Trekking in El Chalten Hiking Guide (2025 Update)
The quaint little town of Chaltén, located in Los Glaciares National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) is seen as the trekking capital of Argentinian Patagonia. Surrounded by spectacular glaciers, sapphire lakes, towering mountains, and beautiful waterfalls, trekking in this jaw-dropping area it is easy to see why. In this hiking guide, we discuss different one-day and multi-day trekking routes around the small town of El Chaltén. Also see our budget, accommodation, and transport with various options while exploring the spectacular hiking routes. With well-marked, easily accessible trails starting at the little town, this hikers haven caters to all fitness and experience levels.
El Chalten Entrance Fee 2025 - Access to the trails of El Chalten and camping was free until recently. An entrance fee and camping fee was introduced in October 2024. Campsites must now be reserved and paid.
The geographical region Patagonia, at the southern end of South America, belongs to two countries, Argentina and Chile separated by the gigantic Andes Mountains. Covered in mountains, volcanoes, lakes, and fjords Patagonia is one of the best regions for hiking in the world. We spent months trekking in this spectacular part of the world, awesome day hikes and challenging multi-day treks.
The most popular hikes in Patagonia are the W-trek in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, and Laguna de Los Tres, Los Glaciares National Park, El Chalten, Argentina.
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El Chalten Tours
Hiking independently on the trails of El Chalten is relatively easy with clearly marked trails starting just outside town (relatively close to most accommodations). In season the trails are busy, which makes it safer. If you feel you want company these tours are some good options:
See our Complete Guide to Camping in El Chalten and our Detailed Guide to the Laguna de Los Tres Hike.
El Chalten Trekking
The status of El Chaltén as a major hiking destination is due to the wide variety of trekking routes accessible to all fitness and experience levels. El Chalten offers some of the best day hikes in Patagonia. These trails vary and there are plenty of fantastic options to do either a full-day hike, a shorter day hike, or a multi-day trek. Mount Fitz Roy is located in the Andes Mountain range forming a border between Argentina and Chile. Exploring the area is a must-do on any Patagonia itinerary.
There are spectacular views of the two most prominent peaks, Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre while camping and hiking in the park. The Cerro Torre Hike is a fairly flat trail with beautiful views and a fantastic day hike. We loved the vibe in the town, everybody was here to hike. Many people do one-day routes returning to town every night.
Combining several trails and staying in the campsites is a great way to do multi-day hikes in El Chalten.
In this post we show you how we combined trails while camping in El Chalten. The El Chaltén to Piedra del Fraile (Cerro Fitz Roy) trek and the challenging Huemul circuit are two well-established multi-day hikes in Los Glaciers National Park.
You can combine hiking in El Chaltén with a trek to O’Higgins Glacier or a visit to Perito Moreno Glacier.
Entrance and Camping Fee El Chalten 2025
Starting October 2024 Fitz Roy trekking in Los Glaciares National Park from El Chalten is no longer free, an entrance fee must be paid to access the El Chalten trekking area. Campsites must also be reserved and paid for. Information I have from El Chalten suggests the following
There are three portals where they check tickets active from 07h00 to 20h00:
- Rio Electrico (Piedra del Fraile, Mirador del Glaciar Piedras Blancas, Poincenot y Laguna de los Tres)
- Sendero Fitz Roy, the end of San Martin (Torre, Fitz Roy and Chorrillo del Salto)
- Ceferino Fonzo Visitor Center - Condors Portal (Mirador de Los Cóndores y de las Águilas; Loma del Pliegue Tumbado y Laguna Toro)
Entrance Fee for El Chalten in 2025 - Prices are (in ARS) $45,000 ($42 USD) for non-nationals , $15,000 for Argentinians ($5000 for residents of Santa Cruz province). (Prices of 2 Day Promotional Pass)
Currently, you can buy tickets through the official website of National Parks or buy tickets at the gate.
Camping in the park is no longer free and campsites at Campamento Laguna Capri, Campamento Poincenot, and Campomento de Agostini cost ARS 15 000 (USD $14) and must be reserved.
