Travel Blog Joao Cajuda

Ecocamp Patagonia

Ecocamp Patagonia
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Located in the green valleys with a privileged view to the famous Torres de Paine, the Ecocamp is the ideal place for you to stay when visiting this beautiful park. The hotel is set discreetly in the nature, the dome rooms (inspired by the architecture of the ancestral Kaweskar tribe) are surrounded by green scenery that blends perfectly with the domes. In fact when you look from far away you can hardly see the hotel.

The Ecocamp is one of the most special hotels I have been, the whole philosophy of the hotel is oriented towards nature and its main purpose is to wrap its guests in it without giving up the small luxuries such as having a comfortable bed and a glass of wine near the fireplace. Believe in me, is all that you want after a day of trekking.

Ecocamp is one of the most nature-friendly resorts, yet it manages to be one of the most luxurious in the area. All products used are biodegradable, including the shampoo and shower gel that they provide. The bathrooms have their own decomposition system and the use of paper, plastic and other non-organic materials is very limited. All the garbage produced is taken and recycled in the nearest town of Punta Arenas.

There are 4 types of rooms, I stayed in the Dome Suite, the room is quite spacious with 28m2. The tents are made of wood, metal and covered in green plastic making them very resistant to the cold and the strong winds of Patagonia. Guests can see all the splendor of nature through the huge windows overlooking the mountains.

The bed is very comfortable. The room has a private toilet with shower and with propane gas heater, a reading space with fireplace near the window and a balcony with chairs… The decoration was obviously inspirited in the Patagonia style. Electricity in the domes is limited and some machines like hair dryer can not be used; although is ok to charge computers and cameras.

The hotel also has 4 community domes, guest lounge areas where you will find a small reading lounge, a second lounge with an incredible bar and two dining areas as well as an open space with sofas to enjoy the magnificent views over the park .

The hotel offers several tours in the park that are chosen the day before and whose briefing is given by the instructors in the bar lounge. Breakfast is taken at the chosen trekking table in the company of the other guests who will take that tour. Dinner is chosen in advance, during breakfast, depending on the various options that are listed in the menu of the day. After breakfast, each guest prepares their lunch and snacks to take on the tour. There is a huge table with various types of bread and ingredients for you to make wonderful sandwiches, you can also take fruits, cereal bars and chocolates. Water is also provided by the hotel, but since they don’t use plastic it is necessary to bring your own thermos bottles to carry the water. You can then refill the bottle in the clear rivers of the park. All meals are included.

It is interesting this concept, we end up feeling that we were in a friends house, where you have the freedom to take do your own meals, to arrive from a tiring but invigorating day in nature and have the dinner in the warm dome, and later have a drink in the lounge and share with the other guests the adventures of the day!

The hotel also has a dome dedicated to Yoga, where every morning classes are offered before the tours, both for beginners and for pros. Anyone can even hire an instructor for private lessons.

There are several tours led by experienced instructors, almost all are included in the package. I made two, to Cierro Paine viewpoint and the French Valley. Cierro Paine has the best view overlooking the Torres del Paine, it is a fairly steep ascent of 1000m. It is hard, but it worth the view, as you can see in the photos. It’s about 7 hours to go back and forth and it’s right next to the hotel. The French valley is one of the most beautiful trails that can be done in the park, after an hour’s drive where we had the opportunity to see not one or two but three Pumas! The instructors were crazy with enthusiasm, is like winning the lottery here… Such an incredible animal. We took a 30 minute boat ride overlooking some of the park’s most incredible scenery. Then it follows a walk of more than 14 km (go and return) in different natural environments. It is a very beautiful walk and I recommend to all of you… not difficult, the terrain is quite flat and passes through waterfalls, rivers, dense forest, lakes, glaciers, all in a day of adventure.

For those who are thinking of visiting Torres Del Paine, I recommend Ecocamp for everything it represents, for the good environment it has, for its organization, location and comfort.

Watch the video I did during my stay at Ecocamp Patagonia!

Connect with Ecocamp Patagonia

Bookings:

www.ecocamp.travel/en