Garden Domes — Hotel in Puerto Natales

My husband and I joined 4 others in early December for the Classic W trek and the add on for El Chalten trekking. We first were picked up from the bus, welcomed with tea and checked in to our oaccommodation. The rooms are nicely decorated, ||||||updated and very clean. This was followed by a dinner at Ricci’s new restaurant in Puerta Natales. Ricci is passionate and so enthusiastic about everything! ||The communication and info regarding the trek was first rate. The trek is doable ( but challenging) if you are reasonably fit. We are in our mid sixties and we’re able to keep up with our group. We had fantastic weather and well marked trails. Of course the scenery is first rate throughout!||A couple of tips for the trail- ||||#1) Do not take too much gear as you will be carrying it the entire way. It sounds easy but many trails have steep inclines which are difficult with a heavy pack. Take the bare minimum but enough for possible rain, snow, wind(always!!). One pair of hiking pants is sufficient. You will be showering daily!||||#2) Extra snacks are not necessary and will be extra weight in your backpack. Meals and lunches are hearty and lunches have high calorie bars and snacks. You will be hungry for every meal but food provided is sufficient. ||||#3) First day; pack small daypack with hiking essentials and lunch only as this is an out and back with a guide. They stow heavy pack pack and you will retrieve it just before checking into the Refugio. ||||#4) Day 3 Frances Domes to Paine Grande Refugio :||Get an early start if you are hiking up to Mirador Britainicca about 7:00-7:30. This will help with heat and crowds. We had the trail to ourselves. Make sure to leave your heavy pack at Italiano and just use your day back. Again you will return to pick up heavy pack to continue to Paine Grande in the afternoon||||#5) For days 4-5 you can leave your heavier items in a plastic bag at Paine Grande and take items only for 1 night to Refugio Grey. We were not told this initially and another hiker mentioned this. This made a world of difference as we were getting tired after multiple dats of hiking. You will return to Paine Grande , retrieve your items and then catch the catamaran right next to Paine Grande. ||||#6) Try to see the hanging bridges which are an additional 1 and 1/2 hour from Grey. Here are great Glacier views. We did this on Day 4 of hiking NOT on our last day ( would have been too rushed with catamaran ) Helpful hint- leave everything in your room at the Refugio except water and poles to hike to bridges. Bridges one and two are pretty easy hikes compared to all other trails! ||||||Be prepared for wind on trail from Paine Grande to Grey. Take a neck gaiter.||||We loved our trip to El Calafate/ El Chalten. Ask for Gojo as your guide. He was amazing!!We ended up at the Wyndham in El Calafate which felt luxurious after the Refugio’s! Lovely hotel with fantastic breakfast buffet. See the Natural History museum in El Calafate if there is time. In El Chalten we had an Airbnb location which was perfect. We could walk easily to all trail heads. El Chalten is smaller and definitely has a hiking/ hippie vibe. Air Bnb could us||||Enjoy your experience and don’t hesitate to book with this Company. You will be well...

