Caleta Tortel is a coastal village in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

. It is the administrave center of the commune of Tortel

Tortel

Tortel is Chilean commune located at the outflow of Baker and Pascua River to the Pacific Ocean between the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Field...

 and is located between the mouth of the Baker River

Baker River (Chile)

The Baker River is a river located in the Aisén Region of the Chilean Patagonia. It is Chile's largest river in terms of volume of water. The river flows out of Bertrand Lake, which is fed by General Carrera Lake. It runs along the east side of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field and empties into the...

 and a small embayment of the Baker Channel

Baker Channel

Baker Channel, also known as Calen Inlet, is a channel of Chile located in the Aisén Region. The Baker River discharges into Martinez Inlet, the northern part of this large estuary. It penetrates the mainland about 75 mi and opens into Tarn Bay at the south-east corner of the Gulf of Penas...

. The surrounding geography is rugged, formed by a number of islands, fjords, channels and estuaries. The village was founded in 1955 to exploit the cypress (Pilgerodendron uviferum) wood that was abundant in the area. The timber business accounts for most of the economy in Tortel to this day. For most of its history the village had only air and boat access; the road was constructed only in 2003.

Caleta Tortel consists mainly of stilt house

Stilt house

Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...

s, typical of Chilota architecture

Chilota architecture

Chilotan architecture is a unique architectural style that is mainly restricted to the Chiloé Archipelago and neighboring areas of southern Chile...

, built along the coast for several kilometers. There are no conventional streets - instead there are wooden walkways. This gives the village its distinctive look.

There is one school in Caleta Tortel. Called La Escuela Comandante Luis Bravo Bravo, it runs up to 8th grade and has about 90 students total.

Boat tours to Jorge Montt Glacier

Jorge Montt Glacier

Jorge Montt Glacier is a tidewater glacier located in the Aisén Region of Chile, south of the town of Caleta Tortel. It lies at the north end of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, within Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. The mouth of Pascua River is located in the vicinity of the glacier calving...

 and other places are available from the village. The village is served by a nearby Río Bravo Airport; the airstrip is 600m long and 23m wide.

See also

• Northern Patagonian Ice Field
  Northern Patagonian Ice Field
  The Northern Patagonian Ice Field, located in southern Chile, is the smaller of two remnant parts in which the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Andes Mountains of lower South America can be divided. It is completely contained within the boundaries of Laguna San Rafael National Park...
  
  
• Southern Patagonian Ice Field
  Southern Patagonian Ice Field
  The Southern Patagonian Ice Field , located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Argentina and Chile, is the second largest contiguous extrapolar extent of ice in the world...
  
  
• Guayaneco Archipelago
  Guayaneco Archipelago
  The Guayaneco Archipelago is an archipelago in southern Chile . It was heavily glaciated during the most recent ice age. These glaciers dissected these mountain islands into a series of deep river valleys and glacial troughs. Today these glacial troughs are deep channels and fjords...
  
  
• http://lavozdetortel.patagones.cl La Voz de Tortel