Hotels worth the trip

New Explora Lodge in the Patagonia National Park

Learn about the new hotel of the Explora chain in the middle of the mountains and steppes of Chilean Patagonia and the new National Park inaugurated in 2018

By Claudine Blanco

With a flight of less than two hours from Santiago to Balmaceda and almost 6 hours by car to the park, it seems somewhat worrying to take this journey with children. However, it is certainly an ideal destination to go with teenagers and for a total reconnection with nature

The journey alone, which is along the famous panoramic road Carretera Austral, is already a spectacle in itself. At every turn, there is a breathtaking landscape.

At the entrance to the park, there are impressive mountain ranges of all shapes and colors, snowy peaks, lakes and rivers, in addition to an abundant fauna and flora.

You can understand why Douglas and Kris Tompkins, also known as Picaflor and Águila, fell in love with the place. They used their own financial resources to transform it into one of the most beautiful national parks of Chile, buying the lands of the locals in order to preserve them. Learn more about this story in our article about the Tompkins Foundation

You know that kind of place where you are dizzy with so much beauty that you don’t know where to look and that no matter how good your photos are, they will never really express the reality. This is that place…believe it! It’s wonderful and one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen!

The new Explora Lodge in the Patagonia National Park is also spectacular. It is the newest and most exclusive of the chain. There are only 13 rooms, all built in stone that completely blends in with the landscape. Some rooms are interconnecting for families.

On my visit, they were finishing building the spa and remodeling some areas. However, the great strength of this chain is the quality of the service they provide and the incredible expeditions with their nature guides that make the trip a unique and exclusive experience.

In their rustic chic style, the staff all call you by name and remember your preferences. We felt really well taken care of. The cuisine is all natural with fresh and local products from small producers in the region. It was designed by Pablo Jesús Rivero – the owner of the restaurant “Don Julio” elected 10th best restaurant in Latin America by the ranking of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants – and prepared for our well-being and added to the better enjoyment of our trips.

The marvelous daily expeditions, which are the differential of the hotel chain, all focus on nature and sustainability. Every day, the guides talk to your family and define the expeditions for the next day, according to the weather, degrees of difficulty and interest.

There are options for all tastes and the family will be enchanted by the landscapes when riding the bike trails that, to the delight of some parents, are electric. There are different types and levels of trekking and kayak trips in lakes of incredible colors or in the cool transparent waters that come down from the glaciers.

Between the picnics and conversations, an obligatory stop for one (or more) selfies with the friendly guanacos scattered throughout the park is always fun.

There is a panoramic tour that is not to be missed: it crosses the entire park on the Chilean side and goes up to the border with Argentina (don’t forget to bring your passport to cross the border). From the mountain range with snowy peaks to the Argentine pampas, prepare yourself for lots of amazing photos!

Another very interesting trip that will make the kids happy is the Park Museum. Donated by the Tompkins Foundation, it will leave the family astonished with all the interactive activities that show the local fauna and flora, in addition to the incredible and also shocking documentary about the irresponsibility of the human actions that destroy nature. The final testimony from Douglas Tompkins, who dedicated his life to doing his part to preserve the planet, is very emotional. It is an obligatory trip for parents to teach their children about our responsibility to the world!

And you can believe me, the pumas are there too, circulating freely among the various species of birds and other small mammals. And for those who believe that words have power, a prophecy; when I arrived, I said that I could not leave without seeing them, and, on the last day, I saw three of them at once, just as I was leaving, as a farewell present.

Sometimes, things take a while to happen, but for those who have faith, love and patience, life can reciprocate three times over.

This is the brand-new article from Viajar com Adolescentes Agency (Traveling with Teenagers) that will exceed the travel expectations of your family in every possible way.

Photographer: Martín Cárdenas

Our columnist Claudine Blanco is the founder of the travel agencies Viajar com Crianças (Traveling with Children) and Viajar com Adolescentes (Traveling with Teenagers). She is also the founding partner of the Family Trip Magazine and the mother of Pedro and Marina. She writes the specialized travel column for the platform and shares her knowledge, passion and ideas about family travel.