El Chaltén, Argentina: Gateway to Fitz Roy & Patagonia’s Best Hikes

Located at the foot of the imposing Monte Fitz Roy, El Chaltén is one of the world’s premier hiking destinations, with access to some of Patagonia’s most iconic peaks.

The town, which is just outside the limits of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, is one of the newest in Argentina, having only been founded in the 1980s in order to put to rest a border dispute with neighboring Chile as well as to capitalize on a burgeoning adventure tourism industry. Most everything in the town is related to tourism, and its existence is basically as a base for hikers and climbers who come from around the world to this hallowed ground.

Laguna de los Tres

There are a plethora of fantastic hikes to choose from in El Chaltén, but if you only have time for one, the clear choice is Laguna de los Tres. It is a challenging hike—13.5 miles (22 km) and eight hours round-trip, with some steep ascents at the beginning and especially at the end—but it is well worth the effort, with breathtaking views of Fitz Roy throughout and especially at the namesake lake at the end, assuming you are lucky enough to avoid the cloud cover.

In the indigenous Tehuelche language, the mountain is known as Chaltén, which translates to ‘smoking mountain’; the natives believed that the mountain was a volcano, since its peak is often shrouded in clouds that look like steam.

The trailhead is easily reached from the town, at the end of Calle San Martín. The government has recently begun charging an exorbitant fee to enter the park; while this fee is unavoidable when visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, it can be circumvented at El Chaltén by beginning your hike bright and early, as the booth is unmanned before 7am.

Food

El Chaltén isn’t a long established town in the way that El Calafate is, so it doesn’t have quite as impressive an array of food options. That said, you can certainly find some tasty meals to fuel your exploits on the trail. For a sit-down meal in a cozy cabin, try La Tapera. For something quicker and more casual, grab some top quality empanadas at Banneton Panadería or a hearty sandwich from La Lomitería.

Looking for more places to explore in the region? Check out our guide to El Calafate here.