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Staying at Ecocamp Patagonia was the largest spotlight of my monthlong honeymoon in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. I fully adored this place, and it made my time in Chilean Patagonia extremely memorable.
Ecocamp Patagonia is residence to the world’s first geodesic resort room. That’s proper, they had been first — and we will thank their affect for the tons of of dome inns which have sprung up all around the world!
However greater than something, Ecocamp is a sustainable resort that truly walks the stroll. Carbon impartial, utilizing good inexperienced know-how, and devoted to serving the local people.
One among my readers advisable Ecocamp Patagonia to me after loving her keep, and after I bought in contact with Ecocamp’s employees, we determined to work collectively. Altogether, Ecocamp supplied me and Charlie three comped nights in change for some protection; we paid for a fourth evening out of pocket.
Let’s check out this actually great place.
This publish was printed in February 2024, primarily based on a December 2023 keep.
Ecocamp Patagonia
Ecocamp Patagonia is situated near the guts of Torres del Paine Nationwide Park in Chile. It’s so shut, you’ll be able to hike instantly from Ecocamp to the bottom of the towers, which I did in the future! (Extra on that under.)
And your complete place consists of geodesic domes: non-public domes for sleeping, group domes that home the eating and bar areas, a yoga dome, a therapeutic massage dome, and all of the domes the place the employees stay!
Ecocamp walks the stroll in the case of sustainability, way more than most sustainable lodging I’ve visited, and they’re dedicated to minimizing their environmental influence.
What does that imply? Ecocamp has been carbon impartial since 2007 and runs on renewable vitality generated by photo voltaic panels and micro-hydro generators from a close-by river.
Different sustainable practices embrace utilizing composting bogs and a biofiltration system to assist replenish the soil; providing solely biodegradable cleaning soap and shampoo; and heating the domes via sun-exposed ceiling home windows.
After which there’s Ecocamp’s social dedication: they’re devoted to sourcing native produce, shopping for from their neighbors every time doable, and financially contributing to the preservation of Torres del Paine Nationwide Park.
In case you are vegetarian or vegan, YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLACE. Each evening, there are three-course meals, and every course has three choices, together with at the very least one vegetarian and at the very least one vegan. And the lunch buffet is fully vegetarian. I met a number of vegetarians who selected Ecocamp for that reason.
Moreover, Ecocamp is a digital detox. There isn’t any wifi and no cellphone sign, although there’s a pc with wired-in web in the event you want it.
(Nevertheless, I ought to level out that wired-in web isn’t sensible these days — you’ll be able to’t signal into most e-mail suppliers anymore with out two-factor authentication, and if there’s no wifi, you’ll be able to’t verify in your cellphone that you simply signed into an unfamiliar laptop computer.)
Ecocamp can solely be booked via Cascada Journey, and you can book here. It’s a bit complicated, however the package deal I did and suggest is Patagonia Wildlife Safari — a customizable itinerary of 4-7 days with day by day excursions.
Domes at Ecocamp Patagonia
Within the resort that pioneered dome lodging, in fact you’ll be staying in a dome! There are three sorts of domes to select from: normal dome, superior dome, or suite dome.
Customary domes are the essential choice, with beds however no toilet (there’s a shared toilet), no electrical retailers, and no warmth, however a number of blankets that may hold you heat all evening.
Superior domes have an ensuite toilet with a bathe, sink, and a composting bathroom, in addition to electrical retailers and a propane heater to remain toasty at evening.
Suite domes are high tier, together with an ensuite toilet and fashionable low-emission wooden range, native decorations, and much more area. Some suite domes are loft domes, which may sleep 4 individuals and are perfect for households.
Charlie and I stayed in a set dome. Right here’s a take a look at it:
I used to be impressed by the ample sizzling water and good water stress within the bathe, and the composting bathroom was simple to make use of (although you do have to hold reminding your self to not throw bathroom paper in it!).
Each evening once we got here again from dinner, there was a hearth burning within the wooden range. So cozy — however at occasions a little bit too heat! By the third evening, we lastly timed it proper, conserving the home windows open till we went to sleep.
One disadvantage: There was a LOT of sunshine within the morning from the facet home windows, which had no curtains. We visited in early December, when the solar rises at 5:30 AM (thanks, southern hemisphere). I used a sleep mask and suggest you deliver considered one of your individual.
A Typical Day at Ecocamp Patagonia
Your day begins with a hearty breakfast, and also you’ll obtain your breakfast time the evening earlier than primarily based on the tour you’ve chosen. Most individuals eat round 8:00 AM. And in the event you’d like, there’s an early yoga class you’ll be able to be part of.
After breakfast, you pack your lunch for the day. You’re given a reusable container to fill from the fully vegetarian lunch buffet — pastas, rice, quinoa patties, chickpeas and all types of beans, eggs, cheeses (together with vegan cheeses), breads, and greens.
Additionally throughout breakfast, you make your picks from the three-course dinner menu for that night.
After which it’s time to move off in your tour! You could be mountaineering, monitoring wildlife, or on a ship journey. Extra on the three excursions I did under.
