My trip to South America was part of my goal to make it to all 7 continents before I die. This trip made it six. And it was an amazing way to get introduced to South America. EcoCamp Patagonia was the jewel of my two week trip. I honestly focused very little on the other three places I visited. I had high expectations and they were not just met but surpassed. My two friends who have stayed here purposefully gave me very little information. I was told to just go and appreciate it. And yes. I did. I am going to start with things they could have done better because I don't want to end this review on a negative note. It would have helped to be told more specifics when we arrived at the camp. For example, yes, we were told we would have a briefing before our dinner in the bar dome. What that briefing was supposed to do, we were not sure. So we kinda just went blind. There was a free welcome drink and some cheese plates on the side but we were not sure if we were allowed to take one. Lastly, we were not sure if we were supposed to sit at any table or at a specific table for dinner. We were eventually ushered to a table, and it was all fine. But I felt the "onboarding" could have been tighter. This was...My trip to South America was part of my goal to make it to all 7 continents before I die. This trip made it six. And it was an amazing way to get introduced to South America.

EcoCamp Patagonia was the jewel of my two week trip. I honestly focused very little on the other three places I visited. I had high expectations and they were not just met but surpassed. My two friends who have stayed here purposefully gave me very little information. I was told to just go and appreciate it. And yes. I did.

I am going to start with things they could have done better because I don't want to end this review on a negative note. It would have helped to be told more specifics when we arrived at the camp. For example, yes, we were told we would have a briefing before our dinner in the bar dome. What that briefing was supposed to do, we were not sure. So we kinda just went blind. There was a free welcome drink and some cheese plates on the side but we were not sure if we were allowed to take one. Lastly, we were not sure if we were supposed to sit at any table or at a specific table for dinner. We were eventually ushered to a table, and it was all fine. But I felt the "onboarding" could have been tighter. This was confirmed the next day when the new people arrived and seemed equally as confused as we were on our first day. That said, we just reached out to them and helped them. All good.

Apart from that, the rest of my 4 day stay here could not have been better. Let's start with the treks: you select from three each day (except Sunday which only had two choices). The treks were either soft, medium, or hard. They use the word "soft" cause it isn't easy. Just not as hard as the other two options. The trek's were definitely challenging. I did their hardest trek, Cerra Paine, and I was definitely relying on all my ability. I never felt like I didn't have the guides there to help me but I definitely felt that I had to dig deep and work hard to get through. It was exhilarating. The other 3 days, I did two hard treks and one soft one. I found the soft one equally as challenging for what it was. I left feeling accomplished, educated, and satisfied.

The food: there is a lot to have. You will not go hungry. Breakfasts have tons of options for all diets. The bag lunches you build yourself are super satisfying for your daily excursions. I ate vegetarian while here and found tons of options for myself. There are also lots of meat options. After my treks, I was ravenous and there was always some food to have in the dining and bar dome. The quality of the dinner was excellent. The food was on par with any very good restaurant in any major city. If you cannot find something you like, they do go out of their way to make you something. I met a gluten-free celiac while I was there and she was made some special orders and bread to fit her needs.

The domes: first, I stayed in the most luxurious dome: the suite dome with loft. We had a bathroom in our dome, a fireplace, and a king size bed. We loved loved loved it! It was very luxurious to come back to our dome after a day of hiking and sweating out all the liquids we consumed. Having our own shower, our own toilet (even if it was composting), and a heater/heat source, was definitely amazing. The bed and linens were soft & inviting and enough to make me want to just stay in bed. But I was here to trek, so that didn't happen.

The guides: simultaneously helpful, knowledgeable, generous, friendly, amiable, welcoming. I honestly fell in love with all my trek guides: Maia, Claire, Pablo (from Spain). They probably will not ever know this but they really are the reason my love for trekking/hiking has exponentially grown. We would hike but stop to talk about the flora and fauna, the geology/terrain, and the weather. They would stop at points for us to admire the beauty of nature but also understand it. I spent a lot of time just listening to what they had to share about the life of a trekking guide and just bathe in the stories of these three inspiring individuals and who they are and what they represent: the love of nature and life.

The staff: it's easy for staff to take guests, that have nowhere else to be, for granted. I know, I work in the service industry. But the staff at EcoCamp are just service oriented. They are accommodating. They are helpful. They are pleasant. Everyone from the drivers, to the reception, to the bartenders, the waiters, the housekeepers... they all are there to help make you comfortable. And I felt it.

EcoCamp Patagonia will go down as one of the greatest places I have ever had the privilege of staying at. I want to go back. I want to go back now. I want to work there. Maybe as a guide. Maybe as a cook in the kitchen. I want to be part of it somehow. This is why I would not just recommend you visit this place. I insist you do.More