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Are you human?

We took a plane to El Calafate, Argentina from Buenos Aires. When you get there, there are a ton of busses to El Chalten, which is the town inside Los Glaciares National Park. If you’re going in high season (November – February), it’s better to reserve ahead of time. If not, you’d probably be fine just getting something upon arrival. It’s a 3 hour bus ride to Los Glaciares National Park, and the drive is breathtaking. We stayed there for 4 nights in a hostel, and there are plenty of them. Right at the beginning of the town is an information center where you can get a map of the area.

There are about 5 or 6 major hikes from El Chalten that take you to the bases of different mountains that surround the town. At each base is a glacier pond.

Day 1

El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
El Chaltén, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

This was the day of arrival into El Calafate and the bus ride to El Chalten.

Day 2

Laguna Torre, El Chaltén, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Laguna Torre – 8 hour hike, very flat. Recommend poles even though this is the hike with the least elevation. The sun is up for a really long time so you have plenty of daylight to hike.

Day 3

El Chaltén, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Just walked around the town and went into different shops and restaurants. It was nice to have a relaxed day between our 2 longer hikes.

Day 4

Laguna de los Tres, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Laguna de Los Tres – this is the Mount Fitz Roy hike and takes about 8 hours, too. It’s not too bad until the last hour, which is up, up, up. Poles would have been really helpful. Definitely worth the experience. This is the mountain in the Patagonia clothing company logo.

Day 5

Perito Moreno Glacier, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

To see the Perito Moreno glacier, you have to take the bus back to Calafate. We got an AirBnB here. It’s still within the national park, and there are glacier tours for around $200-$250 per person. FYI – you need to have boots. It’s an hour drive to the glacier, you have to bring a lunch and are at the glacier for a few hours. You hike on it for about an hour and then they take you to the front where, in the summer, you can see parts of it crack off and fall. Very cool.

This area is expensive to get to but worth it. It’s somewhat touristy, but backpacker-touristy so it’s very manageable and fun people to talk to/meet. December and January are high season/summer and the best time to go.

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