Robinson Crusoe Island

The Main Island Of The Juan Fernandez Archipelago, About 670 Km Off The Coast, Where Alexander Selkirk Was Marooned In 1704 1709; A National Park And UNESCO Biosphere Reserve · San Juan Bautista, Valparaiso

Robinson Crusoe Island is a jagged green volcanic island in the Pacific about 670 kilometres off the Chilean coast, the main island of the Juan Fernandez archipelago. Between 1704 and 1709 the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk lived here alone after being marooned, and his story is widely thought to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, which gave the island its name. The single village, San Juan Bautista, sits on Cumberland Bay, where a German warship was scuttled in 1915. The island is a national park and Biosphere Reserve because of its extraordinary endemic life: plants found nowhere else, the tiny Juan Fernandez firecrown hummingbird, and the Juan Fernandez fur seal, once hunted almost to extinction and now recovering on the rocky shores. Trails climb to the Mirador de Selkirk, the saddle where he watched for ships, and the diving and lobster are renowned. Getting here is an adventure: small planes land on a dirt strip at the other end of the island, followed by a boat ride, and flights are often delayed by weather. A tsunami struck the village in 2010.

San Juan Bautista, Isla Robinson Crusoe, Valparaiso, San Juan Bautista, Valparaiso, Chile

The island is reached by small aircraft from Santiago, which fly only in good weather and are often delayed, or by occasional supply boats. The village of San Juan Bautista has a handful of lodges and restaurants. Trails and boat trips depend on weather; most visitors come between October and April.

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