Road to El Chalten
Road to El Chalten
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
623 reviews
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Colin H
Leicester, UK586 contributions
Jan 2020
First impressions of El Chalten are of a scruffy frontier town. Yet within a few hours, you will have fallen in love with the place.
The bus station is one of the most well organised I have been to, with the tourist information centre located within the same building. All the transport companies have offices there plus a great cafe too, which sells classy souvenirs at a reasonable price.
It also sells detailed maps of the area.
There is lots of accommodation in the town so unless it is a super busy period I would think you could always get a room - but you might not have much choice. Your accommodation can arrange transport to the trailheads; for instance, there is a minibus that leaves for Hostel Pillar each day at 0800 or 0930 hours. It costs 500 ARS$ per person on way. It just rolls through the town collecting people from their accommodation and then heading for Hostel Pillar.
There are lots of outdoor shops offering adventures; mountain biking, rafting, trekking, horse riding. Much like other places, you just book that the day before you want to go.
Lots of bars, restaurants & coffee shops too, offering happy hours, burgers, BBQ and pizza. You’ll never go hungry. They do like cash, however, so check whether they take card before you chow down.
We stayed for four nights and came to love the place!
The bus station is one of the most well organised I have been to, with the tourist information centre located within the same building. All the transport companies have offices there plus a great cafe too, which sells classy souvenirs at a reasonable price.
It also sells detailed maps of the area.
There is lots of accommodation in the town so unless it is a super busy period I would think you could always get a room - but you might not have much choice. Your accommodation can arrange transport to the trailheads; for instance, there is a minibus that leaves for Hostel Pillar each day at 0800 or 0930 hours. It costs 500 ARS$ per person on way. It just rolls through the town collecting people from their accommodation and then heading for Hostel Pillar.
There are lots of outdoor shops offering adventures; mountain biking, rafting, trekking, horse riding. Much like other places, you just book that the day before you want to go.
Lots of bars, restaurants & coffee shops too, offering happy hours, burgers, BBQ and pizza. You’ll never go hungry. They do like cash, however, so check whether they take card before you chow down.
We stayed for four nights and came to love the place!
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
alongtheroad
Northville, MI295 contributions
Jan 2020
We were blessed to have a beautiful sunny day for our approach to El Chalten. The Los Glaciares National Park ahead of us was so spectacular, we kept asking our driver to stop and let us out to keep taking more photos! We were just spellbound! What a stark contrast to the simple ride through the pampas on the way. We did enjoy a surprise stop at an historic little rest area where Butch Cassidy and his gang hid for about a month after their bank robbery in Santa Cruz. Fun seeing that as I'd just read about that robbery in the book I was reading, "in Patagonia." It was a very windy ride, "Mucho Viento" but it's hard to find a more beautiful approach to a city!
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ImmerWandern
Palos Park, IL13,793 contributions
Oct 2019
We drove from El Calafate along the shore of Lago Argentino, then on iconic Ruta 40 (Argentina's equivalent of the US Route 66) north to Lago Viedma. The wide expansive views were impressive, though most of the interesting sights were at a distance. Nevertheless wildlife were easily spotted fairly close to the road including Patagonian grey foxes, Darwin's Lesser Rhea (called ñandú locally) and, of course, guanaco. The turquoise waters of the glacial lakes was a beautiful and stark contrast to the dry Patagonian steppes or semi-desert terrain,
The road was well maintained. There was not much traffic at the end of October, still considered low-season.
Of course the excitement and anticipation rises as you finally approach El Chalten and the Andean peaks start to fill your view. Be sure to stop at the national park sign shortly before entering the town of El Chalten.
The road was well maintained. There was not much traffic at the end of October, still considered low-season.
Of course the excitement and anticipation rises as you finally approach El Chalten and the Andean peaks start to fill your view. Be sure to stop at the national park sign shortly before entering the town of El Chalten.
Written January 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrícia V
Belo Horizonte, MG343 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
Boring like all Patagonia.
After visiting Ushuaia and El Calafate, Perito Moreno, me and my friend took a bus from El Calafate to El Chalten.
After 3 hours in a bus, we were in our way to do the trek to Laguna Capri when I decided to come back to El Calafate and then Brazil.
So I took the bus back to El Calafate, bought another air ticket and gave up of my trip after 5 days in Patagonia (I was supposed to stay 14 days, visit Torres del Paine, Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt, San Martin de Los Andes etc).
