# El Chaltén: map, what to do and when to go

Patagonian village 220 km from El Calafate, where the trails to Cerro Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and the glaciers of the Los Glaciares North Zone start on foot.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **El Chaltén: how do I get there?** El Chaltén has no airport; the air gateway is the Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE), in El Calafate.
- **El Chaltén: how many days should I stay?** Three days and three nights, counting the afternoon of arrival.
- **El Chaltén: how much is the park ticket and which pass should I buy?** The trails that leave from El Chaltén have Los Glaciares National Park ticket checks at four gates (Cóndores, Cerro Torre, Fitz Roy and Río Eléctrico).

## The road from El Calafate, the Visitor Center and the short viewpoints
Take the morning bus or drive out of El Calafate along the 220 paved kilometers of Ruta 40 and Ruta Provincial 41, with views of Lago Viedma and the east face of Fitz Roy on arrival.
- Mirador de los Cóndores
- Mirador de las Águilas
- Centro de Visitantes Ceferino Fonzo

## The full trail to the Laguna de los Tres at the foot of Fitz Roy
Reserve for this outing the morning with the clearest weather and the least wind of your stay. Set out early (between 7 and 8 a.m.) through the Portada Fitz Roy at the north end of Avenida San Martín.
- Laguna de los Tres
- Laguna Capri
- Mirador Fitz Roy

## The Laguna Torre, or the Viedma Glacier boat and the Chorrillo del Salto
If your legs are fine and the day is clear, walk the Laguna Torre path: 9 km and about 3 h one way (18 km round trip), with 250 m of elevation gain, much gentler than at Fitz Roy, passing the Mirador del Cerro Torre (km 3, about 1 h 15 min) to the lagoon facing the needle of Cerro Torre.
- Laguna Torre
- Mirador del Cerro Torre
- Chorrillo del Salto
- Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
- Glaciar Piedras Blancas
- Glaciar Viedma

## Laguna de los Tres
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-laguna-de-los-tres
Half a day or more
Located at the base of the granite walls of Cerro Fitz Roy (3,405 m) and the Poincenot and Saint-Exupéry needles, this glacial lagoon fed by the Glaciar de los Tres is the goal of the most famous hike in Argentine Patagonia. The trail starts at the far north end of Avenida San Martín (Portada Fitz Roy) and is 10 km and about 4 h one way, with 750 m of total elevation gain: 20 km round trip, which takes the whole day. The first 8 km, with 350 m of elevation gain, pass the Laguna Capri and the lenga forests to the Poincenot campsite; after crossing the Río Blanco the last hour of climbing begins, gaining the remaining 400 m in steep zigzags exposed to the wind. From the top of the moraine you can also see the Laguna Sucia below. It requires a Los Glaciares National Park ticket and an early start.
Check access

