Community

Located in one of the few remaining truly pristine places on earth, we are thoroughly aware of our social and environmental responsibilities. We are convinced that such unique places must be preserved and protected. Our work must form an integral part of our natural and cultural environment. By setting such standards as early as 1990 we pioneered ecotourism in Chile and even in Latin America. This effort was born out of our own conviction and out of necessity, given the remoteness of our region. Integrating local workforces, using local resources and caring about the natural beauty of the location resulted in our running a sustainable operation.

Although Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa seems to be totally isolated, we form part of the community of Puerto Puyuhuapi, a nearby fishing village founded by German settlers and Mapuche natives from Chiloe island in 1935. This village is home to most of our staff. But not all are locals. Offering high quality adventure services demands specialized qualifications that are not normally found in a Patagonian fishing village. This is why our staff is made up of locals, Chileans from other regions and people from abroad who have fallen in love with the region and decided to live where others take their holidays. After many seasons they are now not only a well-formed team but now seem more like a family. Many of our employees gave up their previous lives to become part of our special, remote community. Since they have based their lives around their work, we are duty bound to offer them the best possible living conditions, good housing, healthy and balanced diets and crucially a caring social structure. It's essential for our staff to have a profound love for nature, enjoy outdoor activities and like working in a team.

To help our employees adapt to life in Puyuhuapi we have a resident psychologist at our Lodge. The psychologist has also proved very useful in helping to design group activities for our incentive groups.

Being an active part of a local community has enabled us to create different activities that introduce our guests to local culture, from handicraft to fishing traditions. They can drink tea with descendents of the first settlers, who are proud to share their memories and photos with interested visitors from all over the world. We have even organised activities at the local school to meet the youngsters and thereby offer both sides a rewarding intercultural experience. Such cultural activities are mostly organised for our incentive travel groups; individual travellers prefer activities visiting the breathtaking landscapes around our Lodge.