Reservations for camping from El Chalten can only be made at https://amigospnlosglaciares.org/campamentos/.
For more info contact Los Glaciares National Park Campsites
El Chalten Day Hikes
Several trails lead to the main viewpoints, each taking two to ten hours to hike from the town. The trails are well-marked and free maps are available all over town. The most popular one-day hikes are named after the viewpoint where the respective trails end.
- Los Condores – duration 2 hours
- Chorrillo del Salto – duration 3 hours
- Laguna Capri – duration 4 hours
- Cerro Torre – duration 6 hours
- Laguna de Los Tres – duration 8 hours
El Chaltén and Tores del Paine National Park host some of the best hikes in Argentina, with some amazing shorter hiking trails. For some great day hikes check out day-hikes in Torres del Paine National Park, for some awesome day hikes in Chilean Patagonia.
Los Condores, 2 hours
Distance: 3 km round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Parque de los Glaciares ranger station
This trail is an easy 45-minute to an hour walk from town, straight past the ranger station for some beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. This is a great spot to walk for sunrise to see the reflection on the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. You can walk to Mirador de Los Condores, or continue about 1.5km (15 to 20 min) to Mirador Las Águilas for views of Lago Viedma and Tunnel Bay.
Chorrillo del Salto, 3 hours
Distance: 7 km round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: North side of town, Av. San Martín
A short, easy hike leading into a hillside of Ñire and Lenga forest to a beautiful waterfall of more than 20 meters drop. Starting the hike in El Chalten at the north side of town, the trailhead to Laguna de Los Tres taking the path to the right the total return hike is 7 km. Driving to the Chorrillo del Salto trailhead the hike is only about 3 km return.
Laguna Capri, 4 hours
Distance: 8 km round trip
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: North side of town, Av. San Martín
A relatively easy trek, perfect if you do not want to hike all day. The trekking time is between 3h30 min and 5 hours. The walk starts with quite a steep incline for about 40 minutes until you reach the viewpoint of the De las Vueltas river valley. From here you keep on going up with a steady climb through the valley of Del Salto River, towards Mount Fitz Roy. From the valley, you have nice views of the Fitz Roy Massif. After walking for about 90 minutes the road splits with a signpost indicating Laguna Capri (left) and the Fitz Roy (right). When you reach the beautiful clear Laguna Capri you will have a unique view of Fitz Roy and its surrounding peaks.
Want to extend the walk? From here it is about a 45-minute walk to the Fitzroy viewpoint (1h30 minute return) back to the lake.
Cerro Torre and Laguna Torre, 6 hours
Distance: 18 km round trip (optional 2km extra to Mirador Maestri)
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: marked trailhead on Calle Riquelme
The Laguna Torre hike is a beautiful long walk to the lake at the base of Cerro Torre, a stunning mountain (3128m) located at the border between Chile and Argentina. Don't expect a blue glacial lake, Laguna Torre is a muddy, brown lake. The floating icebergs and views of Cerro Torre make for impressive scenery.
It is a fairly flat and easy hike, it is well-marked even with distance markers. The toughest part is the 2 km ascent at the start and the final ascent to Mirador Maestri, with very uneven terrain. Remember a snack and water.
The trail kicks off with great views of Cerro Torre after about a 30-minute walk, the first kilometer or two is uphill from where it becomes flatter and easier. The hike follows the beautiful Río Fitz Roy offering incredible views of the river and Torre Massif. When you reach the shores of Laguna Torre with icebergs floating in the muddy glacial lake you will get spectacular close-up views of the Torre Massif.
Worth it to go all the way to Mirador Maestri, with great views of the amazing glacier, Be careful with some slippery rocks on this last part.
