Patagonia has a reputation for being expensive, and indeed, it generally isn’t cheap. El Chalten offers some of the best hiking in Patagonia and is generally also the most expensive part of Argentian Patagonia. What makes El Chalten so expensive, is mainly the accommodation. Restaurants are on the pricy side as well. But did you know that all hiking trails are free and offer free campsites? So if you have camping gear, or can get your hands on some, El Chalten suddenly becomes very budget-friendly.
You can hike a loop taking in all the highlights of El Chalten. This way you’re not only saving yourself money but also time and kilometers by not going back to El Chalten. And as a bonus, you’ll also be ahead of the day-tripping crowds, who do stay in El Chalten overnight.
You can do the loop as quick or slow as you want, but I recommend taking 4 days. This means you’ll need at least 6 days for El Chalten. So I’ll give you an awesome 6-day itinerary for El Chalten below, plus some extra tips about how to get to El Chalten, where to stay, and where to find the best craft beer.
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How to get to El Chalten
By bus
In order to reach El Chalten by bus, you need to go to El Calafate first. From El Calafate busses go regularly and the trip takes about 2.5 hours. You check the schedule here, but I recommend buying the ticket at the terminal and paying in cash for the best price. El Calafate is home to the famous Perito Moreno glacier so if you’ve got time, spend 1-2 nights here to pay this place a visit. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
By plane
Considering how big the distances are in Patagonia, taking a flight might be your best option. Domestic flights are generally not too expensive, when booked ahead of time, they are generally even cheaper than busses, especially when traveling light. The closest airport to El Chalten is in El Calafate, a 2.5 hour busride away.
By car
El Chalten is about 1400 km south of Bariloche (18+ hours when driving straight) and about 1000 km north of Ushuaia (13+ hours when driving straight). Puerto Natales (the gateway to Torres del Paine in Chile) is about 400 km and a 7-hour drive away.
Hitchhiking is pretty common in Patagonia, but due the large distances and increasing popularity (= more competition), it’s quite time consuming.
Where to stay in El Chalten
As I mentioned earlier, accommodation is quite expensive in El Chalten. Luckily you’ll be able to save some $$ with the 4-day hiking and camping itinerary, but you’re going to want to stay in town for the first and last night. There are two budget options:
- Camping – We stayed at El Mochilero, which was fine. Exactly what you’d expect from a budget campsite. There are a few others around as well so it’s easy to have a look around and compare prices.
- Hostel Ahonikenk. This hostel is only for budget travelers, let’s just say there’s a reason it’s about 1/3 of the price of other hostels. A plus is that they have a (paid) luggage storrage so you can leave your stuff here while you’re out hiking.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Have a look at booking sites like Agoda to find something that might be better suited for you.
Hiking El Chalten - a 5-day itinerary
Day 1 - Arriving in El Chalten and an optional short hike
Try to arrive in the morning/ early afternoon if you have the option. This way you’ll have the afternoon to buy your supplies and rent camping gear if needed. There are a few stores around selling and renting camping and hiking gear, so if you’re missing something you can find it here.
If you got everything done super early, make the most out of your time here by doing a short hike, either to Mirador de los Cóndores (condor viewpoint, about 45 minutes) or head to the waterfall Chorillo del Salto (about 1.30 hours).
If you can’t make it early, no worries. Tomorrow is an easy day, so don’t worry if you don’t get everything done today. Just get up early tomorrow and you can get ready in the morning as well.
Day 2 - Set off to campground Poincenot - 3.5 hours
Today your 3-day adventure starts. The estimated hiking time is only about 3.5 hours so no worries if you didn’t get everything done yesterday, there is still time this morning.
Set off on the path heading to Fitzroy. You’ll pass a camp spot at Laguna Capri after about 2 hours, which makes for a great stop and a lunch break. Once reenergized, keep going for another 1 -1.5 hours to reach Poincenot. This is where you’ll set up camp for the night.
Day 3 - Lago de los 3 and lakes Madre y Hija - 5.5 hours
Today is the big day! Set off early to hike up to Lago de Los Tres. This is the place with the iconic view over Mount Fitzroy. If it looks like it’s going to be a nice and clear morning, you could even try to make it for sunrise. It takes about 1 hour to reach the top from the Poincenot campground.
To continue the loop, you’ll need to pass by Poincenot again, so leave your stuff here. Just take your valuables, water, a snack, and plenty of warm clothes as it is cold up there. An extra sweater/jacket, a hat, and gloves will all come in handy!
Heading back towards the campsite, you’ll come across another track leading to Laguna Sucia. We tried to make it there, but the path was really tricky, so we turned around after a while.
Back at the campsite, pack up your stuff, prepare lunch and head towards Lagunas Madre y Hija (mother and daughter) and continue to the D’Agostini campground. This is a really nice part of the hike and you’ll hardly see anyone here, as daytrippers will not come across this part. It takes about 3 -3 3.5 hours to reach D’Agostini from Poincenot.
Day 4 - Laguna Torre and back to El Chalten - 3 hours
The D’Agostini campground is only about 10 minutes from Laguna Torre, so if you want another shot at sunrise, you got it! Head to Laguna Torre in the morning and leave all your stuff at the campsite, you’ll pass by later on your way back to El Chalten. Enjoy the views and peace and quiet when you get to the lake before the day-trippers arrive. Once it starts to fill up (or once you’ve had enough) continue on the path along the lake for more spectacular views of both the lake and glacier. The way back to El Chalten is about 2.5 hours, so no need to rush.