It was the best decision I've made in my life even if I had a lot of financial loss.
After going to El Chalten, just thinking about spending hours on a bus to visit Torres del Paine made me shiver.
And these trekking in this arid place doesn't look attractive to me.
Patagonia is boring, is arid, is like hours and hours of roads, is expensive.
What I like are the animals I saw: one Grey fox and few pinguinos and huemuls, guanacos.
After visiting Ushuaia and El Calafate, Perito Moreno, me and my friend took a bus from El Calafate to El Chalten.
After 3 hours in a bus, we were in our way to do the trek to Laguna Capri when I decided to come back to El Calafate and then Brazil.
So I took the bus back to El Calafate, bought another air ticket and gave up of my trip after 5 days in Patagonia (I was supposed to stay 14 days, visit Torres del Paine, Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt, San Martin de Los Andes etc).
It was the best decision I've made in my life even if I had a lot of financial loss.
After going to El Chalten, just thinking about spending hours on a bus to visit Torres del Paine made me shiver.
And these trekking in this arid place doesn't look attractive to me.
Patagonia is boring, is arid, is like hours and hours of roads, is expensive.
What I like are the animals I saw: one Grey fox and few pinguinos and huemuls, guanacos.
Written November 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dwills1
Arlington, VA48 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
Absolutely stunning drive into and out of El Chalten. We unfortunately had a delayed flight and ended up driving to El Chalten during the night (luckily we did not run into any guanacos at night!). However, the drive out was amazing. 100% recommend making it out here if you’re in the area around El Calafate.
Written November 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IN_Travelers47906
West Lafayette, IN4,716 contributions
Jan 2020
There is one way in and one way out of El Chalten. Fortunately, it is so intriguing that you don’t need a second route.
Stretching 132 miles/200 km from the El Calafate Airport or roughly 145 miles/225 km from El Calafate it is a hard-surfaced high-speed road safe at 110 km/hr except where turns and bridges require a reduction in speed. Traffic in both directions is common but passing is generally easy as long as you pay attention to no passing zones and blind spots. Expect a 3-4 hour trip, perhaps more if you have nice weather for once-in-a-lifetime photos.
Getting there from El Calafate Airport is easy. The road follows the path of a backward C so you Just take a left turn every time you have the opportunity. The two largest lakes in Argentina, Lake Argentina and Lake Viedma, stretch east to west with Lake Viedma north of Lake Argentina. El Calafate is south of Lake Argentina, so you leave El Calafate, or its airport, headed east to go around the eastern shore of Lake Argentina and head north toward the eastern shore of Lake Viedma. Once you pass Lake Viedma, you head west into El Chalten.
The landscape out of El Calafate is interesting, but not remarkable. Similar to areas of the American southwest. At about the halfway mark you will reach La Leona, a must stop for rest, history, bathroom break and excellent food. Plan on 30 well-spent minutes at La Leona. From La Leona, the landscape gets more remarkable with each kilometer as you get closer and closer to the beautiful peaks of the Andes that make Ell Chalten such a popular place with hikers and climbers.
With a little luck, you will see some wild llamas along the way, staying especially alert to the possibility that they may cross the road in front of your car.
There are several turnouts provided for photography along the road but that won’t prevent you from wanting to stop every few kilometers for another picture. Keep in mind, the picture opportunities continually improve, so the next picture you take will almost certainly be better than the one you are taking, and the very best photo ops come once you have passed the clearly marked entrance to the park. If the weather is good, perhaps the best photo-op is the last one provided by a large turnout overlooking El Chalten just before you make your final descent into the town.
Also be advised that the weather and cloud coverage around the peaks changes literally by the second. If you have a great picture now, it may get worse if you wait, and vice versa. Pay close attention to the El Chalten weather forecast. With luck you will have a few hours with bright blue skies behind the peaks.
Stretching 132 miles/200 km from the El Calafate Airport or roughly 145 miles/225 km from El Calafate it is a hard-surfaced high-speed road safe at 110 km/hr except where turns and bridges require a reduction in speed. Traffic in both directions is common but passing is generally easy as long as you pay attention to no passing zones and blind spots. Expect a 3-4 hour trip, perhaps more if you have nice weather for once-in-a-lifetime photos.