Laguna de Los Tres (Fitz Roy Trek), 8 hours
Distance: 24 km round trip (28 km including walk to Piedras Blancas Glacier)
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Trailhead: Parking lot at the north end of Avenida San Martín GPS PIN
This is the longest day hike, the trail is the same as for Laguna Capri up to the split, starting with an incline for the first 40 minutes or so until you enter the valley of Del Salto river. After walking for about 90 minutes the road splits to Laguna Capri (left) or to the Fitz Roy (right). From here it is fairly flat until you reach the mountains For the last hour or so it is a steep climb gaining 400m in altitude in approximately a kilometer. Be careful on this part, it is steep with scree and loose rocks. You have long days in summer, so go for it, just take it slow.
Laguna de Los Tres is probably the best one-day hike you can do from El Chalten and is an iconic hike in Patagonia. This hike is also known as Fitz Roy Trek because of the classic viewpoint of Mount Fitz Roy towering above the glacial lakes that conclude the hike.
Go down to the lake’s shore and continue to the left, You will reach another viewpoint from where it is possible to see both Laguna de Los Tres and Laguna Sucia another blue glacial lake.
If you have time a side trip to the viewpoint of Piedras Blancas Glacier. This was a flat walk that took us about 45 minutes. The view was unreal and a great stop for a snack.
Viedma Glacier trek, guided tour
Viedma Glacier is Argentina’s largest glacier and a highlight in Los Glaciares National Park surrounded by enormous icebergs and jagged ice cliffs. Ice trekking on Glaciar Viedma is an awesome guided option, an unreal experience, but it is pricey. The tour companies will take you out Transport to the glacier is by boat, kitted with crampons and the necessary glacier trekking gear you go for a guided hike on the ice. Multi-day treks where you camp on the ice are also available.
El Chalten Multi-Day Trekking Routes
The park is truly for everybody with very well-marked trails, fairly flat for most of the routes and there are many other hikers on all routes in season. I don’t think a guide is necessary El Chalten is a great place to do your first independent hike. When backpacking in Torres del Paine and El Chalten, there are many tourists during the peak season, but it’s still worth it to come here. The views are spectacular and we enjoyed it, it is an amazing place for hiking.
For multi-day trekking in El Chalten, your options are to either combine several trails to make up a hike to your requirements or to do the Piedra del Fraile or Huemul circuit which is known as the toughest hike in the region. There are four free campsites in the park where you can camp to do a multi-day hike, you can see our two-day hiking route below.
Requirements
Our hiking route in El Chaltén
We combined hiking routes to some of the park's most popular sites such as Laguna de Los Tres, Mirador Glacier Piedras Blancas, and Lago Tore, camping for one night at Camping Poincenot. This breaks up the hike and allows you to have a chill sunset from the campsite at Cerro Fitz Roy and if you start early you can experience the famous glowing orange sunrise from Fitz Roy mountain. Give yourself time, get up early enough. Bring warm clothes for the top when you are waiting for sunrise you will get very cold very fast. The total distance for the two days is about 38 km.
Day One El Chaltén to Campamento Pointcenot 11km
- National Park Visitor Centre (GPS PIN)
Located outside of town, the trail starts here, you have to register if you are planning to camp or walk.
- Laguna Capri
This is a nice viewpoint of the Fitz Roy Range, the walk here starts with a bit of uphill and some steps but then becomes flat. It was overcast and rainy on our first day for this reason we saw almost nothing on the first day. The laguna is 4km about 1 hour and 15 minutes’ walk from the visitors centre.
- Campamento Poincenot
The campsite is located just over an hour’s walk away. On the way, we could see the glacier Piedras Blancas, almost at the start of the trail to Laguna Los Tres. The campsite had a dry toilet, water was available at a close by river. Not the nicest toilet facilities, take your own toiletpaper along. The campsite was very busy with some groups being loud until late.
Day Two Campamento Pointceno – Laguna De Los Tres – Laguna Torre – El Chalten 27km
- Laguna De Los Tres
The lake is spectacular by any standards, the trail starts close to the campsite, Campamento Poincenot. Unlike the previous day that day, we were very lucky to have perfect sunny weather with no wind.
It is only a 3 or 4 km walk from the campsite but is a steep climb most of the way. There are two lakes (Laguna De Los Tres and Laguna Sucia) and a glacier that you can see on the top. If there is no wind the reflection of the mountain in the lake is amazing. Get up about 2 hours before sun up if you want to see the sunrise from the top.
