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Welcome to Elchalden. Affectionately known as the trekking capital of Argentina, this town is surrounded by epic mountain peaks, granite spires, and turquoise rivers waiting to be explored. If you're coming here, it's understood that you're planning to hit the trails. Most travelers to Elchaldin are looking to catch a glimpse of two of the most iconic peaks, Mount Fitzroy and Serero. However, there are loads of trails that lead to glacial lagoons, waterfalls, and lookouts where you can see condors. In this travel guide, we're going to share some of the best things to do in Inchaldin. And that includes some epic
hikes, places to eat, where to stay, plus some practical travel tips. So, let's dive right in. First up, let's talk about how to get to Elchalden. The only way to reach Elchalden is via El Califhate. So you'll have to fly into Commandante Armando Tola International Airport code FTE and then you need to catch a bus, taxi or rent a car to continue onwards to Elchalden. We opted to take the bus. The direct bus takes 2 hours and 40 minutes. However, we made a pit stop at Laona for a bathroom break and to grab snacks. Of course, I got an empanada. The drive from Elcalaphate to El Chalten is one of the most scenic routes in all of Argentina. So don't go dozing off. You
won't want to miss the approach into Elcalafate. One thing that surprised us is that as soon as we pulled into town, we stopped at the visitor center for a brief welcome from the park ranger who shared information about the trails, which ones require prior registration, level of difficulty, what to expect, etc. It's important to remember that the town of Elchalden is located inside Los Glaciadas National Park. This is a remote and rugged location where hikers need to be prepared for inclement weather. So, it was a very useful stop, even if we were all eager to get to our accommodations.
Now, let's dive into some of Elchin's top attractions, which of course feature lots of tracks. We're starting with the hike to Mirador de los Gondor because it's an easy way to ease into Elchalden. This is the hike that we tackled on our first afternoon in town. We arrived, settled into our hotel, ate a meal, and hiked for sunset. Well, we have started our trek. We are making our way up to Mirador de los Condor, which means the lookout of the condors. Sun's going down rapidly. I know. So, we are trying not to film too much. We're starting a bit late. Hello. Yeah. So, supposedly it's 45 minutes to the top from the center of town. And yeah, we're going to try not to get too distracted taking photos.
We're not the only ones buzzer beating this experience. There's a family up in front of us, so we've got a little bit of company. I think we can do it. I mean, we got it. We're going up there. Don't trip over this log up there. And it's just a kilometer. The thing is, it's steep. wee bit steep. I'm feeling it already. This is a short and easy hike that rewards you with great views all around. You get a nice perspective of the town from here. Plus, if the clouds cooperate, you can see some impressive mountain peaks. Consider this your warm-up for the bigger tres to come.
Now, let's talk about the most impressive hike we did, Laguna de lost stress. This hike is one of the most spectacular tracks in itchen and for good reason. It leads up to this beautiful lagoon with a glacier and three towering peaks in the background. The name Laguna de lost translates to lagoon of the three and it refers to the three peaks you see behind the lagoon, Fitzroy, Puansen, and St. Exuber. I'm not going to lie to you, this trek is hard and it challenged us because we were staying on the opposite end of town from the trail head. We ended up walking 24 kilometers that day. It was a hardcore day of trekking. The duration of the hike will vary depending on your pace and level of fitness, but it
generally takes between 8 to 10 hours to complete. If this all sounds like a bit too much, consider Laguna Capri, which you'll hit less than halfway on your trek to Laguna Deost. The hike follows the exact same initial path and the reward is a view of Fitzroy with a shimmering Lagona Capri in the foreground. This is a great spot for a picnic with stellar views and it's 8 km round trip which takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete. Just after kilometer 3, you'll notice we've reached the fork in the road. Here's the sign. So, we are going to be continuing onward to the Miridor and to the main lagoon. Now, apparently it's going to get really steep at some point and challenging. I think actually in the next half kilometer. But um you know what? We've
we're making great time. It's just past and I mean sunset isn't until close to 10 p.m. So we've got all the time in the world. Deost is considered a challenging hike, not just because of the distance, but because the final kilometer is a steep ascent up a rocky slope that will make you question your choices. Trekking poles are a good idea for this trek. I was so tempted to throw in the towel and turn around on that final kilometer. I had already been walking for hours. I was tired and that final climb didn't look like a whole lot of fun. But it was the encouragement from the people
trekking down and telling us it'll be worth it that kept us motivated. Well, once we finally made it to the ridge, it really was all worth it. And the effort it took to get there was quickly forgotten. We were treated to the most pristine views of the glacial lagoon, a glacier winding down the side of the mountain and clouds blowing over Mount Fitzroy and its neighboring peaks. We sought shelter behind the boulder, stared at the incredible views in front of us, devoured what was left of our packed lunch, and gathered our energy for the steep descent and walk back to Elchalden.
The hike to Laguna Toé is another iconic trek in El Chaldin, offering stunning views of the famous Srotore. It is 18 km round trip. You start out hiking through a beautiful valley and you also get to see some waterfalls along the way. The majority of the elevation gain happens at the start of the trek, but then things flatten out around kilometer 3.5, which makes it easy to set a steady pace and cover a lot of ground. One of the things we enjoyed about this trail was the fact that we could see Tore glacier in the horizon, which was motivating. Plus, we got to hike through forests and along a river, so the scenery was constantly changing.
