Corral

On the south shores of Bahía de Corral is the village of Corral. Here, history and nature are prime attractions, with ruins of Spanish fortresses alongside beaches for swimming and fishing. In town, was one of the major Spanish forts, Castillo San Sebastián de la Cruz, built in 1645 by orders of Virrey Conde de Castelar and enlarged 1764-1767. Wildflowers now grow on its stone walls. On the upper level remain three guard turrets and a dozen cannons. On the lower level, several tunnels lead to the beach. A sign designates the maximum height of the May 1960 tidal wave, which reached 10 meters (325 feet). (April-October: Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., November-March: Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Entry: adults $1.20, university students with ID and seniors $0.60; free on Wednesday).

From Corral, a road goes along the coast past ruins of an iron mill, a testimony of Chile’s industrial revolution. It was destroyed in the 1960 quake and tsunami. This camino continues to the coastal villages Amargos (2 kilometers / 1.2 miles), San Carlos (5 kilometers / 3 miles) Los Liles (12 kilometers / 7.2 miles, hostels, restaurants), Chaihuín (27 kilometers / 16.2 miles, hostels, camping, restaurants) and Huiro (30 kilometers / 18 miles). At Amargos and San Carlos are other Spanish fortalezas. Near Chaihuín is the new newest gem in Chile's national park network, Parque Nacional Alerce Costero, a 20,000-hectare area protecting a coastal alerce forest.

Corral has a basic tourism infrastructure. At the dock is a tourism information kiosk that is open only in summer. At other times of the year, stop by the Municipalidad (Esmeralda s/n, Tel.: 33-3543, E-mail: turismo_corral@yahoo.es, URL: www.municipalidadcorral.cl). At the city hall is an ATM (MasterCard, Cirrus). The town also has internet, a photo supply shop, grocery shops and restaurants. In terms of lodging, Cabañas Camping El Morrito has 30 sites with potable water, hot showers, aquatic sport equipment rental, electricity, laundry, mini-market and grills (Ensenada San Juan, Tel.: 21-9862, E-mail: empresamg@surnet.cl; $ 28 camping, $80 cabaña for six persons). In Corral village is Hospedaje Mariel (Tarapacá 36, Tel.: 47-1290; $10 per person).

(Altitude: 282 meters / 917 feet, Population: 5463, Phone Code: 063)

Location:
Near Valdivia, Valdivia, Chile

Other Activity

Getting There
Boat ferries leave from the dock just before Niebla (every 20 minutes 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m., $1.60). From Corral, the boat leaves for Isla Mancera ($1.20) and onward to Niebla. A 75-kilometer (45-mile) overland route from Valdivia also exists. Off Ruta 5 south

Relative price: Budget

Travel Skills: None

Currencies accepted
Chilean Peso

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began traipsing throughout...

Created: 10 Jun 2009

Updated: 24 Jun 2009

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