We broke down our tent before summiting and walked up with our full packs and our tent, If you get up for the sunrise come back and break down your tent after descending, this will also make the climb a bit easier
- Mirrador Glacier Piedras Blancas
This viewpoint is about 2km from Campamento Poincenot. We had a really nice view of the glacier. We walked here after coming down from Laguna De Los Tres and had breakfast.
- Laguna Torre
This was a long walk from Mirador Glacier Piedras Blancas at the end of the day. It was overcast again and we did not have great views, but the views of the Torre range are supposed to be good from here. The view of the lake and its glacier was nice.
- Mirador del Torre
Nice views of the Cerro Torre Range, were our last stop on the way back.
More Hiking and Camping options
Our second day on the above route was 28 km, It was a long day including a steep ascent to see sunrise from Laguna De Los Tres.
3-Day Hike – This route can be turned into a 3-Day Hike by going from Laguna De Los Tres to Laguna Torre on the second day and camping at Camping de Agostini another free campsite at Laguna Torre, leaving 12 km to hike to El Chalten on day 3. We did consider this, but because we started early on day 2 and were walking at a good pace we decided to continue and finish in 2 days.
Some hikers camp at Campamento Poincenot and take the same route back from Laguna De Los Tres to El Chalten breaking the 24km hike in two and allowing you to see sunset and sunrise at Fitz Roy.
Hike The Humuel Circuit
This five-day hike around Huemul Mountain is known as one of the toughest and most beautiful hikes in Patagonia. This Circuit involves semi-technical terrains, such as snow, glaciers, and moraines. Its particular components involve different types of terrains, climbs, flora, and fauna allowing us, in only a few days, to get to know a remote place, including an amazing view of the Southern Ice Field. We have not done this hike, but understand you need some technical experience and gear to complete this hike.
With a 60km length, this circuit has from 800 to 1600 mts elevations. Entering from Rio Túnel Valley up to Paso del Viento, by The Viedma Glacier up and out through Paso Huemul.
Accommodation in El Chalten
Thousands of cyclists and hikers come through El Chalten every season and there are a huge variety of accommodations to cater to every budget from camping to luxury lodges. We enjoyed camping, but it is nice to return to a warm lodge, and have your own bathroom and a comfortable bed after a long day hiking in the chilly Patagonian weather!
- Super comfort – Destino Sur Hotel & Spa de Montaña – 5 Star luxury, excellent ratings
- Mid Budget – Hosteria El Paraiso Alpine-style cabin with panoramic views of Fitz Roy hills, location great close to the bus stop and the start of the trails. Good value for money.
- Backpacker Budget – Rancho Grande large ranch-style hostel with stunning views. Dormitories and private rooms.
Camping in El Chalten
Some of the most popular campsites in the town of El Chalten can be seen below, see our article on Camping in El Chaten for a review of the sites and camping in the region.
- El Relincho Camping
- La Torcida Camping
- El Refugio Camping
- Casa de Cyclistas EL CHARITO
Best Time to Visit El Chalten
December – February: Summertime is the high season in El Chaltén with warm temperatures and long days. There are many tourists in the park at this time of the year. The average maximum temperature around this season is 69.1°F (20.6°C). Strong winds do blow in summer. There is little rain in summer.
March – April: Fall is a good time to travel to El Chalten. Local schools close and there are not many people on the trails. It is colder with a bit more rain. Maximum temperatures are around 67.7°F (19.8°C). The wind calms down in the fall.
September – November: Spring is a great season for trekking in Patagonia. Most routes are possible. Spring daily highs range around 63.9°F (17.7°C)
Travel insurance for hiking in Patagonia
Hiking like any outdoor activity involves a risky part with the possibility of getting an injury.
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What to pack for hiking in El Chalten?
- I love my Salomon X Ultra gortex boots, great boots for all seasons. Comfortable, light, and completely waterproof. Keeps mud, snow, and rain out.
