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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 house to the world’s first geodesic resort room. That’s proper, they had been first — and we are able to thank their affect for the a whole lot of dome motels which have sprung up everywhere in the world!
However greater than something, Ecocamp is a sustainable resort that really walks the stroll. Carbon impartial, utilizing sensible inexperienced know-how, and devoted to serving the area people.
One in all my readers advisable Ecocamp Patagonia to me after loving her keep, and once I received in contact with Ecocamp’s workers, we determined to work collectively. Altogether, Ecocamp supplied me and Charlie three comped nights in alternate for some protection; we paid for a fourth night time out of pocket.
Let’s check out this really fantastic place.
This put up was revealed 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 may hike straight from Ecocamp to the bottom of the towers, which I did in the future! (Extra on that beneath.)
And the complete place consists of geodesic domes: personal domes for sleeping, neighborhood domes that home the eating and bar areas, a yoga dome, a therapeutic massage dome, and all of the domes the place the workers reside!
Ecocamp walks the stroll in the case of sustainability, rather more than most sustainable lodging I’ve visited, and they’re dedicated to minimizing their environmental affect.
What does that imply? Ecocamp has been carbon impartial since 2007 and runs on renewable power generated by photo voltaic panels and micro-hydro generators from a close-by river.
Different sustainable practices embody utilizing composting bathrooms 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 attainable, and financially contributing to the preservation of Torres del Paine Nationwide Park.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLACE. Each night time, there are three-course meals, and every course has three choices, together with not less than one vegetarian and not less than one vegan. And the lunch buffet is totally vegetarian. I met a lot of vegetarians who selected Ecocamp for that reason.
Moreover, Ecocamp is a digital detox. There is no such thing as a wifi and no telephone sign, although there’s a pc with wired-in web for those who want it.
(Nevertheless, I ought to level out that wired-in web isn’t sensible these days — you may’t signal into most electronic mail suppliers anymore with out two-factor authentication, and if there’s no wifi, you may’t verify in your telephone that you just signed into an unfamiliar laptop computer.)
Ecocamp can solely be booked via Cascada Journey, and you’ll e book right here. It’s a bit complicated, however the package deal I did and advocate is Patagonia Wildlife Safari — a customizable itinerary of 4-7 days with every day excursions.
Domes at Ecocamp Patagonia
Within the resort that pioneered dome lodging, after all you’ll be staying in a dome! There are three sorts of domes to select from: normal dome, superior dome, or suite dome.
Normal domes are the fundamental choice, with beds however no toilet (there’s a shared toilet), no electrical shops, and no warmth, however a lot of blankets that may hold you heat all night time.
Superior domes have an ensuite toilet with a bathe, sink, and a composting rest room, in addition to electrical shops and a propane heater to remain toasty at night time.
Suite domes are prime tier, together with an ensuite toilet and trendy low-emission wooden range, native decorations, and much more area. Some suite domes are loft domes, which might 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 strain within the bathe, and the composting rest room was straightforward to make use of (although you do must hold reminding your self to not throw rest room paper in it!).
Each night time after we got here again from dinner, there was a fireplace burning within the wooden range. So cozy — however at instances a bit too heat! By the third night time, we lastly timed it proper, protecting 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 masks and advocate you convey one among your individual.
A Typical Day at Ecocamp Patagonia
Your day begins with a hearty breakfast, and also you’ll obtain your breakfast time the night time earlier than primarily based on the tour you’ve chosen. Most individuals eat round 8:00 AM. And for those who’d like, there’s an early yoga class you may be a part of.
After breakfast, you pack your lunch for the day. You’re given a reusable container to fill from the totally vegetarian lunch buffet — pastas, rice, quinoa patties, chickpeas and every kind of beans, eggs, cheeses (together with vegan cheeses), breads, and greens.
Additionally throughout breakfast, you make your alternatives from the three-course dinner menu for that night.
After which it’s time to go off in your tour! You may be mountaineering, monitoring wildlife, or on a ship journey. Extra on the three excursions I did beneath.
After you come back out of your tour, you might need time for a therapeutic massage (which I like to recommend reserving upfront — slots go shortly!). There’s additionally a every day eco-tour the place you may study how the resort operates behind the scenes and see their inexperienced know-how.
Simply earlier than dinner, it’s time to your every day briefing! Your tour leaders will inform you what time to satisfy in the neighborhood dome, and so they’ll go over the three excursions accessible for the next day. You’ll select tomorrow’s tour right now.
This additionally doubles as glad hour! You’ll get to get pleasure from a cocktail (Pisco bitter or calafate bitter!) and a few nibbles.
Then it’s meal time. The great factor is that you just’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 not less than one vegetarian choice and not less than one vegan choice for every course), and wine is served.
After which it’s time to go again to your dome for the night time. In case you’re staying in a set dome like we did, you’ll come house to a fireplace 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 just a few totally different excursions.
Every day has three tour choices, and there’s all the time one straightforward 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 “straightforward” tour at Ecocamp. We started our day with a two-hour drive to Lake Gray, stopping for pictures at just a few scenic viewpoints alongside the western lakes, then stopping at a resort for a espresso whereas the guides received our tickets. (And…the resort provides you half-hour of free wifi. FYI!)
We then set off for the boat on an extended stroll throughout a gravelly grey seaside. We had been fortunate to see an unlimited 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 way in which 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 received 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 massive grey seaside!
Is the Lake Gray tour price 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 giant glacier is much extra spectacular.
