El Chalten Itinerary

Experience Chile Will Arrange

We can arrange itineraries to include El Chalten, for which we suggest a minimum of three nights, from El Calafate.

Ideally you would add El Chalten into your Torres del Paine trip as a pre or post visit incorporating El Calafate inbetween. From El Calafate most people go to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. Therefore, a suggested itinerary would be 4 nights El Chalten, 2 nights El Calafate and 4 nights Torres del Paine, with possibly an extra night in El Calafate for logistical reasons depending on flight times.

To arrange your itinerary, email us…

About El Chalten

El Chalten is a small village set within the northern sector of the Los Glaciares National Park, a three hour drive from El Calafate. It is rapidly becoming a top destination for hikers and climbers who wish to enjoy the natural environment and the challenge of scaling the peaks, some of which have vertical sides.

On a clear day the jagged peak of Mount Fitzroy is dramatic and impressive.

El Chalten for Mount Fitzroy

To get to El Chalten you will need to get to El Calafate first. The transfer from El Calafate to El Chalten takes about 3 hrs. We can include this return transfer in any itinerary we arrange for you.

El Chalten is a very small touristic village located beyond the northern end of Lake Viedma and within the Los Glaciares National Park 200km north from El Calafate. Originally the indigenous Tehuelche people named the high-jagged peak, now called Mount Fitzroy, as El Chalten, which means “smoky mountain”. Considering that for most of the year Mount Fitzroy is shrouded in mist the “smoky mountain” name is appropriate. However, the peak was re-named Mount Fitzroy after Captain Robert Fitzroy of Charles Darwin’s ship “The Beagle” (Charles Darwin being an important and historic scientific naturalist who came to the southern shores of Patagonia), but the name El Chalten was adopted by the settlers as the name of the village.

Border Dispute

Historically El Chalten had been considered to be within Chile until Argentine nationals began to live here.  Today the village is considered to be within Argentina, but it is adjacent to the still disputed border boundary between Chile and Argentina. Both countries, until now, have not agreed on where the official border should be in this zone and the Lago del Desierto (a long narrow lake north of El Chalten) is an area whose political future is yet to be finally determined. It is also very close to the southern-most village of mainland Chile – Villa O´Higgins, at the end of the Careterra Austral road.

Mount Fitzroy

The main attraction – Mount Fitzroy,  resembles the “Torres” in Torres del Paine National Park, reaching a height of 3,400m with vertical sides that create an impressive and dramatic mountain spectacle. El Chalten is primarily a base for serious hikers who wish to hike the trails in the area or climb the challenging peaks.

Considering that El Chalten sits within the national park people mainly sleep in the village and each day will walk one of the hiking trails then return to their same comfy hotel at night, avoiding the need to camp.

The park rangers located at the entrance to the village provide camping and national park information for visitors. The tourist trade has spawned a few restaurants and basic shops in town, and some of the accommodations provide internet and phone access. There are a few hikers’ hostels, a handful of boutique-style, small hotels and one top-end hotel in town. Other than that, the village is fairly far removed from the normal flow of news and communication, even during high season (November-February), and is nearly deserted during off-season (the Southern Hemisphere winter).

El Chalten Itinerary

4 Nights / 5 Days

Day 1

Arrival to El Calafate
We can pick you up from the airport or hotel in El Calafate and transfer to your hotel in El Chalten.

Night: Hotel in El Chalten, matrimonial or twin-bed room, breakfast included.

Day 2

Optional Self-Guided Treks from El Chalten Village (and note that we can add a box lunch if required as an extra):

Laguna de los Tres – Mt. Fitzroy

Laguna Torre – Cerro Torre

Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

Los Condores and Las Aguilas Viewpoints

Laguna Capri

Mirador Torre

Night: Hotel in El Chalten, matrimonial or twin-bed room, breakfast included.

Day 3

Optional Self-Guided Treks from El Chalten Village (and note that we can add a box lunch if required as an extra):

Laguna de los Tres – Mt. Fitzroy

Laguna Torre – Cerro Torre

Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

Los Condores and Las Aguilas Viewpoints

Laguna Capri

Mirador Torre

Night: Hotel in El Chalten, matrimonial or twin-bed room, breakfast included.

Day 4

Optional Self-Guided Treks from El Chalten Village (and note that we can add a box lunch if required as an extra):

Laguna de los Tres – Mt. Fitzroy

Laguna Torre – Cerro Torre

Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

Los Condores and Las Aguilas Viewpoints

Laguna Capri

Mirador Torre

Night: Hotel in El Chalten, matrimonial or twin-bed room, breakfast included.

Day 5

Transfer to El Calafate city or El Calafate airport.

DEPART

NOTE: 

If you want we can also arrange for you the domestic flights between Buenos Aires and Calafate and private transfer to El Chalten.

To arrange an itinerary, email us…

Included in the Cost

Accommodation.

Breakfast at HOTELS.

Approx. Price USD890 per person.

Not Included in the Cost

Any service not specified in the program.

Additional activities.

Health insurance.

Drinks.

If you also require, we can also arrange for you the domestic flights between Buenos Aires and Calafate and private transfer to El Chalten.