The yurts, a type of glamping that will allow you to enjoy the essence of Patagonia
The glamping territories are as endless as the number of versions of Garota de Ipanema: igloos, **African tents, Arab tents, domes, tree houses, fiberglass capsules perched on 400 meter cliffs ** -yes, definitely There are people for everything-, tipis, yurts and here we stop because this is going to be our object of study.
What do the yurts of the ** Patagonia Camp ** have that fascinate us so much? In Mongolia, where they originate from, the word means home. And that is what we found, a feeling of home.
And what is it that makes a space become a home? Well, mainly people. And that's where this luxury camp shines.
As an example, I will tell you that one day I was at reception at 5:00 in the morning –don't ask me why– and I ran into Rafael Villaroel, hotel manager.
He had gotten up at that painful hour to personally see off two clients. Then I found out that he always does it with each and every one of the guests. The rest of the staff is just as exquisite.
Yurts are native to Mongolia and mean 'home'
For those who do not know, yurts are homes that since the Middle Ages they were used by the nomadic peoples of Mongolia.
They have a circular structure and are removable, with several layers that waterproof and thermally insulate. in the world there are 65 tourist establishments of this type, and in the American continent only this one.
The camp has 18 yurts, some of them family and with Jacuzzi, connected by wooden paths.
Its exterior austerity contrasts with the elegant interior space, where wooden furniture with fine finishes predominates. The charming bathroom with a large bathtub overlooking the forest make it superlative
In the yurts you can admire the sky without getting out of bed
IMMERSION IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The most noteworthy thing about this type of cabin –and what customers who come to the camp are looking for– is immerse yourself 24 hours a day in the wonderful natural environment of Chilean Patagonia, In addition to bathing and kayaking in the Lago del Toro, visit the National Park Torres del Paine, enjoy the excellent Magellan gastronomy and the wonderful wines of the region.
Here I must stop, because the wine issue in Chile is a state issue. It turns out that one of the owners of the camp – blessed coincidences – is the owner of the ** Matetic winery, one of the most reputable in the country.**
The sommelier Silvana , overflowing with sympathy and vitality, she is in charge of suggesting a variety each night according to the succulent food.
Faced with such a scenario, I made my own what Oscar Wilde said, that life is too short to drink bad wine.
A fact to keep in mind for the disciples of Bacchus: being an 'all-inclusive' modality -the only option because there is not a bar or restaurant for kilometers around- customers can drink as much as they want. But be very careful, the excursions to the park leave at dawn.
The Patagonia Camp restaurant, where you can enjoy Magellan cuisine and the region's wines
The details and the atmosphere also transform a space into a home, but where to start? Let us not be conformists, let us aspire to the Whole: the Milky Way, the most wonderful field of stars that we unsuspecting humans can contemplate.
One has been lucky enough to gaze at the stars on all six continents – and I don't want to sound presumptuous, because that's not my intention – and the sky of Chilean Patagonia on a clear night is one of those experiences that you take to your grave.
Broadly speaking, this is because the South American country is located in the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, so the distance that separates it from the stars is less.
To that we must add the absence of light pollution from the camp, located in the bowels of a primary forest, on the shores of Lago del Toro, the largest in the region.
Sunset in Chilean Patagonia
DECIDING THE MILKY WAY
That March night the Milky Way was a path of stars that invited you to walk it, with a texture that seemed like you could feel it.
In this context, we move our minds inside the yurt, to be more precise, inside a wide and soft bed, at a temperature of a few pleasant 22 degrees centigrade.
Silence reigns in the serene night. At that moment you raise your head towards the pointed ceiling, and you realize that through a transparent rose window you can contemplate the cosmic spectacle, which you then match with a peaceful sleep.
The Patagonia Camp is located in a private reserve of 34,000 hectares, about 20 minutes from the entrance of the acclaimed and a thousand times cheered Torres del Paine National Park.
The forest is dense, with a large presence of beeches, like the coigüe and the lenga and imposing oaks of up to 40 meters.
It is not difficult to meet a fox, armadillo and they even told me, in front of the heat of the fire of a fireplace, that pumas have been sighted in the surroundings.
General view of the Patagonia Camp
VISIT TO TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK
Torres del Paine National Park is the best of the parks on the American continent, an absolute must for nature lovers.
Everything you have been told is true and much more: mountains whose tops seem to have been chiseled by a sculptor, dreamlike lakes with turquoise waters, glaciers, rivers and springs everywhere, everything is so perfectly photogenic that it doesn't look real, but it is.
Due to high demand and serious fire of 2011, the access measures are very restricted, and the process of access and overnight stay is very heavy and formal.
If you don't have a reservation – which runs out in a jiffy – you can't camp inside, generating serious problems for the friends of spontaneity.
Another option is to visit it on day tours, but the experience is exhausting, like when you aspire to see the Louvre in one day, and come out catatonic, with bloodshot eyes and repeating like a mantra: I imagined La Gioconda more big, I imagined the Gioconda bigger….
The camp has 18 yurts, some of them family and with Jacuzzi, connected by wooden paths.
Visiting the park through Patagonia Camp implies not worry about anything: no tickets, no transportation, no guides, no meals, laugh at it.
Every afternoon, depending on the weather forecast, they select the best routes and customers choose the one they like the most. The next day, after a succulent breakfast, you just have to go to the reception and let you go
After a long walk of eight hours, reaching the summit at the bases of Paine and having shared an unforgettable day, you arrive at the van that will take you back to the camp.
You are thirsty, exhausted, but triumphant with achievement, and at that moment, like something out of a magician's hat, the guide pulls a cold beer out of nowhere. You toast with him, and you realize that you have made a new friend and that you feel at home.
A complete immersion in a natural environment on the shores of Lago del Toro