Torres del Paine National Park accommodation, Patagonia, Chile
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
EcoCamp’s goals centre around the development of environmentally-friendly tourism practices and the protection of local flora and fauna. EcoCamp aims to act as a best practice of tourism in a fragile natural environment and help shape the future of eco-tourism in areas of wilderness. This means educating guests about their surroundings and EcoCamp’s innovative sustainability efforts, and outlining individuals’ responsibilities regarding recycling, waste management and protection of flora and fauna.
Green technology is constantly studied, tested, and installed and all of EcoCamp’s energy comes from a micro-hydro turbine and from solar panels. Electricity is very limited and items such as hairdryers are not allowed. EcocCamp was certified under ISO14.001 regulations by a third party in 2007, to date the only lodge or hotel in Chile and Patagonia to have received such recognition, and in 2008 became carbon neutral. EcoCamp has worked to become fully sustainable and proved the efficacy of its low impact design when it relocated within the park in 2005, leaving no trace behind.
EcoCamp’s commitment to environmental sustainability has been internationally recognised and its reputation as an innovator of green technology confirmed. Guests can learn about the complexities of the eco-system and EcoCamp’s sustainability practices by chatting to staff, reading the information available in domes and observing the eco-friendly features on-site.
Community
At EcoCamp we operate with a high level of local involvement, despite being based in the wilderness. 90% of our staff (guides, cooks, assistants, maintenance, drivers, housekeepers and administration) are from neighbouring town Puerto Natales or closest city Punta Arenas. All of our food is locally sourced and bought from nearby farm suppliers and vegetables are purchased from local greenhouses. We hire horses from local farmers and buy most of our handicrafts and decoration from local artesanal markets.
EcoCamp's general manager is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce in nearby hamlet Cerro Castillo, helping small entrepreneurs export their tourist services.
We also help our neighbours to foster an understanding of nature’s importance by sharing all our innovations with the local Corporacion Fomento & Producción (CORFO), so they can help other entrepreneurs follow the same path. We focus on developing successful, concrete examples that can be imitated by other developers in the region.
EcoCamp Patagonia supports Refugio Animal Cascada, a nature sanctuary in Cajon del Maipo mountain valley close to Santiago. The sanctuary’s founder and coordinator is environmental steward Nani Astorga, co-founder of EcoCamp Patagonia. The refuge provides a rehabilitation centre for native animals and contributes to environmental education in the local community. To date the centre has received over 200 animals, from birds and mammals to reptiles and amphibians.
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