My husband and I joined 4 others in early December for the Classic W trek and the add on for El Chalten trekking. We first were picked up from the bus, welcomed with tea and checked in to our oaccommodation. The rooms are nicely decorated, ||||||updated and very clean. This was followed by a dinner at Ricci’s new restaurant in Puerta Natales. Ricci is passionate and so enthusiastic about everything! ||The communication and info regarding the trek was first rate. The trek is doable ( but challenging) if you are reasonably fit. We are in our mid sixties and we’re able to keep up with our group. We had fantastic weather and well marked trails. Of course the scenery is first rate throughout!||A couple of tips for the trail- ||||#1) Do not take too much gear as you will be carrying it the entire way. It sounds easy but many trails have steep inclines which are difficult with a heavy pack. Take the bare minimum but enough for possible rain, snow, wind(always!!). One pair of hiking pants is sufficient. You will be showering daily!||||#2) Extra snacks are not necessary and will be extra weight in your backpack. Meals and lunches are hearty and lunches have high calorie bars and snacks. You will be hungry for every meal but food provided is sufficient. ||||#3) First day; pack small daypack with hiking essentials and lunch only as this is an out and back with a guide. They stow heavy pack pack and you will retrieve it just before checking into the Refugio. ||||#4) Day 3 Frances Domes to Paine Grande Refugio :||Get an early start if you are hiking up to Mirador Britainicca about 7:00-7:30. This will help with heat and crowds. We had the trail to ourselves. Make sure to leave your heavy pack at Italiano and just use your day back. Again you will return to pick up heavy pack to continue to Paine Grande in the afternoon||||#5) For days 4-5 you can leave your heavier items in a plastic bag at Paine Grande and take items only for 1 night to Refugio Grey. We were not told this initially and another hiker mentioned this. This made a world of difference as we were getting tired after multiple dats of hiking. You will return to Paine Grande , retrieve your items and then catch the catamaran right next to Paine Grande. ||||#6) Try to see the hanging bridges which are an additional 1 and 1/2 hour from Grey. Here are great Glacier views. We did this on Day 4 of hiking NOT on our last day ( would have been too rushed with catamaran ) Helpful hint- leave everything in your room at the Refugio except water and poles to hike to bridges. Bridges one and two are pretty easy hikes compared to all other trails! ||||||Be prepared for wind on trail from Paine Grande to Grey. Take a neck gaiter.||||We loved our trip to El Calafate/ El Chalten. Ask for Gojo as your guide. He was amazing!!We ended up at the Wyndham in El Calafate which felt luxurious after the Refugio’s! Lovely hotel with fantastic breakfast buffet. See the Natural History museum in El Calafate if there is time. In El Chalten we had an Airbnb location which was perfect. We could walk easily to all trail heads. El Chalten is smaller and definitely has a hiking/ hippie vibe. Air Bnb could us||||Enjoy your experience and don’t hesitate to book with this Company. You will be well...

If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’re weighing your options on how to schedule a trip to Torres del Paine. Let me save you valuable time and cut to the chase— book via ChileTour and you’ll start and ends at the Garden Domes & Cabins. |Cecilia is fast in responding, detail oriented and very professional. She answered all of my many questions, as I was a solo traveler who likes to know every aspect of my trip. |The Garden Domes are unique and quite fun. Everyone dines in a dome, there is a dome with couches and such to hang out in, and if you want, you can book to have a room with a dome. I chose a cabin instead, and was delighted to have it overlooking the sea and mountains.|The food at the Garden Domes and with Chiletour is outstanding and plentiful. You’ll enjoy it, and you can’t go hungry.|The staff here is welcoming, friendly, and willing to help in any way. Richie, the owner, is the creative genius behind this operation and his latest addition is 4 tiny houses that are right outside the park. After you hike to the base of Torres del Paine the first night, it’s fabulous to come back knowing you’ll have a great meal and a great night in a comfortable bed without having to tent or check into a refugio (neither of those are bad, but it’s really nice to just have a known entity when you’re weary after a long first day in the park). |Richie is cool under pressure, accommodating, and speaks 7 languages! Liz and Gonzalo work the reception desk and are delightful as well. They helped me add onto my stay, as I had a kayaking trip after TdP. I liked the Garden Domes so much that I booked them as an extension, forfeiting a non-refundable room elsewhere that I had previously booked. This is saying a lot, as I like to save anywhere I can! For me, it was worth knowing I’d be comfortable, have a peaceful atmosphere and I didn’t even know about the awesome hot tub they have until Richie suggested I try it out. What a great surprise!|Now, about ChileTour. You have numerous options. I chose the classic tour. This was right for me because it was my first time trekking, and also because a I wanted to add the ice hike. Some did the 4 day “active” tour, which is fine, but they couldn’t add on the ice hike (which was SPECTACULAR) and I felt they rushed the last day (which in the classic is broken into 2 days). The active might be right for you, if you don’t mind less stops the last day, and you don’t want to ice hike.|There was also a small group who did day hikes and stayed in the tiny house. Though they didn’t see as much of the park, they didn’t have to carry a full pack on any of their hikes.|Whichever you choose, it’s great to know that you’ll be taken care of, treated like family, known by name when you return for your celebratory dinner and be sure to check out the hot tub! Now save all the review reading, do yourself a favor, book ChileTour with Garden Domes and Cabins, then relax. You’re in excellent hands. Have a great adventure at TdP. It’s breathtakingly...