{"id":63783,"date":"2011-02-08T11:51:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-08T11:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/08\/63783-el-chalten-swoop-s-top-tips\/"},"modified":"2011-02-08T11:51:00","modified_gmt":"2011-02-08T11:51:00","slug":"63783-el-chalten-swoop-s-top-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/63783-el-chalten-swoop-s-top-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"El Chalten – Swoop’s top tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

On my first visit to El Chalten in 1999 I was wowed by Mount FitzRoy<\/a><\/span> and the other peaks and glaciers that lie within a few miles of the small town. In January 2011 I returned to the town that, in the Los Glaciares<\/a> National Park of Argentina is the base for some of Patagonia’s very best trekking, mountaineering and mountain biking. It’s changed a lot since my first visit: dusty streets and a few shacks replaced with paved roads and good transport links, a range of good bars and restaurants and lots of different accommodation options. (However, there’s still no mobile phone signal and internet connections are very slow indeed).<\/p>\n

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El Chalten was built from nothing in 1985 to make the most of the incredible opportunity that the area presented in terms of adventure travel. It sits just a few miles to the East of Mount FitzRoy and Cerro Torre and a series of other peaks that separate Argentina from the South Patagonian Ice Cap<\/a><\/span> and act as the border with Chile. And the conspiracy theorists also argue that its creation was also a move by the Argentinians to secure the border. This geography presents some spectacular views of granite peaks and blue glaciers, and great trekking opportunities to viewpoints (‘miradors’) of the mountain range, including Lago Toro and Laguna del los Tres<\/a><\/span>. Unlike it’s Chilean counterpart, Torres del Paine<\/a><\/span>, the FitzRoy has the benefit that you can access almost every route and viewpoint with day hikes from El Chalten, ideal if you don’t fancy camping or Refugios.<\/p>\n

From El Chalten you can also access the South Patgonian Ice Cap through two different passes: Paso Marconi<\/a><\/span> to the North (via Piedra del Fraile<\/a><\/span> and La Playita), and Paso del Viento to the south. Please note, unless you have significant mountaineering experience you will need a guide for this.<\/p>\n

A few of our top tips for El Chalten:<\/p>\n