- Ladies model, Alya hikes in Salomon Women’s X Ultra Mid Gortex Boots
- Merino wool socks is the best way to keep your feet from smelling bad dry, and without blisters. For hiking in Patagonia, I recommend using a Mid-weight Wool Sock – Darn Tough Micro Crew Cushion Hike-Trek Merino Wool Sock (Women's Sock). Darn Tough is a fantastic brand with a lifetime guarantee on their socks. Danish Endurance Premium Outdoor Hiking Socks (Unisex) is another very good merino wool sock that is available in Europe.
- Hiking poles take a lot of strain on your knees. Remember to put your poles in your check-in luggage, it might get confiscated if you take it on to your flight.
- There are great campsites in El Chalten, pack a good tent – the MSR Hubba Hubba NX – it’s very light (1,3kg), packs small, easy to pitch, waterproof, its shape is great for strong wind and it’s durable. for a middle-price range tent, the MSR Elixir is a good option
- An inflatable camping pad works very well and takes up little space.
- Pack a portable camp stove and a cooking set.
- Most campsites in El Chalten have a communal kitchen for cooking.
You’ll find a complete packing list for hiking and camping in the region in our post Patagonia packing list.
Restaurants and eating in El Chalten
Self-catering
There are a couple of supermarkets selling the basics in El Chalten, We did some shopping in the supermarkets and cooked in the campsite kitchen. Get fresh bread at Panaderia Que-rika
Restaurants
La Lomiteria El Chalten
Incredible burgers and sandwiches, these guys know what they are doing!
Laborum
The pizzas in this small shop is fantastic, after a long hike it could be the best thing you have ever eaten!
How to get to El Chalten
El Chalten can easily be reached by flying to the nearest airport, El Calafate, about 220km away, and continuing by bus. Flights to El Calafate depart from many airports including EZE (Ezeiza, Buenos Aires). The road is paved in excellent condition and the trip takes 3 hours by bus, The daily bus service between El Calafate and El Chaltén works all year round, twice per day in the morning and evening (3 times in the peak season). The bus trip is quite expensive.
Due to the expensive bus tickets in the region, some people try hitchhiking. If you decide to hitchhike, just get on the road early, we had a long day of very competitive hitchhiking here. We hitchhiked a lot in Patagonia and it was a great way to explore the area and to travel the Carretera Austral.
How to get from Villa O Higgins to El Chalten?
Getting from Villa O Higgins in Chile to El Chalten in Argentina was an interesting journey on foot and ferry, we walked more than 40 kilometers with all our luggage, 2 backpacks, and a camera bag each, it was a tough hike that can be done in about 2 days. We walked to the beautiful glacier El Chico on the way which was a really nice detour.
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The strong half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that would be happy to spend all his life in the water diving, surfing and spearfishing but often has to compromise with Alya and go hiking instead. Campbell is responsible for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves traveling, braai (BBQ in South Africa), red wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.
Hi! Is it also possible to do the 3 day hike the other way around - first Laguna Torre and then Laguna De Los Tres? We are trying to be there on a day with no clouds so as to see the sunrise on Fitzroy.
Sure you can, first day walk from El Chalten and go to Laguna Torre camping at De Agostini campsite near Laguna Torre, next day take the loop to Laguna de Los Tres staying at Campamento Poincenot. Final day complete the loop to El Chalten. Enjoy and safe travels!
Park fees of 30,000 pesos introduced as of End October 2024 - be aware - now El Chalten doesn’t seem so great
Thank you Shaun, still a great place, definitely not cheap.
How is hiking in early November. Will there be snow on the ground? What hikes will be snow free? I’m an experienced hiking but will not have snow gear.
Spring is a nice time for hiking in El Chalten. It is still cold in the day time. Wear a good rain jacket as there is often rain and wind during this time of the year. Snow on the trail is unlikely and if it snows it will probably just drizzle.
Hello!
Very interesting read here. Glad you guys put it all out here and inspire so many others do follow in your footsteps! Thank you.