Day 5 - Relaxing in El Chalten and on to the next destination
Enjoy a long lay-in, eat plenty of good food and enjoy a craft beer before heading on to the next destination.
I feel like with food and beer, you can’t really go wrong in El Chalten. We’ve eaten at several places and all have been great! But, the very best beer I had was the Pale Ale at Fresco bar! Several people told me they have the best Pale Ale, so I had high expections. It did not disappoint. Don’t let this stop you from trying other places though. La Birre del Rancho has great beers too, for example, and amazing views from their terrace upstairs. Other great options are La Zorra and La Vineria.
If your body allows it, hike up to Mirador Los Cóndores (condor viewpoint) for some views over the town of El Chalten and its amazing surroundings. Or head to the waterfall Chorillo del Salto.
Optional - Extent the hiking loop with 1 -2 days and visit Piedras Blancas and Lago Eléctrico
If this 5-day hiking itinerary for El Chalten does not quite sound like enough of a challenge for you, I recommend extending the route and visiting Piedras Blancas and Lago Eléctrico as well. The reason I haven’t included them in the initial itinerary is that there are no free campsites here. You have the option to stay at Piedra del Faile or Bonanza, both are paid campsites, but with facilities.
I recommend taking 2 days for this extension of the route, meaning the hiking route will take 5 days and you’ll need at least 7 days for El Chalten.
Hiking day 1 - Set off to campground Poincenot - 3.5 hours
This day is the same as with the 3-day hiking itinerary.
Hiking day 2 - Lago de los 3 and Piedras Blancas - 6 - 7 hours
Just as with the 3-day hiking itinerary, visit Lago de los 3 in the morning and head back to Poincenot for lunch.
Once you’re ready to continue, instead of heading towards Lagunas Madre y Hija, head in the opposite direction, towards Piedras Blancas. Enjoy a break here and continue to the campground.
There are 2 paths on the map, we took the path indicated by the signs, passing the viewpoints. The other path seems shorter, but after our experience with the Laguna Sucia trail, we decided to opt for the safest option and follow the signs.
When taking this route, the Bonanza campground is quite a lot closer than Piedra del Fraile so see how you feel when you get to the road. Our legs and backs were pretty tired and as we were not in a rush to get back to El Chalten, we decided to go with the 1-hour walk to Bonanza. If you’ve got the energy to go on for 2.5 hours instead, I’d say head to Piedra del Fraile. Then you’ve got all day the next day to spend on Lago Eléctrico.
Hiking day 3 - Lago Eléctrico
Dedicate this day to Lago Eléctrico. How long you’ll need depends on the campground you’ve chosen. From Piedra del Fraile it’s about 2 hours to Lago Eléctrico. From here you can keep walking along the lake. Spend your day and another night here, or just a morning and head back to Poincenot for the night.
If you’re staying at Bonanza, it’s a 3-hour hike to Piedra del Fraile. The first hour is along the road, so you might be able to hitch a ride. Don’t get too excited though, there isn’t a lot of traffic, and most people driving by are tourists with their cars packed. But it doesn’t hurt to try while making your way there! We got a ride heading there but had to walk back.
Unless you hitch a ride on your way and take your stuff with you (you can ask if you can leave it at the shelter at Piedra del Fraile), you’ll need to spend another night here at Bonanza and make your way to D’Agostini the next day. This is what we did, as we weren’t in a rush to get back to El Chalten and preferred to go with just our daypacks.
Hiking day 4 - Lagunas Madre y Hija
Depending on where you stayed the previous day, you’ll start your day at Piedra del Fraile, Bonanza, or Poincenot. If you’re staying at Poincenot, you could even make it back to El Chalten today. The hike to Laguna Torre is only 3 hours, and it’s another 3 hours to El Chalten.
If you’ve stayed at Bonanza or Piedra del Fraile, make your way to Poincenot for lunch and continue to D’Agostini via Lagunas Madre y Hija.
Hiking day 5 - Laguna Torre and back to El Chalten - 3 hours
The last day on this 5-day itinerary is also the same as with the 3-day itinerary.
More hiking in El Chalten
It’s hard to leave El Chalten, trust me. Even though we were tired, we wanted more! So we took a rest day in El Chalten, which consisted of lots of food and craft beer, and did some more hiking.
We took a day trip to Lago Desierto, which didn’t consist of a lot of hiking. You can pay a transfer to get you there and back. They will drop you off at the lake, from where you can do an optional hike to the Huemul glacier, which is about 45 minutes. Note that there is a small entrance fee to access this path. You can also walk along the lake or take a boat tour. We didn’t love this day as much as our other days in El Chalten, but it was still a nice day out. I guess El Chalten gets you spoiled very easily.
The next day we set off on another camping trip with a free campground. A 2-day hike to Laguna Toro. This hike was actually one of my favorite ones! The route is really beautiful and there are not many people out there. It’s a 7-hour hike from El Chalten to the lake, meaning it’s not possible to do it as a day trip. This means many people don’t bother visiting. So I was even more surprised to find a nearly packed campground at the lake! I guess we left a little late… We still got a decent spot though and after a good night’s rest, we headed back to El Chalten once more to continue our trip in Patagonia.
