Description of the attraction
The island archipelago Juan Fernandez is located in the Pacific Ocean, 670 km off the coast of Chile. The Spaniard Juan Fernandez first discovered these islands at the end of 1574. They were named Mas-a-Fuera, Mas-a-Tierra and Santa Clara. In 1966, the first two islands were renamed Alejandro Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe, respectively.
Robinson Crusoe Island became inhabited in 1877. The local population of the island is about 640 people. Almost everyone lives in the capital of San Juan Bautista and on the coast of the northern region of the island, in Cumberland Bay - they are engaged in sea fishing and serving tourists.
Santa Clara Island is home to 20 fishermen during the lobster fishing season from October to May.
The Juan Fernandez archipelago is visited by few tourists, because You can get to the island only by plane, waiting for its full load of 10 people. There is no airport here, only the runway, which is located on the Punta Truenos peninsula, and from there you have to sail on a small boat to San Juan Bautista for about two hours, or sail to the island on a ship that runs once a month, or cruise ship.
But this incredible and impressive trip is worth it if you are ecotourism or diving and your comfort is not your first priority. You can go fishing on a sightseeing boat, catch tuna, sea bass, lobster and horse mackerel. You can climb to the summits of Mirador de Selkirk or Cero El Yunque, 915 m high, to see the spectacular scenery around. You will see a very contrasting landscape: a deserted coast and bright emerald slopes, on which impassable vines, tall trees, ferns and all kinds of shrubs grow. These islands are inhabited by goats, which are named after the archipelago - the goats of Juan Fernandez. Previously, this subspecies of goats was domestic, and over time it became wild.
Currently, the Juan Fernandez archipelago is a biosphere reserve and is under the protection of UNESCO.
