez Montaña (tel. 099/6476750, US$13 pp) is just east of the church. Its four rooms, sharing baths with hot water, sleep a maximum of seven people; the proprietors also have their own launch for excursions to Isla Mechuque, which has a church worth visiting.

From Quemchi [1], it’s necessary to drive or hitch to Tenaún, but there are buses from Castro [3]’s rural bus terminal.