The World’s First GEODESIC DOME HOTEL
Interview with EcoCamp Patagonia
All photos courtesy of EcoCamp Patagonia EcoCamp Patagonia is an award-winning, sustainable resort in Torres del Paine National Park and the world’s first geodesic dome hotel. International Glamping Business spoke to owner and co-founder Javier López about EcoCamp’s journey – from a team of passionate environmentalists to becoming the region’s first fully sustainable accommodation south of the Amazon. Tell us about EcoCamp Patagonia – where was the idea born and how did it come about? In 1994 and 1996, we were devastated with the catastrophic construction of the second of two massive dams on the epic Biobío river, which drowned the most magnificent rapids and pristine forests in the southern hemisphere – displacing an entire community of indigenous people, the Pehuenches. As a result of this Armageddon, we were not only distressed and thrown out of business (we were then the main rafting outfitter in the region), but we were homeless – looking for a new place to settle and a new Nature Sacred Totem to worship. This painful scar imprinted on us a strong environmentalism ethos which arrived with us afoot of the gigantic granite spires of Paine in Patagonia. We knew this was our new home and Las Torres our new Totem.
tented lodges were the most sustainable way to lodge guests with comfort and safety – both key factors in Patagonia where harsh climate and Huracan winds made traditional mountain camping unsuitable for longer stays. At the same time, trekking huts within Torres del Paine were absolutely precarious, poor in design and environmentally appalling, so there was an opportunity for us to prove our environmental commitment with a challenging innovation.
We learned after visiting southern Africa for a Zambezi Rafting Expedition in 1994, that
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After 20 years of white water expertise, we set foot in Patagonia and started embracing the milder peace of hiking as our core activity. The length, beauty, mountain grandeur and its inherent difficulty made of Torres del Paine trails the perfect adventure for us and for our guests at a worldwide scale. With the help and trust of a traditional family of “Colonos” (Croatian Colonists), we leased a piece of land and settled. Observing the Founders (left to right): Javier López, Nani Astorga, Yerko Ivelic
