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El Chalten and Fitz Roy Trails, Patagonia

El Chalten, Los Glaciares National Park · Argentina

Challenging6 daysSouth America~£800 est.

Overview

El Chalten is a village of 1,500 people at the end of a road in Argentine Patagonia, built in the 1980s as a territorial claim and now the trekking capital of South America. The mountains above it — Fitz Roy (3,405m) and Cerro Torre (3,128m) — are two of the hardest technical climbs on earth, but the trail network that approaches their bases is open to anyone with good boots and patience for Patagonian weather. The Laguna de los Tres trail is the peak experience: 22km return with 800m of ascent, climbing through southern beech forest before breaking into the moraine above Laguna de los Tres — a glacial lake directly below the Fitz Roy granite spire. On a clear morning the spire reflects in the lake and the Patagonian light turns the rock colours from pink to orange to gold within twenty minutes of sunrise. Clear mornings in El Chalten average seven to ten per month; plan for five days and expect two to three good views. Cerro Torre via Laguna Torre is the second essential route: the granite needle of Cerro Torre appears at the valley head, with the Viedma Glacier visible to the south and the Torre Glacier calving icebergs into the lagoon below the tower. The approach is easier but the summit view is arguably more dramatic — the needle in clear conditions is one of the great mountain profiles on earth. All trails start from El Chalten village. No permits, no booking, no fees.