## Laguna Torre
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-laguna-torre
Santa Cruz · Half a day or more
The second great classic trail that leaves on foot from the streets of El Chaltén follows the Río Fitz Roy valley for 9 km and about 3 h one way (18 km round trip), with 250 m of total elevation gain, much gentler than the final stretch to the Laguna de los Tres. The path passes the De Agostini campsite and ends on the moraine facing the Laguna Torre, from where you can see the Glaciar Grande and, when the clouds open at the back of the glacial cirque, the granite needle of Cerro Torre (3,102 m) and the neighboring spires. If you have the energy, you can continue along the moraine crest to the Mirador Maestri, 11 km and about 4 h from the village. It requires a national park ticket.
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## Laguna Capri
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-laguna-capri
Lago Argentino (departamento) · One to two hours
Located 4 km and about 1 h 45 min of walking from the end of Avenida San Martín, on a branch of the same main path that climbs to the Laguna de los Tres, this lagoon ringed by native forest of lengas and ñires works both as an intermediate stop and as a half-day destination for anyone who doesn't want to take on the full 20 km or the steep final climb after the Río Blanco. From the water's edge you get a direct view of the spires of the Fitz Roy massif. It requires a park ticket.
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## Mirador Fitz Roy
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-mirador-fitz-roy
One to two hours
On the main Fitz Roy trail, between the village and the Poincenot campsite, this rocky viewpoint opens onto the Río Blanco valley, the Piedras Blancas Glacier in the distance and the main wall of Fitz Roy. It is a good option for a half-day hike, for the morning of your arrival or for when the cloud ceiling closes off the upper part of the mountain. It requires a park ticket.
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## Mirador del Cerro Torre
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-mirador-del-cerro-torre
One to two hours
Located 3 km and about 1 h 15 min of walking from the start of the Laguna Torre path in the village, this natural viewpoint on the first terrace above the Río Fitz Roy canyon already frames the Adela range, Cerro Solo and the needle of Cerro Torre without your having to complete the 10 km to the lagoon shore. It works as a half-day outing or a decision point when the wind at the valley bottom is too strong. It requires a park ticket.
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## Mirador de los Cóndores
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-mirador-de-los-condores
Up to half an hour
A short trail of 1 km and about 30 minutes of climbing, with 100 m of elevation gain, which starts at the Portada Los Cóndores, next to the Ceferino Fonzo Visitor Center, at the south entrance of the village. From the top of the hill you see the village wedged between the rivers, the Las Vueltas valley and the profile of the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massifs, and there is a good chance of seeing condors and black-chested buzzard-eagles in flight. It is the right outing for the afternoon you arrive by bus from El Calafate; it requires a park ticket at the gate.
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## Mirador de las Águilas
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-mirador-de-las-aguilas
Up to half an hour
A fork on the way to the Mirador de los Cóndores extends the outing by another 1 km (2 km and about 45 minutes from the gate), turning its back on the mountain range and opening the view over the Patagonian steppe and Lago Viedma. It is worth adding on the same afternoon as the Mirador de los Cóndores, with the same ticket.
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## Chorrillo del Salto
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-chorrillo-del-salto
Up to half an hour
A 20 m waterfall in a forest north of the village, next to Ruta Provincial 41. On foot, the trail starts at the same point as the Laguna Capri and Fitz Roy trails, north of Avenida San Martín, and is 3 km and about 1 h each way, with almost no elevation gain; part of it runs along a National Park path, and the park lists the Chorrillo viewpoint among the sites of the Portada Fitz Roy, where your ticket is checked. By car it is about 10 minutes along RP 41; ask at the Visitor Center whether road access also requires a ticket. It is El Chaltén's easiest outing for rest days for tired muscles or strong wind on the high ground.
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## Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-loma-del-pliegue-tumbado
Lago Argentino (departamento) · Half a day or more
A mountain trail of 12 km and about 4 h one way (24 km round trip), with 1,000 m of elevation gain, which starts next to the Ceferino Fonzo Visitor Center and climbs through lenga forest to rocky terrain above the tree line. Unlike the Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre trails, which run along the valley floors, it ends at a ridge viewpoint with a 360-degree view over Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and Lago Viedma. Climb only on a day of stable weather and little wind; it requires a park ticket.
Check access

## Glaciar Piedras Blancas
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-glaciar-piedras-blancas
Half a day or more
A glacier that flows down the north cirque of the Fitz Roy massif to the lagoon of the same name. On the Laguna de los Tres trail, the Mirador Piedras Blancas is 10 km and about 3 h 30 min from the village, on a detour that leaves from the Poincenot campsite (km 8), with 350 m of accumulated elevation gain. It can be the goal for anyone who doesn't want the final climb to the Laguna de los Tres, or an add-on for those camping at Poincenot. It requires a park ticket.
Check access

