Isla Teja

Valdivia’s many rivers weave around a large island, Isla Teja. The German settlers had built their homes and industries here. They even established a Deutscheschule, a German School. Since the 1960 earthquake and tidal wave, many of the families moved on. Some of their mansions have become museums, like the Museo R.A. Philippi and Museo Histórico y Antropológico Maurice van de Maele. The shattered Anwandter Brewery is now the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo.

Isla Teja is also where the main campus of the Universidad Austral de Chile is. Its Jardín Botánico along the banks of the Cau-Cau River is an enchanting get-away (daily 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Entry: free). Other parks on the isle are Parque Prochelle, which was the garden of the Prochelle Bottcher home (Tuesday-Sunday 8 a.m.-noon, 1-4:30 p.m. Entry: free), Parque Santa Inés and Parque Saval. Towards the southern point of Isla Teja are ruins from the quake. The road to Niebla and the coast cuts across the island. A full range of accommodations, from camping to yacht clubs, are on Tejas, as are banks, internet, restaurants and other services.