Among the world's 25 biodiversity hot spots, Parque Tantauco – created and owned by Chilean business magnate and former president Sebastián Piñera, and run by his foundation (Fundación Futura) – is a private nature reserve encompassing 130km of trails throughout 1180 sq km west of Quellón.
The park is home to native otters, Darwin foxes and pudús (small deer, indigenous to Chile), as well as both the world's largest mammal (blue whales) and its smallest marsupial (monito del monte or 'little mountain monkey'), and is a very worthwhile off-the-beaten-track find for hiking, camping and watching wildlife. Spending time here usually means you are isolated with nature, sharing air with way more Valdivian temperate rainforest than the North Face set (access is limited to eight trekkers per day).
