GuideEl Chaltén, Santa Cruz, Argentina9 min read
El Chaltén and the Fitz Roy Day Hikes
Argentina's trekking capital, one trail at a time
Average rating 4.0 out of 5
4.04 reviewsModerate
Laguna de los Tres, Laguna Torre and Loma del Pliegue Tumbado: the best day hikes from El Chaltén, with no permits, no fees and no bookings.
Hiking from your front door
El Chaltén was founded in 1985 to settle a border dispute with Chile, and for its first years it was little more than a ranger station and a few climbers' huts. Today it is the self-declared trekking capital of Argentina, and the claim holds up: every major trail in the northern sector of Los Glaciares National Park starts at the edge of town, there are no permits or entrance fees, and you can sleep in a bed every night.
The classic is Laguna de los Tres, 20 km return, with the last kilometre a steep 400 m climb up loose moraine to the glacial lake at the foot of Fitz Roy. Start in the dark if the forecast is clear; the granite turns red at first light. Laguna Torre is easier, 18 km return through lenga forest to a lake full of icebergs below Cerro Torre. On a windy day, when the high peaks are hidden, Loma del Pliegue Tumbado gives the best overview of both massifs, if the summit ridge is not blowing too hard to stand.
With three or four days you can link the two big lakes with a night at Campamento Poincenot.
Best day hikes
- Laguna de los Tres: 20 km, 8 to 10 hours, hard final hour
- Laguna Torre: 18 km, 6 to 7 hours, mostly flat
- Loma del Pliegue Tumbado: 22 km, 8 hours, panoramic
- Mirador de los Cóndores: 2 km, an hour at sunset
About this story
Lucas FernándezAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 4.0 out of 5
4 reviews- NWNoah Williams5 out of 5 stars21 Jul
Beautifully written, and the sunrise timing advice gave us the best morning of the whole trip.
- KMKwame Mensah3 out of 5 stars14 Jul
Fine as an overview, but the transport section needs updating: two of the buses no longer run.
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