As we are camping the full O trek in TDP we are considering renting roons in hostels in both El Chalten and El Calatafe and do day hikes instead of a loop. Do we have to book these in advance? Or can we just enter both towns and still find some rooms on the spot?
Thanks!
Hello Tobias, thanks for reading. That depends on when you are going. If you are going in high season (Dec to Feb) it is safer to book. Many properties can be canceled without problems on Booking dot com. Just make sure until when you can still cancel the property without costs.
Hello Stingy Nomads, Thanks for the great post with useful tips/info!
I have a question, as solo male traveller, I would like to know for the 3-day hike option, is there a hostel or whatever simple lodge to rent, or camp is the only option? Many thanks for this! I plan to visit this December.
Cheers Dan
Hello Dan, the free campsites are the only accommodation I am aware of inside the park. You can however reach all the main viewpoints such as Laguna Torre and Laguna de Los Tres from El Chalten as day hikes. You can stay in a variety of accommodation options in El Chalten and return to your accommodation every night. Enjoy El Chalten, Safe Travels!
Hi Stingy Nomads,
Great information on your website. I have about 18 days to visit Patagonia and would like to include a trek of between 5 and 8 days with moderate difficulty. Would you recommend starting from El Chalten or going from the Chilean side at Puerto Natales? Which has the most spectacular scenery?
Thanks.
Patrick
Hello Patrick. Thank you for the comment. I'd recommend starting in El Chalten and doing a hike to Fitz Roy there then going to El Calafate to see Perito Moreno Glacier and from there to Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine where you can do a multi-day trek. 18 days is enough time to visit these places and to do the O circuit in Torres del Paine which is 7-8 days. Alternatively you can do the W trek which takes 4-5 days.
Cheers
Thanks for the great info. We are doing the W loop from east to west ending at Refugio Grey. We are then planning to head to El Calafate. What's the best way to get from Refugio Grey to El Calafate. Thanks,
Greg
Hello, Gregory. Thank you for the comment. First, get from Refugio Grey to Peurto Natales, the nearest town. You can walk back from Refugio Grey to Paine Grande, take a ferry to Pudeto, and from there a bus to Puerto Natales. From Puerto Natales you can get a bus to El Calafate in Argentina.
Good luck
@Stingy Nomads, hello, are you sure buses are running from Puerto Natales to El Calafete? My husband and I also wanted to go to the W trek from El Calafete, but was told the land borders are closed due to Covid and you cannot take a bus now
Hello, Lee. We don't know the current situation with buses and border crossing between Argentina and Chile. The post was written in 2019 (as it is indicated at the beginning of it) before the pandemic. The situation changes all the time we can't keep up with the changes in every country of the world and update all our content every week.
Good luck
Hi is it possible to just turn up and rent a camp space at the camp sites you mention ? Or is it very busy? I plan to travel this November/December . Is there somewhere I can book camping in advance? Thanks for your advice
Campamento Poincenot, Camping Laguna Capri and Camping de Agostini in Los Glaciares National Park are free campsites that can not be booked. There is a lot of space and you just pitch your tent on a first come first serve basis. You should be able to book the campsites in town by phone or email. Safe Travels!
Hi Stingy Nomad,
Do you think April 9-18 would be too late?
I'd like to see the fall color and hike to fitz roy but worried about the weather.
We haven't been here in April, but I understand it will be a bit cold, early for snow, but not impossible. The days are shorter, but the weather most of the time is very possible for hiking. Many refugios are closed, you might have to stay in hosterias. It is cold for camping, but sounds like there are still people camping at this time.
i love all the info you have posted its super helpful my wife and i really want to do the laguna de los tres hike. my only concern is flying there with aerolineas argentina as they have canceled on me before. do you have any others suggestions on getting there? wanting to arrive in april. thanks
Hello Shayne, glad our post is helpful. There are several bus services servicing this route. We do not have any personal experience flying into the area. Enjoy the trip, safe travels!
Love the outline for your 2-day trek! How long did it take you to do the second day to Laguna de los tres and back to el chalten?
