Experience the best of El Chaltén

El Chaltén was founded in 1985, partly to mark Argentina's claim on a disputed border, and has since become the country's national trekking capital. A grid of low timber buildings, guesthouses, bakeries and gear shops sits in the valley of the Río de las Vueltas, with the granite peak of Fitz Roy, 3,405 metres high, rising behind it. The village lies inside Los Glaciares National Park, a World Heritage site.

Marked trails lead from the edge of the village to Laguna Torre, below the needle of Cerro Torre, and to Laguna de los Tres, at the foot of Fitz Roy; each is a long day's walk. Lago del Desierto lies north at the end of a gravel road, while the big glacier-fed lakes and the Perito Moreno Glacier lie far to the south, near El Calafate.

Lamb roasted over an open fire, hearty stews, trout, and ice cream and jam made from calafate berries are the staples, with beer brewed in the village. The Tehuelche name Chaltén is usually read as 'smoking mountain', for the cloud that clings to Fitz Roy. Wind is a constant, and the walking season runs roughly from October to April.