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 iconic Laguna de Los Tres in El Chalten with a spectacular reflection of the mountain.

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.

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

Approaching El Chalten and Mt. Fitz Roy, Patagonia, Argentina

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.

The hike to Laguna Capri is a fairly long flat hike from El Chalten.

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.

Laguna Torre at the base of Cerro Torre a mostly flat hike from El Chalten.

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.

Stingy Nomads at Laguna de Los Tres with Mt.Fitz Roy in the background. We loved the scenery on this hike!

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.

Piedras Blancas Glacier on the Laguna de Los Tres hike is a beautiful side trip.

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

Map of Los Galaciares National Park hikes. Our route, first day; El Chalten – Laguna Capri, – camping Rio Blanco. Second day; Rio Blanco – Lago de Los tres – glacier Piedras blancas – Laguna Madre e Hija – Laguna Torres – El Chalten.

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.

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.

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.

Nice view of Mt.Fitz Roy, Los Glaciares National park hiking from El Chalten.

Day Two Campamento Pointceno – Laguna De Los Tres – Laguna Torre – El Chalten 27km

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.

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.

Nice views of the Cerro Torre Range, were our last stop on the way back.

Stunning view of Laguna Sucia, the lake next to Laguna de Los Tres.

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.

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.

Having an accident in a foreign country can be an extremely costly affair without appropriate cover. Want to know what insurance will cost? Get an instant online quote from World Nomads here.

World Nomads travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers. If you leave home without travel insurance or your policy runs out, you can buy or extend while on the road.

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.

Our Salomon Ultra X hiking boots worked excellent on the trails around El Chalten.

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!

The beautiful little town El Chalten in Argentina Patagonia is an amazing base for world-class hiking.

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.

View of the beautiful Lagunas Madre e Hija, Los Glaciares National Park, El Chalten

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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.

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