After you come out of your tour, you might need time for a therapeutic massage (which I like to recommend reserving prematurely — slots go rapidly!). There’s additionally a day by day eco-tour the place you’ll be able to find out about how the resort operates behind the scenes and see their inexperienced know-how.
Simply earlier than dinner, it’s time to your day by day briefing! Your tour leaders will inform you what time to fulfill in the neighborhood dome, they usually’ll go over the three excursions accessible for the next day. You’ll select tomorrow’s tour right now.
This additionally doubles as joyful hour! You’ll get to take pleasure in a cocktail (Pisco bitter or calafate bitter!) and a few nibbles.
Then it’s meal time. The great factor is that you simply’ll be sitting along with your companions from the tour that day — so that you’ve already gotten to know one another a bit (and positively have stuff to speak about).
The dinner is three programs with three choices for every course (together with at the very least one vegetarian choice and at the very least one vegan choice for every course), and wine is served.
After which it’s time to move again to your dome for the evening. If you happen to’re staying in a set dome like we did, you’ll come residence to a hearth within the wooden range. And the it’s off to mattress, as a result of your physique wants relaxation after a day within the nice outside!
Excursions at Ecocamp Patagonia
I used to be at Ecocamp Patagonia for 4 nights and three full days, which was the proper period of time to check out a number of completely different excursions.
Every day has three tour choices, and there’s all the time one simple tour accessible.
My three excursions had been: Lake Gray and Gray Glacier boat journey, mountaineering to the Base of the Towers, and the Fauna Path.
Lake Gray and Gray Glacier Boat Journey
This was labeled as an “simple” tour at Ecocamp. We started our day with a two-hour drive to Lake Gray, stopping for images at a number of scenic viewpoints alongside the western lakes, then stopping at a resort for a espresso whereas the guides bought our tickets. (And…the resort offers you half-hour of free wifi. FYI!)
We then set off for the boat on a protracted stroll throughout a gravelly grey seaside. We had been fortunate to see an infinite blue and white iceberg within the water, which had damaged off the glacier earlier.
From there, we hopped on the boat to start the Lake Gray navigation, ate our field lunches, and loved a complimentary cocktail.
Alongside the best way we picked up hikers doing the W Trek — this boat journey doubles as native transportation — and we sailed proper as much as the glacier. I’ve by no means been so near calving ice earlier than! We even bought to see some fairly waterfalls.
This tour was a very nice introduction to Patagonia, and although it was a simple tour, there was a surprisingly lengthy stroll throughout that vast grey seaside!
Is the Lake Gray tour value it? I believe it’s, for most individuals. Nevertheless, I ought to level out that this glacier doesn’t evaluate to Perito Moreno Glacier in close by El Calafate, Argentina. That big glacier is way extra spectacular.
That, and earlier this yr I visited Eqi Glacier in Greenland by boat, which was way more placing — although I’m going to guess than 99.9% of tourists to Patagonia don’t go to Greenland earlier within the yr!
Hike to the Base of the Towers
Climbing to the bottom of Las Torres is essentially the most troublesome tour that Ecocamp presents. The hike takes 8-10 hours, it’s a 22 km hike out and again (13.6 miles), and has 1200 meters elevation achieve (4000 toes). Moreover, there’s no simple means out — it is advisable to hike out the precise means you hiked in.
Even so, Charlie and I knew we needed to do it. That picture of the tower base, the blue lake in entrance of the three jagged rock formations, is the final word Patagonia memento.
And man, this hike was TOUGH. There are such a lot of completely different levels.
There have been two Ecocamp guides with us, and we stayed collectively as a bunch for nearly your complete hike (though Charlie and I, whereas not ridiculously sluggish, had been behind the pack).
By the point we hit the refugio on the best way again, aka the 75% marker, we cut up up into two teams and Charlie and I did a slower-paced hike again with our information Anaïs. This was the purpose the place my toes and knees actually began to harm.
Nonetheless, regardless of being the sluggish ones, the hike altogether took us about 9 hours.
Total, am I joyful I did the Torres hike? Sure. I’m grateful for the expertise, and pleased with myself and Charlie for surviving it. However solely looking back. It was actually powerful on the time, and if I had been in worse form, it might have been depressing.
If you happen to’re on the fence in regards to the Torres hike, discuss to your guides about whether or not or not it’s best to do it. They’re knowledgeable guides they usually gained’t drive you to do one thing past your capability.
Fauna Path
This was one other “simple” tour from Ecocamp, and this low-key hike was the proper restoration day after the extraordinary Torres hike. Altogether we hiked for just some hours throughout “Patagonian flat” landscapes (light up and down).
All through the hike we stopped often to be taught in regards to the native natural world within the area from our guides. We even visited a rocky overhang with cave work courting again greater than 6,000 years!
A few of the views on this hike had been completely stupendous. We noticed condors flying overhead, a number of cool geese, and the guanacos posed for us like they had been in a postcard!
After the hike, we drove to Cascada Rio Paine, an infinite waterfall with the towers cheekily peeking out behind it, and loved an impromptu picnic, with tasty snacks and native beers along with our packed lunches.