Hello Jante, thanks for reading. That was a long day, about 28 km and took us around 8 hours. Another option is to split day 2 into two days by camping at Camping Agostini (Laguna Torre) turning it into a three day hike or to follow the same route back from Lagun de los Tres to El Chalten. I added some more distance and options to the article. Safe travels!
i am a very fit 80. i want to do some hiking in el chalten. i am considering first of march . would that be a good time? i could go earlier
Hi James, the hiking season stretches from October to April, since season is coming to an end it is more quiet allowing you to enjoy the National Parks with fewer people around. Landscapes begin to transform from Summer to Autumn which is quite beautiful. We have been to El Chalten in March, camping it was chilly at night and in the mornings. There were many people on the trails so I don't think you will be out there on your own. If you want to hike with busier trails and a smaller chance of rain it would be better to go a bit earlier. Enjoy and safe travels
Hi, thanks for your post!!! I have just one question: should I book the free campsites, such as Laguna Capri?
Hello, thanks for reading! No, you don't have to book these sites, it is sort of a wild campsite, the only facilities provided is a toilet.
Really interested in El Chalten!
We're about to retire and on fixed incomes, we would still like to see the world. Your website is tremendous! Would really like to get to know your organization and participate.
Hello, Joanne! Thank you for reading our blog! Traveling after retirement is a good idea, sure you deserve it! This site is our personal blog so it's only two of us who write and do all the admin stuff it's not like a magazine we don't accept guest writers to keep it more personal, sorry. I'm sure you'll be able to find sites that will be interested in your contribution/participation.
All the best and safe travels!
Hello! Quick question - when do most trails open out of El Chalten? Planning on arriving very end of August / beginning of September. Thanks!
Hi Daniel, August is winter in Patagonia, so you could have snow on the trails and it will be cold. I don't think the trails are closed (maybe see if you can find an official resource), but as far as I am aware even the mini treks on the glacier at Perito Moreno opens early August and there are companies offering snow shoe trekking in El Chalten in winter, so I don't think the trails will be closed. Some of the campsites and accommodation might not be open.
Super guide! So helpful! Me and my son are visiting Torres del Paine and continuing to El Chalten in feb/March 2019. Cheers!
Super helpful post. Thanks! Questions: we are a couple and here in mid November. I'm hoping it will be warmer than it was for you. How much did it cost to rent a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, basic cooking equipment (small pot, stove, gas can for stove)? per day? What was the best place to rent gear? Patagonia Hikes? Also, we have a basic Dome 2 tent from REI that sleeps 2 and I have a decent sleeping bag that I'd like to bring. Just can't tell if my tent will be good enough for Patagonian weather/wind. Thoughts on that? Did rentals have fancy tents or do you think a basic REI tent will do us good. We are also camping for a couple of days in Terra del Fuego -- so trying to see if it's worthwhile bringing this equipment from home. In Peru before this and finishing in Brazil -- so we will be carrying gear around a bit.
Hello, Arthi! Thank you for reading!
I don't think in the mid November it'll be warmer than in February-March, November is very beginning of the summer there. We didn't rent anything we had our own gear and bought everything for very cheap in Cusco, Peru. You can check how much we paid for everything here https://stingynomads.com/choquequirao-trek/. Renting camping gear in El Chalten or Puerto Natales is possible but very expensive, rental prices in Puerto Natales you can find here https://stingynomads.com/torres-del-paine-hiking-guide/, El Chalten was even more expensive. If you plan to hike in Patagonia and Peru it's definitely worth to have your own gear you'll save a lot of money on accommodation.
About your tent, I'm not sure if it has proper rain cover all over which is important for the rain and very strong wind. Our tent National Geographic OTTAWA 2 wasn't expensive or fancy but it worked good we had no leaking or any other problem. Most rental tents we saw were local Doite tents they are quite expensive. We used our camping gear everywhere from Peru through Chile and Argentina and in Brazil for us it was worth to have it and saved a lot of money.
Hope I ansered your questions.
Good luck!
Wow guys! So beautiful! 🙂