## Glaciar Viedma
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-glaciar-viedma
Magalhães e Antártica Chilena · Half a day or more
The largest glacier in Argentina flows from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field to the west shore of Lago Viedma. The Aventura Viedma cruise, by Solo Patagonia, leaves from the port of Bahía Túnel, 18 km from El Chaltén, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., passes among icebergs in front of the glacier face and includes an easy walk to the Bahía de los Témpanos viewpoint. On the operator's website, consulted on October 17, 2026, the tour cost ARS 175,000 per adult, with an optional transfer from El Chaltén (ARS 36,000), and ran every day from October to March and, from April to September, on odd-numbered days of the month and on Saturdays. The park ticket is not included and is bought separately.
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## Centro de Visitantes Ceferino Fonzo
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-centro-de-visitantes-ceferino
Up to half an hour
The Administración de Parques Nacionales service office for the North Zone is at the south entrance of El Chaltén, before the Río Fitz Roy bridge. It has a topographic model of the massif and an interpretive room on the wildlife (such as the huemul deer), the flora and the history of climbing, plus the counter where park rangers give free, up-to-date information on trail conditions and the wind bulletin, and handle the mandatory registration for remote camping and climbing.
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## Capilla de los Escaladores
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/el-chalten/#g-lugar-capilla-de-los-escaladores
El Chaltén · Up to half an hour
A simple chapel of Austrian design that remembers the climbers who have died in the mountains of the region since 1953. It stands in the center of the village, about 300 m north of the bus terminal, and works as a quick, quiet stop of respect for the history of Patagonian mountaineering, without taking long.
Check access

**El Chaltén: how do I get there?**
El Chaltén has no airport; the air gateway is the Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE), in El Calafate. The 220 km between El Calafate and El Chaltén are paved: Ruta Nacional 40 to the turnoff and, for the last 90 km, Ruta Provincial 41 along the north shore of Lago Viedma. There are three buses a day from El Calafate, according to the municipal tourism website; the companies Cal Tur, Chaltén Travel, Marga Taqsa and Don Atilio serve the El Chaltén Bus Terminal, and schedules and prices are checked with each one. In high season, buy the return ticket together with the outbound one: the municipality itself recommends checking availability for the return date.

**El Chaltén: how many days should I stay?**
Three days and three nights, counting the afternoon of arrival. On the first day, arriving in the morning by bus or by car from El Calafate, stop at the Ceferino Fonzo Visitor Center and in the afternoon climb to the Mirador de los Cóndores and the Mirador de las Águilas. On the second, picking the morning with the steadiest weather, do the 20 km round trip to the Laguna de los Tres. On the third, walk to the Laguna Torre or, to rest your knees, take the 10:30 a.m. boat to Viedma Glacier, leaving from Bahía Túnel, and leave the Chorrillo del Salto for after the return, at 2:30 p.m. The return to El Calafate is left for the morning of the fourth day; anyone with a whole fourth day can climb the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado or go to Lago del Desierto. A day trip from El Calafate does not work for the Laguna de los Tres: it adds 440 km of road to the 20 km of trail, and the municipality itself advises against it.

**El Chaltén: how much is the park ticket and which pass should I buy?**
The trails that leave from El Chaltén have Los Glaciares National Park ticket checks at four gates (Cóndores, Cerro Torre, Fitz Roy and Río Eléctrico). Under the schedule in force since June 1, 2026 (consulted in October 2026), the daily pass costs ARS 50,000 at the general rate, ARS 25,000 at the national rate and ARS 8,000 for residents of Santa Cruz province (children up to 6 years old are exempt). The second day of the visit, within 72 hours of the first entry, gets a 50% discount, which comes to ARS 75,000 for two days; for three days of hiking, the 3-day Flexipass (ARS 100,000 at the general rate) is cheaper than three daily passes (ARS 125,000), and there is a 7-day Flexipass (ARS 175,500). Buy in advance at ventaweb.apn.gob.ar with your ID in hand and save the QR code offline on your phone. The Viedma Glacier boat does not include the ticket, which is bought separately.