That, and earlier this 12 months I visited Eqi Glacier in Greenland by boat, which was way more putting — although I’m going to guess than 99.9% of holiday makers to Patagonia don’t go to Greenland earlier within the 12 months!
Hike to the Base of the Towers
Mountaineering to the bottom of Las Torres is essentially the most troublesome tour that Ecocamp affords. 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 straightforward means out — it’s essential to hike out the precise means you hiked in.
Even so, Charlie and I knew we wished to do it. That photograph of the tower base, the blue lake in entrance of the three jagged rock formations, is the last word Patagonia memento.
And man, this hike was TOUGH. There are such a lot of totally different phases.
There have been two Ecocamp guides with us, and we stayed collectively as a gaggle for nearly the complete hike (although Charlie and I, whereas not ridiculously gradual, had been in the back of the pack).
By the point we hit the refugio on the way in which again, aka the 75% marker, we break 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 gradual ones, the hike altogether took us about 9 hours.
Total, am I glad I did the Torres hike? Sure. I’m grateful for the expertise, and pleased with myself and Charlie for surviving it. However solely on reflection. It was actually robust on the time, and if I had been in worse form, it may have been depressing.
In case you’re on the fence concerning the Torres hike, discuss to your guides about whether or not or not you need to do it. They’re skilled guides and so they received’t pressure you to do one thing past your means.
Fauna Path
This was one other “straightforward” tour from Ecocamp, and this low-key hike was the proper restoration day after the extreme 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 study concerning the native natural world within the area from our guides. We even visited a rocky overhang with cave work relationship again greater than 6,000 years!
A number of the views on this hike had been completely stupendous. We noticed condors flying overhead, a lot 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 unlimited 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 price it? I might need been a bit underwhelmed if this was the one hike I did, nevertheless it was the PERFECT exercise to do the day after an intense hike.
Different Excursions
There are many different tour choices at Ecocamp. You may go horse driving at an estancia (ranch) close by; you may hike the difficult French Valley or the simple Sarmiento and Sarmiento Chico Lakes. You may observe wild horses and even pumas.
And may you select to not do any excursions? Positive. One lady I met was nursing a gentle harm and didn’t need to danger the Towers Base hike. As a substitute, she had a non-public yoga session, received a therapeutic massage, and did a sound bathtub.
What number of days at Ecocamp Patagonia is greatest?
I stayed at Ecocamp for 4 nights, which allowed three days of excursions. Truthfully, I might advocate that at the least.
Ecocamp just isn’t the sort of place the place you need to rush in and rush out — the magic is stepping 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 every week. That will ALSO be an superior alternative. You could possibly mix 5-7 days at Ecocamp with 5-7 days in El Calafate and El Chaltén in Argentina, and that makes a superb Patagonia itinerary!
get to Ecocamp Patagonia
Ecocamp Patagonia will choose 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 are going to convey you a field lunch to eat on the journey.
Charlie and I flew into Puerto Natales straight 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 select us up. After no person confirmed up, we known as the workplace and so they stated the van was late. From what they stated, this seems to be a uncommon incidence, however I actually want they’d emailed or texted us to tell us.
In case you’re touring onward to Argentine Patagonia, you might have solely two choices: an early morning carry to the bus station in Torres del Paine Nationwide Park (suppose round 6:00 AM), the place you may take a bus to the Argentine border and one other bus to El Calafate, or you may 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 worth was extremely excessive (round $800 USD). From El Calafate, you may take a bus to El Chaltén, or fly to Buenos Aires or Ushuaia.
Kate’s Suggestions for Ecocamp
In case you’re planning on visiting Ecocamp, listed below are just a few ideas I’ve:
Pack the proper mountaineering gear. What do you want?
You don’t must convey mountaineering poles — Ecocamp supplies these.
Learn via the excursions on the web site earlier than your journey, and select them tentatively upfront. I discover it simpler to retain info from studying moderately than listening, and a few of the Ecocamp guides, although pretty, went on lengthy tangents about trivialities of the excursions moderately than sticking to primary info like the issue of the mountaineering.
Get to breakfast a couple of minutes early, and pack your lunch first. We received this tip and it was tremendous useful! So good to make your lunch earlier than it will get crowded.
If you’d like a therapeutic massage, schedule one upfront. The slots go shortly, and you probably have an extended tour, it’s possible you’ll solely have the ability to make the ultimate slot of the day.
See for those who can fly into Puerto Natales. This may prevent two hours of driving moderately than flying into Punta Arenas.
Convey a sleep masks. This may enable you sleep when the solar rises at 5:30 AM!
Is Ecocamp Patagonia price it?
I believe Ecocamp Patagonia is immensely price 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 are feeling such as you’re experiencing one thing distinctive and memorable in the course of spectacular nature. They take sustainability severely. The meals is nice. And the workers are completely implausible.
What may very well be improved: Communication with company over pickup delays. I want we had obtained a “We’ll be there in half-hour” electronic mail or WhatsApp. That, and I discovered it arduous 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 concept.
Worth for cash: While you think about that that is an all-inclusive resort — frankly, you received’t spend cash on something moreover cocktails within the bar, massages, or gear within the store — I believe the worth is extraordinarily excessive. You get a novel place to remain, three wonderful 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. In case you dream of visiting Patagonia sometime, that is the sort of place that will provide you with a visit you’ll bear in mind without end.
Extra on Patagonia:
Extra on Chile:
Extra on South America:
Does Ecocamp Patagonia sound like your sort of place?
