My trip to Patagonia - El Chaltén

Day 1: We flew from Buenos Aires to El Calafate on Aerolineas Argentinas. We arrived at the airport in El Calafate at 17:30 and there we were waiting for the shuttle we had hired to go directly to El Chalten, after visiting the town of El Calafate to refuel and buy some provisions for the journey.

The trip between El Calafate and El Chalten have lasted about 4 hours, can not remember. Departing from El Calafate we are on Route 11 to meet with the RN 40, where we turn left (north) by the latter and continue to Route 23 which is what leads us to El Chalten. In the middle of the road a puncture and had to stop to change it, the van was carrying four aid because the road was all gravel and is in very poor condition, so it was very common to click more than one time per trip, this is completely paved now.

Then we made another stop for a drink on the road and go to the bathroom, was a bar in the middle of nowhere, I do not remember the name. One thing that attracted attention was that we had done like 10 pm and was still daylight.

We arrived in El Chalten at night in the hostel El Refugio were waiting with dinner ready and then the bed to recover from travel fatigue, it would be nothing compared to what awaited us the following days.

Day 2: We got up early, had breakfast with no trouble and then getting things ready for the voyage. We left everything in the hostel we would not need and we start with the right and necessary. We went on foot along a path that, in principle, was following the Rio de las Vueltas, heading to Laguna Capri. Getting the first bite is always the hardest, then we regulate the breath and the body gets used.

In El Chalten there are many paths to travel and visit various places of spectacular beauty. These are well marked and signs indicating the approximate time to the sites so anyone can make. In many places you can go and come back in the day by calculating the time shown on the signs so we would not catch the cold night in the hills.

The first stop was for lunch at Laguna de los Patos, which had no water or ducks, I do not know if it always is dry or it was just at that time. Anyway, the scenery is beautiful and almost from all sides one sees the great hill Chalten (Fitz Roy).

We arrived at Laguna Capri averaging the afternoon, the route we did not hurry and enjoy the scenery, because it did not interest us return to El Chalten that afternoon, we thought camping near the lake. There is an area for camping there, I think all the campsites in El Chalten are wild, they have no bathrooms or water services or anything.

We rested on the shore of the lake until the sun sank behind the hills and the temperature dropped like 10 degrees in an instant. Then we returned to camp to share and make dinner. There is also a vantage point near the campsite from which you have very good views of the place.

Day 3: We got up early and after a good breakfast we left for Laguna de los Tres. This time, accelerate a little step because the path is a little harder and it needed to return to Laguna Capri camp before dark as we leave all our things there to make the journey lighter.
The landscapes we cross are beautiful, we saw Lagunas Madre e Hija in the distance and some can not remember the names.

We arrived at Laguna de los Tres around noon, the arrival impresses because the latter route is up and is quite tiring, we had to make several short stops for breath, until a path around a bend and appeared before our eyes lake with the mountains and glacier in the background, a postcard spectacular!.
That day the sky was not a cloud, I guess it made everything more beautiful. We lunched on the banks of the lagoon and rested for a long time there, the beauty of the place does not feel like getting up to return.

Bordering the Laguna de los Tres is the Laguna Sucia, there is a higher point where you can see the light of the two lagoons, which incidentally are at different water levels and each one takes on different colors.

The return is the same way. As evening darkens in summer time there are no problems, but we must take into account the length of journeys not to surprise us the night. While the trails are well marked, when a non-expert it is easy to miss and the night is very cold in El Chalten.

Day 4: Today we had to leave even earlier because the intention was to get to Cerro Torre glacier and trekking on the glacier. The ride is longer and more complicated way than before. In addition we had to carry all our belongings because we will not be returning to Laguna Capri, from the glacier wanted to return to the town by another route.

After a few hours of walking we came to another camp, which is the base camp for people who go to the Cerro Torre glacier. Here we left most of our luggage to go to the glacier with only the essentials. From there the way it is made complicated, this route is highly recommended to do with a mountain guide because it is much more rugged than the others and is easy to miss or accident.

At one point the road is to cross the river with zip (it's a rope hanging from one side of the river, we put a harness with a pulley and go shifting to the other side).
Later we also have to cross a waterfall. There is a very sharp in a sector, have it almost climbing up the rock, and at the end of the journey we have a very good view of the Torre Glacier and Lake. To reach the glacier we have to descend a steep slope and we are directly on the ice. Oh, I forgot we had to wear crampons to put us in that time.

No sooner had we reached the glacier, we had lunch and then a short rest we walked across the ice, to enter an glacier, deep fissures and sinkholes along a deep blue color. We went to an ice wall about 4 feet high on which to practice ice climbing. It's amazing to be there, it's like being on another planet, look to where you look is all white with some spots and undulating ground product of storms. Outlets and yelling are impressive, both for its size, by the dangerous and beautiful at the same time. There are underground rivers and tunnels, we do not get into any.

We returned along the same path to the base camp, where were our stuff, we got there in the afternoon, and after a snack and short break we return by another route to El Chalten. How it was late at night we reached the road averaging but what a guide accompanied us there was no problem. However, it is important to have flashlights ready in case this happens because the night was very dark and we could disitinguir where we stepped.

After spending three days living rough camping, and walking through the hills, eager not nothing but a toilet and a shower with hot water, then enjoy these pleasures and a good shave went to dinner and sleep on a mattress softly.

Day 5: We woke up late and took the opportunity to tour the town of El Chalten. There was also the option to go with a bus to Lago del Desierto but we did not feel like it, we prefer to rest near the town until evening, when we got back to the shuttle that would take us to the town of El Calafate, our second stage of the journey by the same route we had come, first along Lake Viedma and Lake Argentino later.

For information about flights to El Calafate check here: Flights to El Calafate

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