By Rebecca Wanger from Colby College
Between December 8th and 11th, we explored the small coastal town of Tortel. Tortel is a beautiful village sheltered between Chilean mountains, fjords, glaciers, and rivers (Río Baker, Río Huemeles, Río Pascua, and Río Bravo) about 110 km southwest of Cochrane. To the north, is Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael and to the south, Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins. Tortel hosts a total of 582 people (according to the 2023 census), all gathered around the coast despite its extensive area of 19,930 km2. It is also a popular tourist destination.
Picture of Tortel from the Boardwalk Photo Credit: Rebecca Wanger
The town was officially established in the year 1955 after settlers had already begun forging new economic opportunities from harvesting local Ciprés de las Guaítecas (Pilgerodendron uviferum), a gorgeous cypress that is endemic to the Valdivian temperate rainforest and Magellanic subpolar forests of southern Chile and Argentina. It was used and still is used primarily for building. According to local signage, the cypress is the most austral cypress in the world. It can reach 20 m tall, between 80-90 cm, and can live to be 500 years old.
The first day of our visit we arrived in the early afternoon. After checking into our hostel and unpacking, we went on a nature walk to visit the path, “Sendero ‘Flora Típica de Tortel,’ and familiarize ourselves with the local flora. This short boardwalk-based trail was along a small patch of Valdivian temperate rainforest in which the plants were labeled with their Spanish and scientific names. Notable species were the Ciprés de las Guaítecas, Tineo (Weinmannia trichosperma), and Chilca (Fuschia magellanica). We observed developing flowers, coming into bloom, such as the pink bell flowers of the Coicopihue (Philesia magellanica), and admired the flowers that had already bloomed, such as the beautiful red and purple flowers of the Chilca.
Kyle Miller and Harriet Winterer looking at plants on our Nature Walk Photo Credit: Rebecca Wanger
After our plant walk, we trekked down the long staircase of the boardwalk to visit the main board walk by the water inlet. The boardwalk trails the north side of the inlet for about 5 km and hosts restaurants, stores, gymnasiums, a public library, viewing areas, and houses that line its border. From the boardwalk, we could see how close all of the main features of town sat near the water’s edge. The proximity of people to the water and the signs for tsunami evacuations highlight the potential concern of water level rise given factors like climate change and how vulnerable they are to natural disasters. The coast of the town is well protected from intense weather because of the numerous islands and fjords that enclose the small inlet but given the limited road access and lack of stable ground, it is likely Tortel would not have the easiest recovery from rising sea levels.
Shoreline of Tortel with washed up boats on shore Photo Credit: Rebecca Wanger
During the walk on the boardwalk, to the right side of the boardwalk there were often steep rock faces covered in moss and lichen. These species are the early landscape pioneers that develop available resources for other plants, such as the ferns (Blechnum spp.), Cípres enano (Lepidothamnus fonckii), and the two insectivorous species of plants found on the rock face: Pinguicula antartica and Sundew (Drosera uniflora).
Sundew (Drosera uniflora) found on rock face by board walk Photo Credit: Rebecca Wanger
The next day we visited Dead Island or “Isla de Los Muertos”. A friend of Round River’s, Andy, picked us up by boat at a large dock at the center of the inlet. The boat ride was pleasant and smooth because the water was calm with little wind. There were gorgeous views of the forested coast, mountains, and houses.
Boat Ride to Isla de Los Muertos
Andy told us that the portion of town at the end of the peninsula from which Tortel extends to was where the original town was before they built the new part of town where we were staying, further inland. Boats used to be the primary mode of travel instead of the roads.
During the boat ride to the island, we learned about the geography of the area. There are four rivers that meet into the Pacific waters, including the Baker which is a large river for the region and brings a lot of water. Because the rivers’ freshwater meets the ocean’s salt water in these inlets, the water in the bay of Tortel is a brackish grayish green. The color also comes from the roots of the Tepú (Tepualia stipularis), which helps dye the water. The freshwater meeting the saltwater also creates a natural barrier for marine life.
We passed through a canal between the coast and islands, like Isla Morgan and Isla Teresa into Bajo Pisagua. We then entered where the Río Baker ends, south of Dead Island, whereby we docked on the island. The island, like many of the other islands in that area, is made of finer sediments that flowed down from the Baker. But despite the wet and sandy soil, the island has a diverse and densely vegetated landscape with a Valdivian temperate rainforest forest with species such as Canelo, Luma, Chilco, Nalca, Calafate, and Tineo and more open areas with a variety of rushes and grasses. The island is 90 km from the ocean, which according to Andy, takes five hours to get to.
Once on the island, Andy gave us a tour of the history of it and the area. The island is a national monument established in 2001 by the Ministry of Education because of its history in the area. Kawesquar lived in the area. Later, in 1898, the island and area were explored by Hans Steffen. Later, Chile placed homes in the area claiming the territory. Chile then gave the land to a businessman named Juan Batista in 1902 to increase economic opportunities in the area. He later gave the land to Mauricio Brown the following year, who brought in livestock. The reason the island is called Isla de Los Muertos is because about 120 men, who were sent to the island to collect Ciprés de las Guaítecas by the Baker Exploitation Society, were unfortunately not picked up from the island before the winter came. Sadly, many died as months went by without resupply or rescue. The few that survived were saved by a few brave souls who took a small boat to the rough Golfo de Penas, hoping a larger boat would find them. Luckily, one did. It was interesting to think about how important the Ciprés de las Guaítecas is an ecosystem service in Tortel to local culture, history, and resources, such as being the components of the boardwalks throughout the town.
Touring through Isla de Los Muertos with Andy Photo Credit: Rebecca Wanger
During the rest of the tour, we learned about the Nalca (Gunnera tinctoria) plant, otherwise known as Chilean rhubarb. It has large green reniform leaves connected to a wide green bumpy stem. We learned that its stem can be eaten, and the Mapuche used it to lower their blood pressure, a feature later confirmed by researchers. This highlights the further need to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Scientific Ecological Knowledge. The leaves were also later used for dyeing wool.
We returned to the mainland in the early afternoon. The rest of the trip was spent exploring the town and doing some academics. It was so fun to visit the small, beautiful coastal village of Tortel and experience the wonderful history and beauty it has to offer.