Is the flora hike value it? I might need been a bit underwhelmed if this was the one hike I did, but it surely was the PERFECT exercise to do the day after an intense hike.
Different Excursions
There are many different tour choices at Ecocamp. You possibly can go horse driving at an estancia (ranch) close by; you’ll be able to hike the difficult French Valley or the straightforward Sarmiento and Sarmiento Chico Lakes. You possibly can observe wild horses and even pumas.
And might you select to not do any excursions? Certain. One woman I met was nursing a light harm and didn’t wish to danger the Towers Base hike. As a substitute, she had a non-public yoga session, bought a therapeutic massage, and did a sound tub.
What number of days at Ecocamp Patagonia is finest?
I stayed at Ecocamp for 4 nights, which allowed three days of excursions. Truthfully, I might suggest that at least.
Ecocamp is just not the sort of place the place it’s best to rush in and rush out — the magic is entering into the routine, attending to know your guides and fellow vacationers, and having fun with the digital detox.
I met some company who had been staying at Ecocamp Patagonia for per week. That will ALSO be an superior selection. You possibly can mix 5-7 days at Ecocamp with 5-7 days in El Calafate and El Chaltén in Argentina, and that makes a wonderful Patagonia itinerary!
Methods to get to Ecocamp Patagonia
Ecocamp Patagonia will decide you up from the closest airports: Puerto Natales (two hours away, with restricted flights) and Punta Arenas (4 hours away, however with extra flight choices). They may deliver you a field lunch to eat on the journey.
Charlie and I flew into Puerto Natales instantly from Puerto Montt (close to the place we had been staying in Puerto Varas).
Sadly, that is the place we had a snafu: Ecocamp was not there to choose us up. After no one confirmed up, we referred to as the workplace they usually stated the van was late. From what they stated, this seems to be a uncommon prevalence, however I actually want they’d emailed or texted us to tell us.
If you happen to’re touring onward to Argentine Patagonia, you could have solely two choices: an early morning raise to the bus station in Torres del Paine Nationwide Park (suppose round 6:00 AM), the place you’ll be able to take a bus to the Argentine border and one other bus to El Calafate, or you’ll be able to e book a non-public switch that takes you the entire means.
Charlie and I booked a non-public switch to El Calafate, and the value was extremely excessive (round $800 USD). From El Calafate, you’ll be able to take a bus to El Chaltén, or fly to Buenos Aires or Ushuaia.
Kate’s Ideas for Ecocamp
If you happen to’re planning on visiting Ecocamp, listed here are a number of suggestions I’ve:
Pack the fitting mountaineering gear. What do you want?
You don’t have to deliver mountaineering poles — Ecocamp supplies these.
Learn via the excursions on the web site earlier than your journey, and select them tentatively prematurely. I discover it simpler to retain data from studying reasonably than listening, and a number of the Ecocamp guides, although beautiful, went on lengthy tangents about trivialities of the excursions reasonably than sticking to primary data like the problem of the mountaineering.
Get to breakfast a couple of minutes early, and pack your lunch first. We bought this tip and it was tremendous useful! So good to make your lunch earlier than it will get crowded.
If you need a therapeutic massage, schedule one prematurely. The slots go rapidly, and in case you have an extended tour, it’s possible you’ll solely have the ability to make the ultimate slot of the day.
See in the event you can fly into Puerto Natales. This can prevent two hours of driving reasonably than flying into Punta Arenas.
Deliver a sleep mask. This can provide help to sleep when the solar rises at 5:30 AM!
Is Ecocamp Patagonia value it?
I believe Ecocamp Patagonia is immensely value it. That is the most effective place Charlie and I stayed on our monthlong South American honeymoon, and we’ve been speaking it as much as everybody we’ve met since.
The nice: That is an extremely particular property that makes you’re feeling such as you’re experiencing one thing distinctive and memorable in the midst of spectacular nature. They take sustainability critically. The meals is nice. And the employees are completely implausible.
What may very well be improved: Communication with company over pickup delays. I want we had acquired a “We’ll be there in half-hour” e-mail or WhatsApp. That, and I discovered it onerous to schedule within the eco-tour and a therapeutic massage when so many excursions ran late. Some guides weren’t as clear as others when explaining the excursions. I believe having rentable sleep masks can be an awesome thought.
Worth for cash: Whenever you consider that that is an all-inclusive resort — frankly, you gained’t spend cash on something in addition to cocktails within the bar, massages, or gear within the store — I believe the worth is extraordinarily excessive. You get a singular place to remain, three glorious meals per day, and a full tour every day with transportation and educated guides — plus free pickup and drop-off at close by airports and bus stations.
Total, I adored my keep right here, and I’m recommending it to everybody planning a Patagonia journey. If you happen to dream of visiting Patagonia sometime, that is the sort of place that gives you a visit you’ll bear in mind eternally.
Extra on Patagonia:
Extra on Chile:
Extra on South America:
Does Ecocamp Patagonia sound like your sort of place?
