El Chalten

I departed El Calafate on a reasonably comfortable, spacious, and on-time bus for the 3-hour drive to the smaller town and tourist mecca of El Chalten.  The drive was gorgeous, trailing along the side of Lake Argentino, and then picking up views of Lake Viedma and the Viedma Glacier a bit later on.  El Chalten basically sits within the Glaciers National Park, which extends from down near El Calafate (including the Perito Moreno Glacier) all the way north to here.  It is known for its excellent hiking trails, and a mandatory induction at the national park’s visitor centre helped me plan out my four nights / three full days there.

Mount Fitzroy towers over the small town and it was out in all its glory upon my arrival.  Unfortunately, it decided to hide behind the clouds after that until the morning of my departure, but I didn’t let some cloud cover stop me.

On my first full day, I went out for a 20km hike to the Laguna de Los Tres (Lake of the Three).  I opted to take a bus from the town to another entrance to the trail some 30 minutes away so that I could see different views on the walk to the lookout and the walk back to town.  The first 9km of the trail was relatively flat and manageable, with views of the Piedras Blancas Glacier hanging off the mountains.  The last 1km up to the look was indeed just that:  up.  And it was a doozy!  Steep and a bit rocky, I made it up to the top out of energy, but had some snacks to refuel.  The viewpoint at the lake was very pretty, but Mount Fitzroy – the highlight of the lookout point – was completely behind the clouds.  Bah!

At least I burned some calories.  And at least it didn’t rain!

I awoke on my second full day to some light rain, but I wasn’t going to let weather dampen my trip.  I got dressed, but on my hiking boots, and trekked the twelve minutes into town for a 2.5 hour spa treatment featuring an hour-long full body massage, a half-hour foot massage, a foot regeneration treatment, and a decongestive treatment for my legs, where they were wrapped in freezing cold towels for quite some time to enhance circulation.  Or something like that.  And by the time my treatment was finished, the sun had come out and I had time for a short hike (around 7km round trip) to some lookouts just on the edge of the town.

Mirador Condores (Condors Lookout) had views over El Chalten, and true to its name, it had heaps of condors flying overhead, including one that came super close to me!  The nearby Mirador Aguilas (Eagles Lookout) had stunning views over Lake Viedma and its floating icebergs.

My third and final full day featured a hike that was equally as long as the first hike, but much flatter.  The destination was the viewpoint at Laguna Torre, featuring Cerro Torre towering over the lake.  Just like Mount Fitzroy on day 1, Cerro Torre was also covered in clouds the whole time, but the hike was pleasant anyway, with some lovely viewpoints of lakes and waterfalls.

Of course, the morning I left was sunny and clear and everything was out in full view.  But that’s ok – at least it didn’t rain too much and at least I had beautiful days the week before in Torres del Paine National Park.

I should, of course, mention the food in El Chalten.  There was some fantastic culinary options for all sorts.  I had a beautiful lamb ravioli on my first night, and an incredible wild risotto on my final night at a little restaurant and wine bar called La Bicicleta.  I treated my self to a pizza and brownie a la mode after my big strenuous hike on day one, had some (lacklustre) nachos, and some delicious empanadas.  I may or may not have visited the Domo Blanco ice cream shop three times in four days, and I even found a little Colombian café with arepas and good coffee!

I would definitely recommend El Chalten as a great place to come hike and relax.  From there, I took the bus back to El Calafate to catch a flight down to the “End of the Earth”, Ushuaia.  More about that next time, but first, let me take a selfie!