Covering 45,559 hectares (110,000 acres), the Patagonian island of Traiguén is 7 times larger than New York’s Manhattan Island.
Almost 163 kilometers of coastline, 1,556 hectares of lakes and lagoons, and 17,889 hectares of forest: this “virgin” corner of paradise in the Guaitecas archipelago in Chile is currently up for sale… for a modest sum of 35 million dollars.
“Wildlife exists untouched as it was thousands of years ago. Patagonia’s diverse ecosystem makes it resilient to rapid environmental change,” describes the ad on the website of the American real estate agency Hall & Hall.
To get there, the future owner will have to reach Santiago airport before taking a flight to Balmaceda, completing the final stretch of the journey by boat or helicopter.
An ecological marvel
The broker in charge of the sale claims that “the conservation and stewardship opportunities here are equally unprecedented. “The acquisition of the Virgin Island presents an opportunity to preserve an ecological marvel while simultaneously contributing to the environment in a meaningful and ecological manner.”
Traiguén Island is currently owned by Eduardo Ergas, a commercial engineer from the University of Santiago, director of Ecocopter S.A., a Chilean helicopter company, and president of the EcoScience foundation, an inclusive educational program aiming to bring science closer to children in rural areas.
According to information from Diario Financiero, following their interview with Ergas in 2019, the current owner bought the island from the army for 1.5 billion Chilean pesos in 2008 or almost 1.5 million dollars (between 2.5 and 3.5 million dollars in 2008) through the Ecocopter company. The engineer aimed to protect the Darwin’s frog, a nearly extinct species of amphibian that had been discovered in the region.
“When I bought this island nearly 12 years ago, these amphibians were on the brink of extinction and I wanted to protect them. Over time, we discovered that the causes of their disappearance were beyond our control, and that there was nothing we could do to stop it,” said Ergas. According to some studies, a fatal amphibian skin disease is responsible for their disappearance.
“In the twelve years we’ve owned the island, we have protected and conserved it. It is pristine,” stated Ergas, before adding that if the sale of Traiguén Island was finalized, “the money would be reinvested in conservation, at a time when the Earth is experiencing a great crisis.”
Not a completely “virgin” island
Traiguén Island is not, in fact, a completely “virgin” island. When Ergas acquired it in 2008, he had to confront the Nahuelquín-Delgado, a local indigenous community of around 40 people.
The island’s owner assured that relations with the Nahuelquín-Delgado community are very good. “We have a contractual agreement for them to live there and enjoy several hundred hectares. In addition, they have been excellent partners in the ecological care of the area,” he explained.
In August 2023, the Regional Commission for Coastal Use approved the granting of 264 hectares of sea to enable the Nahuelquín-Delgado community to preserve its ancestral customs. The question that lingers is whether the new owners will show respect for this almost untouched corner of nature and its inhabitants.
Islands for sale
Buying an island is much more common than one might imagine, and the practice is not exclusive to billionaires. In 2022, a small, uninhabited Scottish island made headlines when an advertisement appeared for its sale… at the price of a Parisian two-room apartment. Located 50 kilometers from Glasgow, this 11-hectare stretch of land was looking for a new owner for the modest sum of 417,000 euros (450,000 dollars), including the accompanying lighthouse.
On the other side of the Atlantic, one can buy a small island for 100,000 dollars. Situated east of Canada, in the province of Nova Scotia, Leader Island offers an unbeatable deal. Priced lower than an apartment in a major capital city, this island is conveniently located 45 minutes from the city of Halifax and can be reached by canoe from the mainland.
