Isla Huapi
Some 20% of Chile's 1.4 million indigenous Mapuche live on reducciones, or reservations. One of the most welcoming communities is this settlement of Mapuche and Huilliches on Isla Huapi, a leafy island in the middle of deep-blue Lago Ranco. A boat departs from Futrono, on the northern shore of the lake, at 7:30 am every day except Thursday, returning at 4 pm. The pastoral quiet of Isla Huapi is broken once a year in January or February with the convening of the island council, in conjunction with the Lepún harvest festival. You are welcome during the festival, but be courteous and unobtrusive with your camera.
