Patagonia luxury adventure vacation

Planet

We use public transport where possible to cut down on carbon emissions. All our guides operate a leave no trace policy throughout all parts of the trip. Water is sourced from local streams, fed by glacial melt, meaning there is no need to use plastic water bottles that would otherwise be imported and put into landfill.

We are also now supporting the UK registered chairty Amantani. As this charity is very much in keeping with our ethos of small scale, targetted help which is educational & sustainabale. Huchuy Yachaq is the other main Peruvian charity we support by paying a for a full time teacher. A % of all our income goes to support those projects.


Extra information about Hotel Las Torres hotel, Chile:
Most of the vegetables are cultivated here. A passion for sustainable tourism and the real want to maintain a tradition, have caused that today’s organic garden Las Torres provides approximately 30% of all plants and vegetables eaten in the Hotel.

Two people work exclusively in the garden, producing lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, cilantro and strawberries. There are also fruit trees such as pear, apple, etc.

All travelers and guests are invited to visit the garden. If you decide to lunch at the hotel, you will probably enjoy the flavour of the vegetables grown in Patagonia, without any chemicals.

All used fertilizers are organic and are part of proposed long-term sustainability project which we have implemented.

Hotel Las Torres produces the majority of the food served at the Las Torres restaurant. The field offers a variety of delicacies such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries, squashes and tomatoes.

In the land close to the Hotel Las Torres we raise cattle, sheep and pigs for consumption, just minutes from your table top. For both the farm and the greenhouses meet organic food production meets all standards.

The use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, food supplements or growth hormones is prohibited. Therefore, to maintain soil productivity, supply of nutrients to plants, controlling weeds, insects and other threats, are controlled by the rotation of plantations, natural fertilizers and manual recollection.
Organic food is a simple form of reducing the amount of toxins derived from pesticides and food with additives, and at the same time incrementing the consumption of nutrients.

The 150+ horses in the stables situated 100m from the hotel are checked by vets regularly and those deemed unfit to work are retired.

People

On our Patagonia luxury trekking vacation we employ local guides who have an intimate knowledge of the areas we trek through. It is our policy to carefully dispose of all waste. Food is purchased locally and we aim to use food products with minimum packaging, and encourage cooking with local products.

When out on tour we encourage learning about the country we are traveling in, the local culture of the teams we work with and the areas we pass through. Our guides hold informal talks with groups to inform about and discuss with them all aspects of local life. This helps understanding of the area and appreciation of the people who live there.

Extra information about Hotel Las Torres, Chile:
The hotel has a long history with the park and is a fundamental part of its history.

Local baqueanos tend to the 150+ horses, maintaining their traditional way of life and also encouraging them to learn new languages and interact with curious visitors, as well as show them their heritage.

Baqueanos work in the hotel but in essence they represent what we want to transmit to our visitors. They are part of the Patagonian culture and the most striking personalities. Most of them have been taught since childhood to ride and trust instincts of horses.

Their typical and attractive clothing includes baggy trousers, beret, scarf, belt / sash, knife on the belt, and leather accessories. They have somewhat shy personality but thanks to the often contacts and interaction with the tourists they have learned to communicate very well with guests and have good relation with them.

Every horseback tour always includes the company of a baqueano to ensure safety.

They will teach you how to ride a horse and if you wish, you can also try to do a good gallop crossing the Patagonian Mountains without any restriction.

Histroically, it is in 1905 that 15-year-old Antonio Kusanovic Jercic leaves his homeland in Croatia and begins his journey to an unknown land called, Patagonia. In 1926 was born his first son, Antonio Kusanovic Senkovic, who, followed the steps of his father and inheriting a strong entrepreneurial spirit, becoming one of the most successful farmers in the region. At the end of the 70s Antonio Kusanovic Senkovic, buys Cerro Paine Ranch, located in the heart of the Torres del Paine National Park, not even considering that this park will become one of the most visited and famous ones in Chile and worldwide.

The flow of visitors during the 80s increased considerably and the family Kusanovic, still devoting the land to the raising of cattle, the family adapted with the times creating a camping area and so almost unwittingly, passed from livestock business to the hotel industry.

In the early nineties, many tourists started arriving in Torres del Paine, and motivated by the incredible beauty of the landscape, Antonio with his wife Amor Eliana Marusic, decided to build 9 rooms with a small restaurant. They called this project “Hosteria Las Torres” (nowadays Hotel Las Torres Patagonia).

After the death of Antonio in 1997, assumes the leadership of the business his wife and four children: Liliana, Mauricio, Jose Antonio and Vesna, who altogether during the last decade, have developed this family project in one of the most important touristic enterprises in the region.