In mid-Feb I was able to book a last-minute 6night/5day Wildlife Safari shared standard dome in early March 2020. Customer Service answered all my questions and helped make it an easy decision. The arrangement for pick-up and delivery to EcoCamp was cake. Staff at the Puerto Natales office were kind and informative, then lunch in Puerto Natales was a tasty start along with my 2nd dessert at the gelato shop next door to the office. Once at EcoCamp each night guests are given the choice of 3 different hikes the following day and I was pleased with each choice - including the horse tracking (amazing location to see a different side of the park and lots of great information) and Base Towers (of course a must do). The staff that went out on the hikes each day were very informative regarding the history, flora, fauna, trails, etc wherever we were. I was not expecting the sheer volume and quality of the food! The chocolate lava-style muffins, the wonderful variety of vegetarian choices, the homemade granola bars and trail mix each day, the chocolate for the daily hikes! A couple days I even downsized my packed lunch or dinner because I simply was not able to eat anymore, regardless of the constant movement on some hikes. As expected, the weather was spotty - first clear skies and nearly hot then cloudy skies, windy, rainy and cool then just clouds and mild temperature and finally sunny and warm temperature. The fact that I was in T del P made me appreciate each day and take a moment to enjoy the colors of sunrise and sunset when I could catch them. As someone who is unable to undertake the W or O treks staying in T del P nat'l park, being at EcoCamp with the location, ambiance, eco-friendly business model, food, support and daily hikes was the perfect splurge for gorgeous Patagonia! Feedback for improvement: - the clothes/towel drying area in the community bathroom dome didn't warm up enough over multiple days to dry anything so I discreetly took my items to the yoga dome overnight since that is kept warm. And it did the trick! - The yoga class times didn't coordinate well with hike morning departure and late-afternoon/evening return times. I was able to make a couple classes with 2 different instructors and both of the classes were enjoyable. Depending on group size, hike chosen and your own speed you may be able to attend more classes. I found it nearly impossible to attend the morning offerings pre-breakie and hike departure. Then I didn't always get back to camp on time for evening offerings. - It would be nice if the employees (and even the guests) wore name tags (reusable and eco-friendly of course). First name and maybe even home town/country. I tried my best to remember everyone's name but due to the number of people I met at EcoCamp and the revolving faces of employees and guests I didn't do very good.…
An excellent base from which to explore the Torres del Paine. We stayed in a standard dome which was very comfortable in this season and only a short distance from the well-arranged ablutions block. Meals were generous and really delicious, and the evening pisco sours a real highlight. We had the 5-day stay, which involved 3 days of walking the W-Trek in a group of 5 walkers plus our guide, Danny, who was great fun, had a wealth of information (on the local flora, fauna, geology, geomorphology, history...) and was always considerate of our comfort and safety. One night was spent at the Refugio Paine Grande which, while not as luxurious as Ecocamp (it has dormitory accommodation), was comfortable enough, with adequate (rather than delectable) meals. The treks I would grade as moderate only because they were long (full-day) walks, but the tracks were dry and not difficult to negotiate. We were very fortunate in not striking the infamous Patagonian winds. The sole negative was that, catering very much for the American visitor, Ecocamp does that thing where there is a strong expectation to tip: it is suggested to you who will be tipped and by how much. As the "suggestions" are very generous, allow a few hundred $US for this at the end of your stay. (This practice is best left in North America, as it is offensive to people from other cultures, who would prefer to decide who to tip and by how much - and to be able to make a real statement of appreciation for excellent service by giving a large tip, something which is difficult to do when a tip is prescription.)…
Unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to stay at Ecocamp because we had to cancel our trip due to COVID-19. The Ecocamp customer service was great and allowed us a full refund. We can't wait to reschedule a stay in the future.
We were a group of 8 who were celebrating rather big birthdays and what a great place to welcome in a new decade. We all stayed in the superior domes and while we initially booked these for the inclusion of the woodstove, the weather was quite warm and it wasn’t even needed. That said, it was wonderful to have your own bathroom and the hot shower was a nice luxury. We washed out some clothes in the shower and hung them a few feet above the radiator in the bathroom and although it was turned off there seem to be enough heat to dry the clothes by morning, which was very nice to be able to do. The camp is very ecologically minded with waste composting, water reclamation and special domes that retain heat. We were very impressed with their sustainable philosophy and appreciated their environmental philosophy Because the domes retain heat, we recommend that if you go during warmer days, you open your windows before going to dinner and the domes will cool down nicely before bed. The rooms were cozy and very comfortable with a large viewing window in front of the bed. Some domes have better views than others, but even just looking at the stars from your bed before falling asleep is wonderful. We did the four day W hike and had two guides for our party of eight. They were very informative and great fun. Carlos and Jose knew the history of the park, the flora and fauna as well as when we needed to stop to takeoff layers because we were approaching a long uphill section or when to put on layers because we were entering a more exposed area. They even told us the best places on the trail for “facili-trees” and where we would be able to refill our water bottles. We stayed at 2 refugios on the trail...Los Cuernos and Paine Grande. If it’s available we recommend that you try to book the cabinas at Los Cuernos because you can have your own place to sleep and you’re not sharing a room with other people. Also you have a small porch with a great view of the lake. Also, there are a few cabinas next to a large waterfall that would be nice to listen to as you go to sleep ( I think they are number 1 and 2?). The bathrooms, however, will be a little walk down a trail which may be a little difficult during the night. At eco-camp we really enjoyed the yoga classes, especially the afternoon that the instructor let us have the class on the back deck of the yoga dome. We had a nice breeze and the sound of the bubbling water next to the porch made the practice just perfect. The food at eco-camp was local, diverse, plentiful and tasted amazing. Our guides, who ate with us each night, we’re great about suggesting their favorite items on the menu which were always spot on. Maybe eco-camp will come up with and occasional online recipe 😊. Wine came with dinner and while the variety was limited, we always enjoyed what was served. The folks who worked in the dining room, bar/lounge and reception area we’re always super helpful, friendly and accommodating. My overall experience was exceptional and the only area I would offer any suggestion about would be the massages. There were several scheduling mishaps and the massages while ok, weren’t great and I would ay they were the only area with room for improvement. I will recommend eco-camp to my friends who are planning a trip to TDP. It’s a wonderful experience…
We stayed here in a standard dome while walking the W trail. The standard domes are small there isn’t a lot of room for anything other than a bed and a couple of very tiny tables but there was tea and coffee facilities and it was very warm and comfortable. We had fantastic weather so trips to the bathroom facilities wasn’t a problem but in wet weather it would have been a very different story,also there was only 3 ladies toilets and showers and while we were there the majority of standard dome users seemed to be female so the composting toilets got a little smelly and the shower queue long a peak times.We visited the superior domes and they were much more spacious and on suite. The restaurant food and service from all of the staff was wonderful.
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