**El Chaltén: Laguna de los Tres or Laguna Torre?**
The Laguna de los Tres, at the foot of Fitz Roy, is 10 km and about 4 h one way, with 750 m of total elevation gain: the first 8 km add up to 350 m to the Poincenot campsite, and after the Río Blanco the last hour gains the remaining 400 m in steep zigzags exposed to the wind. The Laguna Torre is 9 km and about 3 h one way, with 250 m of elevation gain, much gentler, and the needle of Cerro Torre only appears when the clouds open at the back of the glacial cirque. Save your best morning of open weather for the Laguna de los Tres and check with the Visitor Center: it can be sunny on Avenida San Martín while a windstorm shuts down the Fitz Roy wall. If the weather closes in, the Laguna Capri and the Mirador Fitz Roy already make a good outing without risking the final climb.

**El Chaltén: how does the Viedma Glacier boat work?**
The Aventura Viedma boat, by Solo Patagonia, leaves from the port of Bahía Túnel, 18 km from El Chaltén, at 10:30 a.m. and returns at 2:30 p.m., passing among icebergs in front of the glacier face, with an easy walk to the Bahía de los Témpanos viewpoint. On the operator's website, consulted on October 17, 2026, the tour cost ARS 175,000 per adult, with an optional transfer from El Chaltén (ARS 36,000), and ran every day from October to March and, from April to September, on odd-numbered days of the month and on Saturdays. The park ticket is not included and is bought separately.

**El Chaltén: do I need a car?**
Within El Chaltén there is no city bus and no need for one: the main trails (Laguna de los Tres, Laguna Capri, Laguna Torre, Mirador de los Cóndores and Loma del Pliegue Tumbado) start on foot at the ends of the village streets. Motorized transport is only needed for three outings: the Río Eléctrico bridge (about 15 km north on the gravel RP 41), Lago del Desierto (37 km north on RP 41) and the port of Bahía Túnel (18 km, for the Viedma Glacier boat, with an optional transfer from the operator). For these points there are bus and car services from agencies and local remises. Anyone driving a rental car will find a gas station in the village, and the municipality recommends traveling with an extra can of fuel and the spare tire in good shape; fill up the car and withdraw pesos in El Calafate before hitting the road.

**El Chaltén: do I need to bring cash?**
In the village, most restaurants and hotels accept cards; when booking, ask whether the rate for non-resident foreigners includes VAT. Bring Argentine pesos in cash from El Calafate or Buenos Aires: the municipal website lists an ATM among the village's services, but in a village this size I would not depend on it, and the internet is unreliable on days of strong wind. Since nominal peso prices change often, treat published amounts as a dated reference.

**El Chaltén: when is the best time to go?**
The hiking season runs from October to April, and basic tourist services operate regularly from October until Holy Week, according to the municipality (in 2027, Holy Week ends on Easter Sunday, March 28). From December to February sunset is around 10 p.m. at the solstice, but January and February bring the strongest winds and require booking lodging months in advance. October and November bring the return of regular services and fewer people on the trails, although the final stretch to the Laguna de los Tres may still have accumulated snow in October, requiring a daily check at the Visitor Center. March and the first half of April usually have less wind and red and gold forests; after Holy Week, however, buses, lodging and restaurants stop operating regularly, and anyone traveling in April should confirm each service beforehand. From May to August snow and ice cover the high climbs and many of the hotels, restaurants and agencies close until October.

**El Chaltén: what precautions should I take on the mountain?**
The village is small and safe; all the attention goes to the mountain. Patagonian weather changes in under an hour, with gusts that can knock a hiker down on the exposed ridges of the Laguna de los Tres and the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado and cause hypothermia even in January. Work out your start time so you never come back in the dark, since there is no lighting or cell signal on the trails, and set out with your vianda, water, a waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves even in summer. On the last hour of the climb to the Laguna de los Tres, wear trekking footwear with good grip and use poles, and do not hesitate to stop at the Laguna Capri or the Mirador Fitz Roy if your physical condition or the weather worsens. For crossings off the daytime trails, remote camping or climbing, prior registration at the Ceferino Fonzo Visitor Center is mandatory. The area is puma habitat: do not hike alone on little-used trails and keep children close.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 3 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/el-chalten/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/el-chalten/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/el-chalten.md