Chaltén is a municipality located west of the province of Santa Cruz in Argentina, located in the Andes mountain range at one end of the Argentine Patagonia.

Baptized by its followers as the «national capital of trekking», through the different trails that are born from its own streets, different ascents can be made to the imposing hills that surround it, such as Fitz Roy, Poincenot or the very particular Cerro Torre.

It is a small tourist village located in Los Glaciares National Park. This municipality was founded in 1985, which explains why some refer to it as “the youngest town in Argentina”.

How to get to El Chaltén

It is a border area with the neighboring country of Chile and super close to one of the most visited destinations in all of Patagonia: El Calafate.

El Calafate receives lots of tourists every year in search of the most famous glacier in the world, the Perito Moreno Glacier. This circumstance means that it is very well communicated with other areas of the country, especially by air.

You can get to El Calafate airport via Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche or Ushuaia thanks to domestic flights operated mainly by Aerolineas Argentinas or Latam to a lesser extent.

Once you have arrived in El Calafate you can take a bus that in just three hours will leave you at the El Chaltén bus station.

These buses leave from the El Calafate station and at some times, make an intermediate stop at the airport. That is, you can travel directly from the airport to El Chaltén and vice versa.

You can also get to El Chaltén without having to fly to El Calafate airport. And it is that in Patagonia there are a series of long-distance bus lines that connect the main towns in the south of the country.

El Chaltén town

In this town you can breathe a very special atmosphere. A mountainous environment! Also, the constructions are cute.

The typical low houses made of wood and painted in super bright colors. Most are accommodation or work as businesses focused on the traveler. In other words, we are facing a town that has developed around its main economic resource, tourism.

Inside El Chaltén you will find everything you need to survive during your days of stay.

From small supermarkets and a multitude of bars and restaurants, to tourist agencies, shops with sports equipment and camping to buy or rent, and a small stall with crafts and tourist souvenirs.

What to see in El Chaltén

You don’t have to be an experienced mountaineer to visit the best places to see in El Chaltén. As long as you like to walk and have a great desire to know one of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in the world, enough is enough.

Ascent to Laguna Torre

We are facing one of the most emblematic hiking routes. A path of approximately 20 kilometers round trip, and 8 hours long that will take you to the foot of the Laguna and Cerro Torre.

Has it all. Incredible bare rock peaks and an impressive glacier that falls to touch the gray waters of the lagoon.

Practical information Laguna Torre route

Access: from the town of El Chaltén
Travel: linear
Difficulty: medium / low (easy but very long route)
Length: 20 kilometers (round trip)
Good signage (no loss)
Estimated time: 7/8 hours (round trip)
Elevation: 750 meters of ascent and descent

The hiking route to Laguna Torre, despite its length, is simple and without any difficulty for people used to hiking trails from time to time.

Ascent Laguna de los Tres

It is a very long trail. About 25 kilometers round trip. And, although it has no notable difficulties, the last climb, the one with the greatest unevenness, becomes somewhat hard and heavy. But it all makes up for it by enjoying a clear day in this nature paradise.

Practical information Laguna los Tres route

Access: from the town of El Chaltén
Travel: linear
Difficulty: medium
Length: 25 kilometers (round trip)
Good signage (no loss)
Estimated time: 8/9 hours (round trip)
Elevation gain: +1000 meters of ascent and descent