Because sustainable tourism is a matter that interests us all, let us tell you that we are moving our hotel, Patagonia EcoCamp at Torres del Paine, from its original location to an upper hill some 600mts away from its original place. The novelty here is that we are moving the hotel but leaving virtually no tracks behind because of the way we have constructed it. The operation starts in August and will be finished by October 1st. In Chile´s island of Chiloe there is a old tradition of moving houses from one place to another called “Minga”, in this case we are also moving our house, though with less charm than in Chiloe where the whole community participates and oxen traction is used.
EcoCamp Patagonia is the 1st truly “Eco-Hotel” in Patagonia and also the 1st south of the Amazon basin. Its operation started in January 2000, in Torres del Paine NP, with view of the famous granite spires. The need to move it is born on that its initial capacity of 16 guests have increased to 30, which is the maximum capacity recommended on EcoTourism codes as to keep the guests accommodation experience intimate and as to minimize the environmental impact due to circulation of both people and vehicles and due the managements of waste. The new capacity of 12 twin domes and 2 tpl domes would not fit properly with the topography of the existing location and the staff facilities which will grow in surface will not fit in the limited existing place. That´s why we are moving a bit further.
The Torres del Paine National Park, now designated a World Biosphere Reserve, is without doubt one of the most beautiful and enthralling spots in the whole planet. This spectacular park, so remote and mysterious, each year attracts thousands of tourists and adventure seekers of all nationalities. The growth in demand of visitors has not been matched by the equivalent expansion of the infrastructure of hotels and services inside the park. This lack, which has continued for several years, is creating really serious problems in the form of the environmental impact on the park and the quality of tourist services in general.
When we became aware of this problem at Cascada Expediciones a few years ago, we decided to start a serious process of research and study of alternatives to hotels, one which would allow us to create a prototype solution to these kinds of problems in National Parks. The problem was: how to reconcile the care of thefragile environment of a National Park with the need to provide an infrastructure and level of comfort suitable for our visitors? Was it possible to apply the same design criteria as were used in cities in surroundings like a National Park? Would it not be reasonable to ask people visiting these remote places, so pristine and delicate, to direct their energies while they were there to preserving what they saw for others who would come later?
The answer which we arrived at for all this is what we have called the “Ecocamp”: a solution which offers accommodation which is modern, comfortable, transportable and suitable for the rigours of the Patagonian climate; equipped with modern and environmentally friendly systems for the disposal of sewage and rubbish, with an efficient use of energy and the environment and at the same time aesthetically stylish. As well as this, those who visit the ecocamp, our guests, are key actors in our conservation mission: they have accepted the challenge of minimizing the impact of their presence, accepting that they will not have private bathrooms, reducing the use of energy and water and caring for the immediate environment.
We hope that this project, which we have been developing and constructing in the way of a pilot in Torres del Paine, can be taken to other similar places in Chile and will be able thus to respond to the ever increasing interest of visitors in remote places with the care and protection which those places need in order to preserve them for the future.