Getting there from El Calafate Airport is easy. The road follows the path of a backward C so you Just take a left turn every time you have the opportunity. The two largest lakes in Argentina, Lake Argentina and Lake Viedma, stretch east to west with Lake Viedma north of Lake Argentina. El Calafate is south of Lake Argentina, so you leave El Calafate, or its airport, headed east to go around the eastern shore of Lake Argentina and head north toward the eastern shore of Lake Viedma. Once you pass Lake Viedma, you head west into El Chalten.
The landscape out of El Calafate is interesting, but not remarkable. Similar to areas of the American southwest. At about the halfway mark you will reach La Leona, a must stop for rest, history, bathroom break and excellent food. Plan on 30 well-spent minutes at La Leona. From La Leona, the landscape gets more remarkable with each kilometer as you get closer and closer to the beautiful peaks of the Andes that make Ell Chalten such a popular place with hikers and climbers.
With a little luck, you will see some wild llamas along the way, staying especially alert to the possibility that they may cross the road in front of your car.
There are several turnouts provided for photography along the road but that won’t prevent you from wanting to stop every few kilometers for another picture. Keep in mind, the picture opportunities continually improve, so the next picture you take will almost certainly be better than the one you are taking, and the very best photo ops come once you have passed the clearly marked entrance to the park. If the weather is good, perhaps the best photo-op is the last one provided by a large turnout overlooking El Chalten just before you make your final descent into the town.
Also be advised that the weather and cloud coverage around the peaks changes literally by the second. If you have a great picture now, it may get worse if you wait, and vice versa. Pay close attention to the El Chalten weather forecast. With luck you will have a few hours with bright blue skies behind the peaks.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jordan D
Houston, TX33 contributions
Dec 2018 • Friends
We had a rental car and were going to hike in El Chalten, so we took the 2-3 hour drive up there. We stopped 4 or 5 times along the way because the views were so incredible. Don't miss this if you can help it!
Written January 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hikermaman
Bishop, CA20 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
The 3 hour bus trip between El Calafate (town or airport) and El Chaltén is more interesting than one might think. If you're not exhausted from traveling, keep your eyes peeled for herds of guanacos as well as solo ones; flamingos and other birds in lagoons; many estancias with sheep, cattle, horses; and the beautiful Lago Viedma and stunning Chaltén Massif on approach to El Chaltén. The stop at La Leona is a must, with good to-go food, drinks, and a plaque with the origin of the location name as well as photos, a wanted poster and other documents regarding the stay of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid during their flight from the law. The desert vistas are beautiful, with the many colors of rock, stream, mountains and clouds. You don't have to go into El Calafate town if you're heading back to the airport. Just make sure to check the schedule to determine which bus company goes to your destination at what time. There are also busses that go straight from FTE to El Chaltén. We used Las Lengas both ways and paid a little more to accommodate our schedule.
Written January 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alejandro F
Buenos Aires18 contributions
Jul 2012 • Friends
El Chalten is a very little village sorrounded by mountains. The Chalten, also named Fitz Roy is an stunning mountain that erupts between others small.
But the charme of this village is that it is the crossroad of a lot of paths which can allow us to see incredible views and visit the valleys, glaciars, rivers, mountains, falls and whatever you want to see during a treck.There are several degrees of difficulty from very easy to a middle difficulty so a lot of people can enjoy the walks. From 2 hours up to 2 days you have options to practice and obtain endurance along a few days. I usually visit the village on summer and also during the winter which is very hard to spend because is very cold. The summer has a very nice temperature but it can have a little wind.
As the people who visit El Chalten loves mountain, during the day, if you stay at town, you will think it is empty, and as the options to walk are so diverse, you can walk several hours without crossing nobody. The nights are quiet but you have a few options to drink a local beer with friends or to see millions of stars if the sky is clear of clouds.
El Chalen is located at two hundred and thirty kms from El Calafate but the road is new and asphalted, so three comfotable hours in a bus are enough to be there. There are several options to be lodged from four star hotels to simple hostels. I use to rent a lodge to be there five days, more a less, and that is for me the cheapest option, because we enjoy cooking for all the family to enjoy the " after mountain" together. Laguna de los Tres, Lago Capri, Poincenot, Glaciar Piedras Blancas, Pliegue Tumbado, Mirador de las Aguilas, de los Condores, Glaciar del Torre, Mirador del Fitz, Salto el Chorrillo, Salto el Anillo, Rio de las Vueltas, Lago del Desierto are some of the places you can visit by staying a few days in El Chalten
But the charme of this village is that it is the crossroad of a lot of paths which can allow us to see incredible views and visit the valleys, glaciars, rivers, mountains, falls and whatever you want to see during a treck.There are several degrees of difficulty from very easy to a middle difficulty so a lot of people can enjoy the walks. From 2 hours up to 2 days you have options to practice and obtain endurance along a few days. I usually visit the village on summer and also during the winter which is very hard to spend because is very cold. The summer has a very nice temperature but it can have a little wind.
