El Chaltén
Founded in 1985 as Argentina's 'Trekking Capital'. All the classic trails start right from town, which is lined with hostels and craft beer bars.
El Chaltén lies at the foot of Fitz Roy in the Las Vueltas valley. Founded in 1985 to reinforce sovereignty over the border, it is one of Argentina's youngest towns, with a permanent population of only one or two thousand. It is known as the 'National Trekking Capital of Argentina'. The town centre can be covered on foot in just a few streets, and the trailheads for the Three Lakes trail, the Laguna Torre trail, the Condor Viewpoint and others are all on the edge of town, so no transport is needed. The main street, Avenida San Martín, has hostels, outdoor gear rental, supermarkets, many craft beer bars and asado restaurants. In the evening it is where hikers exchange trail conditions. At the town entrance, the national park visitor centre provides free trail briefings and weather information. Getting there: a bus from El Calafate takes about 3 hours. ATMs in town often run out of cash and the internet is slow, so bring pesos or foreign currency in advance.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Los Glaciares NP Visitor Center (El Chaltén)
- Mirador de los Cóndores & Las Águilas
- Chorrillo del Salto
- Laguna Capri
- Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
- Piedras Blancas Glacier Viewpoint
- Laguna Torre
- Laguna de los Tres