El Chaltén

El Chaltén is the youngest village in Argentina. It was founded on October 12, 1985, as a border post near Chile.

It is considered the trekking capital of Argentine Patagonia.

Located in the Viedma Lake section of Los Glaciares National Park, its stable population of 600 residents welcomes around 80,000 tourists each year, 60% of whom are foreigners.

Those who visit this Patagonian destination are drawn by the beauty of the Fitz Roy and Torre mountains, two of the most challenging peaks to climb in the world.

Fitz Roy is a granite massif standing 3,375 meters high. The Tehuelche people called it "Chaltén" (in the Aonikenk language, it means "mountain that smokes"), a name that gave origin to the village’s own.

The impressive mountain can be seen from the village, but those who wish to get closer can venture on one of the area's best hikes: the Laguna de los Tres trail, which takes about four hours one way.

Activities can be done independently, and some are available with specialized guides (recommended).

El Chaltén is the gateway to the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The village offers all the services a visitor might need: accommodations, restaurants, tour agencies, horse rentals, grocery stores, a mechanic, gas station and tire shop, health post, public telephone, fax, and regular bus lines connecting it to El Calafate.

Boat trips and mini-trekking to the Viedma Glacier and Lake (considered the largest glacier in Argentina, with 978 km²), excursions to Lake del Desierto, and several short hikes round out the village’s tourist offerings.