As the people who visit El Chalten loves mountain, during the day, if you stay at town, you will think it is empty, and as the options to walk are so diverse, you can walk several hours without crossing nobody. The nights are quiet but you have a few options to drink a local beer with friends or to see millions of stars if the sky is clear of clouds.
El Chalen is located at two hundred and thirty kms from El Calafate but the road is new and asphalted, so three comfotable hours in a bus are enough to be there. There are several options to be lodged from four star hotels to simple hostels. I use to rent a lodge to be there five days, more a less, and that is for me the cheapest option, because we enjoy cooking for all the family to enjoy the " after mountain" together. Laguna de los Tres, Lago Capri, Poincenot, Glaciar Piedras Blancas, Pliegue Tumbado, Mirador de las Aguilas, de los Condores, Glaciar del Torre, Mirador del Fitz, Salto el Chorrillo, Salto el Anillo, Rio de las Vueltas, Lago del Desierto are some of the places you can visit by staying a few days in El Chalten
Written August 20, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chi L
Cordoba, Argentina239 contributions
I was quite dubitative about renting a car, but since we were a party of 5, seemed to be the best choice to see Patagonia. When we went to pick up the car, (nunatak, good fares and service), I asked the lady about the route to El Chalten, if it was easy to navigate... and she said: " Darling, the only route that crosses the town is #11, to the north is Chalten and the south is the glacier... You just can´t go wrong! The road is pure beauty, cannot be missed!!!
Written March 6, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Jordan and anyone who has driven from El Calafate to El Chalten, was the road difficult to drive for a compact/economy sedan? Do I need to rent a Jeep or pickup truck? Thanks in advance!
Written October 5, 2022
Caro, vi seu comentário de alguel de carro em El Calafate. Sabe me dizer a companhia em que você alugou o automóvel?
Written December 19, 2018
Olá. Aluguei na Hertz do aeroporto logo que cheguei mas existe uma loja deles na cidade e de outras locadoras também.
Written December 20, 2018
Olá!
É possível comprar passagem e embarcar no aeroporto de El Calafate no mesmo dia (rumo a El Chalten)?
Esse transporte Las Lengas é onibus ou van?
Written March 28, 2018
Hola, me voy en Marzo al Calafate y quiero ir al Chaltén que me recomiendan es mejor ir en auto y o contratar la excursión? Si vas en auto hasta donde se puede llegar para ver el Fitz Roys?
Gracias
Written February 12, 2018
Hola Catalina
Coincido totalmente con Juan Antonio S, podés ir en auto y esta bueno te da libertad, pero no es imprescindible. El Chaltén es para caminar y la mayoría de los senderos salen de la villa misma. Solo reafirmo lo que ya te dijeron.
Saludos y que lo disfrutes
Written February 22, 2018
Are there horse back riding trips to the glacier lake?
Written December 3, 2016
no way with horses
only car or walking
there are horseback rides in other estancias or sites.
enjoy the view!
Written December 6, 2016
Hello, I'm not getting a response from the hotel we booked about options for transport other than the bus. I've got a car reserved, but am wondering about the price for a taxi or car service since we probably won't need the car too much. Thanks
Written September 3, 2016
Taxis are available but where do you intend to travel from and to - the price will depend quite a bit on the route and itinerary you want them to follow
Written September 14, 2016
natalia p
Rosario, Argentina
1-hola! cual es la mejor excursion para relizar en el chalten, considerando que cuento alli con un solo dia?
2-entre navegar haste el glaciar viedma del chalten o Glaciar Spegazzini y el Glaciar Upsala (excursion full day en calafate) cual me recomiendan?
gracias!
Written January 9, 2015
Hola, como estas?
Con que agencia contrataste la excursiòn? Saludos
Written January 7, 2015
Hola el traslado de El Calafate a El Chalten lo contratamos con la empresa Transporte Las Lengas. Para nosotros no fue una excursión sino el traslado ida y regreso durante nuestra estadía en El Chalten.
Espero te sea útil mi respuesta. Saludos.
Written January 9, 2015
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