El Chalten

El Chalt&eacute;n is in the Patagonia region in southern Argentina.

Understand
El Chalt&eacute;n was founded in the late 1970s/early 1980s as an outpost of Argentina to anticipate land claims of Chile for that area. It is still a small town that is best known for being the gateway to Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, two of the most rugged and impressive peaks in the Patagonian Andes, as well as the Viedma Glacier, the biggest one in Argentina. The growing number of hiking tourist has led to an increase in construction and in summer the town is full of tourists.

El Chalt&eacute;n is also called the trekking capital of the world and offers trails of highly varying degrees. Most tourists go for the easy Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre trails, while more enthusiastic hikers go for the Viedma Glacier trek. Besides that free salmon fishing, pricey glacier boat tours and even crossing over into Chile are possible here.

In general, the town is a budget paradise, considering the free national park and possibility to find inexpensive accommodation&mdash;see below.

Climate
Note, that hiking and trekking is highly dependent on the weather. Use WindGuru to plan ahead, which most people in Argentina and also the park office are using.

By bus
From:
 * El Calafate – Daily buses take 3 hr to drive the 222 km over a newly paved road. Buses leave at 08:00, 13:00 and 18:00, depending on the company. Avoid the company Taqsa/Marga, they have old and bad buses with failing or no ventilation at all which is terrible ... or course depending on the weather.
 * Bariloche – Buses ride the half paved Ruta 40 across the desertic landscape (30 hours). On the way, they stop in El Bolson, Perito Moreno and Los Antiguos (12 hr).

By thumb
Hitchhiking is highly accepted but competition is fierce. So, it might be better to split up or have a backup plan.

Get around
Only by foot or car. The main streets have been paved. Side streets remain mostly gravel.

See
For most things that are to see here, you will have to hike, see below.

Do

 * In the centre of town you can also pay to go horse riding with a gaucho guide along some of the major walking trails. The horses are easy-going and well suited to beginner riders.


 * Salmon fishing is popular near El Chalten, because many fish travel up Río de Las Vueltas back to their roots. It is unclear whether a permit is necessary, but good points seems to be right before waterfalls that the fish has problems to cross, being stranded at its foot. There are some beside the gravel road Ruta 23 out north of El Chalten, one such waterfall can be found.

Hiking
A popular trekking area so the trails get very crowded in peak season. A good strategy is to skip your hotel breakfast (self cater instead) and depart at dawn to avoid the crowds, unless hiking in a line with hikers every 20 m is your thing. All trails are clearly marked, and safe water is available from the rivers flowing down the mountains along the trails, so carrying 0.5 l should be sufficient.

If you do not want to buy a paper map, that does not have much detail, use OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz are based on. It has all trails and camp sites of the El Chalten region, especially the more untouristy ones in the north.


 * The and  are easy climbs (two hours at most combined) behind the National Park office. Great views of the town, and the Fitz Roy range and Condors.

Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

 * A 24-km round trip hike (about 6-7 hr) that takes you above the valleys to see views of both Cerro Torre and Fitzroy to the north, and the Rio Tunel Valley to the south.

Combined treks
It is possible to combine the Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre treks using connecting side-trails and available camp sites that create a loop. In addition the following trail can be done:



Viedma Glacier
The is the reason why most experienced trekking tourists come to El Chaltén. However, meant by "experienced": 1) reasonable fit, 2) well-considering the weather, and 3) having the right equipment for registration (free) with the park office (especially harness). Inform yourself before heading to El Chaltén what is needed for the (latter) registration and bring everything with you&mdash;getting and renting things on site is more expensive and can be a hassle.







Lago del Desierto
A dead-end ripio road (about 37 km one way) leads you to the very remote Lago del Desierto through a wonderful valley along a river. You can do easy hikes and strolls there and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Besides the easy trails there do seem to exist considerable further even demanding hiking trail, which however are not available on OpenStreetMap. So, you need to consult another source if interested. It is even supposed to be possible to cross into Chile to Villa O’Higgins from here (2-3 days). (In case you find additional information, put them here to help others.)

Money
As of March 2015 there are two ATMs in town: one at the bus terminal, one at the new bank Nacion. The ATMs occasionally run out of cash on weekends, but since one of the supermakets and many restaurants accept credit cards you won't go hungry if you do. Some restaurants and small businesses such as bakeries and food shops do not accept credit cards.

You can exchange euros or US dollars in almost all hotels/hosterias, the rate is even attractive. Many of the shops, like Argentina generally, are very short on coins. Expect sweets instead of change, rounding down or even discounts if you're willing to pay with coins.

Shopping
There are three supermarkets in town, the largest and most central of which accepts credit cards. All three are well stocked, but about twice as expensive as the larger ones in the city. Opening hours depend on season. There is no need to stock up with food in El Calafate.

Eat
The calafate berry ice cream, a bit like blueberry but milder, from the ice cream shop in the middle of the town is worth trying. There are two small grocery stores selling food and supplies.

There are at least a dozen restaurants in town.

Drink
What better after a long hike in the mountains then to enjoy a good beer. Try home brews (rubia, roja, negro etc.) at the different bars, for example La Vinería (Lago del Desierto 265), ARS 2000 for tap beer, ARS 1000 for a decent glass of wine during the happy hour (until 20:00 - as of November 2023).

Sleep
There are a large number of hotels and hostels in town. Walk around and you will find cheaper deals than on the usual reservation websites indicated (also see below), so long as it is not high season.

Most accommodation accept credit cards, at least this is what they advertise with. However, it is worth checking in advance to make sure that this is the case and the connections are working.

There are several free camping sites in the park, even close to the town.

Budget










Mid-range




Connect
As of 2017 the town has cellular coverage, but 2G/edge/GPRS only. For internet, you will be reliant on slow wi-fi services, particularly in peak season, as the microwave link to the town is at capacity. Wi-fi is widespread but there are no exceptions to the slow internet as they all share the same microwave link.

Go next

 * El Calafate
 * Torres del Paine National Park
 * Puerto Natales