El Chaltén, the National Capital of Trekking in Argentina, is located on the edge of the Andes Mountains in the shadow of Mount Fitz Roy, a/k/a “The Logo” (the logo for the Patagonia clothing company). We booked a week here to hike in Parque Nacional Los Glaciers. To be clear, we are only here to hike. There is literally nothing else to do.
Two types of people are found in El Chaltén, locals and hikers. It is pretty easy to tell them apart. This is not a place for typical tourists. If you are not willing to walk a mile or two on a steep uphill trail, don’t bother coming here.
I suspect the popularity of El Chaltén has a lot to do with two facts. First, the town is easy to reach from El Calafate. But more importantly, dozens of hikes start from four main trailheads on the edge of what is a very small town. The town is a little over a mile long and a half mile wide (1.6 kilometers by 1 kilometer). Hotels and hostels are everywhere. You can even rent tent spaces in front yards. You don’t need a car to get around.
We rented a small house for the week, which suited us much better than a tent or bedroom in a hostel.
The only real downside to El Chaltén is the limited grocery options. If you combine all of the grocery stores in town, you still would not have a decent one. This was the first time in years – probably ever – that we willingly ate spaghetti multiple times in a week. But we managed.
Before arriving in town we made a list of five hikes we wanted to do, varying in length and difficulty. Our main concern was weather. On clear days you’ll have panoramic views of the mountains. On overcast days you’re just hiking into and looking at clouds. We booked a week in El Chaltén specifically to increase our odds on getting several days of good weather. As it turned out, we had two perfectly clear days and four overcast days.
Hike One: Laguna Capri
On our first morning we woke up ready to hit the trail, only to see intermittent sunshine and low clouds with spitting rain. So we waited. And waited. Finally around noon the weather cleared up enough for us to head out on our first hike, to Laguna Capri. We knew there were still clouds in the mountains, but it was hard to tell how much. And it was very windy. The weather can change quickly.
Laguna Capri is on the main trail to Mount Fitz Roy, just under half way to the end of the trail at Laguna Los Tres. Our planned hike was 6 miles roundtrip (10 kilometers) with about 1,390 feet (400 meters) in elevation gain. This trail starts at the busiest trailhead in town, and it has a control point where park passes are checked and/or purchased. We showed our annual passes and were quickly waved in.
The trail to the lake is mostly a steady uphill with a few somewhat level sections. Being a well-traveled trail, you can’t get lost. We never went more than about 10 minutes without seeing other hikers.
On the way to the lake we took a short detour to Mirador Fitz Roy. Unfortunately this only confirmed our fears about the clouds. Mount Fitz Roy was well hidden in a cloud bank. After leaving the overlook we made our way over to Laguna Capri.
It was then that Stephanie tripped over a tree root and faceplanted on the trail. She literally fell flat on her face. I’d never seen anyone do that before. Luckily she landed in dirt and not on rocks.
After a couple of minutes Stephanie slowly got up. Her sunglasses were busted and nose was dripping blood. Understandably she was worried about having a broken nose, but this seemed less likely by the minute as she had little swelling or bruising. Like a trooper Stephanie finished the short walk to the lake. Unfortunately it was still overcast, so there wasn’t much to see.
Along the way back down the trail everyone we passed asked if Stephanie needed anything. No matter how many times Stephanie said that she was fine, and did not need anything, she was offered tissues. By the time we finished the hike we had more tissues that we knew what to do with.
Afterwards we walked a mile across town to visit the medical clinic. Stephanie was rushed in to see a doctor almost immediately. Apparently the only radiologist on staff was leaving for the day, but saw Stephanie in the lobby. Wanting to know if her services were needed, the radiologist made sure that Stephanie had a quick consultation. No broken nose, no-x-rays need, and the radiologist got to leave.
The doctor told Stephanie that she was lucky not to have tried to stop her fall by putting out her arms. Apparently broken wrists are a common injury. Who knew that a faceplant could actually be an okay option?
The visit to the medical clinic cost $11,250 Ar (about $8.50), payable in cash only. On the walk back to our Airbnb we stopped in the grocery store and bought five large Quilmes Clásica beers. The beers cost about $12,500 Ar, more than the visit to the medical clinic.
Hike Two: Mirador de los Cóndores
The next day was overcast, windy, and the coldest day of the week. Not wanting to sit inside all day we chose to hike up to Mirador de los Cóndores. The trail to the lookout is a fairly short and steep uphill hike for 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) and 400 feet (120 meters) in elevation gain. It’s just a walk up a large hill overlooking town.
The only thing not to like about this trail is that it starts south of town by the ranger station. For us it was a 1.3 mile (2 kilometers) walk through town and over the Rio Fitz Roy just to get to the trail. An access control point ensures that park passes are checked and/or purchased.
A group of four hikers in front of us on the way in turned around and left when told that the day pass fee is $45,000 Ar per person. You think that is something they would have known.
The sweeping panoramic views of the mountains from the overlook aren’t so great when it is overcast. But we went to see condors and several were soaring in the wind. Andean Condors are basically huge vultures, with wingspans up to 10 feet (3 meters). It is one ugly bird. We watched them for about 10 minutes before calling it a day and heading down the trail. It was too cold and windy to want to stay longer.
No one fell, we did not go to the medical clinic, and we did not buy any beer.
To be continued …
Garrett and Stephanie
If you have not already done so, read our other post about El Chaltén:
El Chaltén, Argentina (March, 2026, Part II). Clear days and beautiful hikes.
For additional posts about Argentina, or elsewhere in the world, check out our Travel Blog. It contains collected links to all of our travel posts.
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