There's this beautiful little pond that just kind of revealed itself out of nowhere. This hike is turning out to be everything that I had hoped for and more. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is that it hasn't been as crowded. There are definitely people hiking here. You do pass people. You do see people, but it's not a constant flow. I think for people who only have a few days here in El Chalden, they're all trying to make it to Laguna Capri or Laguna Deost to see Fitzroy. So, this one gets a bit less traffic, but it is stunning. Also, we just went past the Mirador Croto where you can see so many different peaks and the glacier. We saw Fitzroy to the far right. We
almost saw the very tip of to Serator Tore. Yeah, today we've got some cloud coverage a little bit. But what we did see very clearly and what was most impressive to me was the glacier. We saw that full visibility. I'm just loving it. I gotta admit. At last, we reached Laguna Tore, the glacial lake at the base of Serero. This lagoon is often dotted with icebergs and the backdrop of the iconic mountain is pretty epic when clouds aren't covering it. Today's hike was more about the journey rather than the destination. Whereas the one we did on the first day, it was more about the destination cuz that was epic. Today we got to the
lagona and you can't see the mountain peaks. They're all covered by cloud and the lagoon looked a bit murky. Cafe Olay Cafe Klet. I think it's the lack of sunlight. It's not that it isn't spectacular. There it is. You have mountain ranges to in all directions. Yeah. And you have little icebergs floating as well. So that's cool. Yeah. In comparison to Fitz Roy, it doesn't have that wow factor though on a cloudy day. Yeah. Because if you could see those towering peaks, that would be amazing. I've seen photos of it and it's like, wow, I want to see that. But today just wasn't the day.
But with that being said, I think I've enjoyed this hike more than the previous one. Well, in fact, I don't think I have. I know I have. He has. He knows he has. I can say now that we've done the full single length in terms of the hiking experience. I enjoyed this one more. There was a lot of variety on this trail. Yeah. To de Salto is a popular and relatively easy hike in El Chalden. It is 6.6 km round trip on a mostly flat trail and it can take between an hour and a half to 2 hours to complete. The trail leads to
the choro delto waterfall, a picturesque and serene spot surrounded by lush forest. The waterfall itself is about 20 m high and it's a beautiful site, especially after the rainy season when the water flow is at its peak. The one thing we didn't like about this trail is that most of the hike is on provincial route 23, a dirt road with car traffic, so it doesn't have the same appeal as a forest hike. This was definitely one of those experiences where the hike is kind of meh, but when you get here to the waterfalls, the attraction, you're like, I'm glad I came. you get up so close to it, h just the thunderous roar of the water coming down.
Yeah. Being able to be right in front of it, you actually feel the mist in your face. It's quite spectacular. Um but yeah, I totally agree with you about the hike. I mean, to be honest, half of the hike we were on a dirt road and then the other half we were on a trail that meandered and then joined the dirt road at certain points. Yeah. So, I mean, like I could see that they've made a good effort to have a trail from the town to here, but I mean, when you compare it to the real hikes that you do from Lel10, it's it's nothing. It's really you're coming here for the attraction. And also, you can drive to the waterfall. There's a parking lot just 500 m away from here. So, you can drive down the dirt road,
leave your car, walk the 500 m, and you're here. So, it's very accessible. Well, if you don't, especially if you've got really sore legs, you don't want to hike for the day, you could take a cabin or you could get arrange transportation somehow. Mira de lasagilas is another trail you can tack on if you've got a bit of time. The name translates to the eagle's lookout, and that's because you can see eagles and other birds of prey. The loop trail starts at the same trail head as Mirador de loses, and it includes a stop at the same viewpoint. You then continue east until you reach another lookout with views of the Patagonian step, the milky turquoise waters of Lago Vedma,
and the Andes mountains. Because this viewpoint faces east, it's a nice spot to catch sunrise. Now, let's talk about accommodations in El Chalden. We stayed at Vertical Lodge located near the entrance to town overlooking the Lasas River. This lodge was exactly what we needed. Clean, spacious, and well priced. Plus, we love their buffet breakfast, which I thought was super generous with lots of baked goods, fruits, deli meats, orange juice, coffee, and more. Hello. Room tour. I got to admit, this is so much better than I was expecting. This place is massive for a hotel. Yeah. I'm going to take a step back just so you guys can see.
Yeah. So, the thing that really stands out is look at the size of this bed. It's I think it's a king-siz bed. Oh my. So again, this is actually a very spacious bathroom, too. We have a nice sink, we have the bedet, we have the toilet, and we have a shower with a tub. Oh my. So yeah, this is going to be fantastic. Um, it's just I'm so happy that we have some space in our room. I don't know why. I was just envisioning this tiny It looked smaller in pictures. It It did. They had very nice photos of the property, but it just didn't look as spacious as it is. So it's such a nice surprise. And um yeah, we're very happy with uh with the location and everything. Breakfast included. And guys, we're hungry. We're
going to go get something to eat. One restaurant we really enjoyed and visited multiple times is Cinderos, located inside the guest house, Osteria Cinderos. This became our go-to spot after a big hike. Not only because it was conveniently located around the corner from our guest house, but because of their hearty meals. We tried dishes like walnut risoto, lentil stew, and a mushroom sauce, and plump ravioli and a tomato sauce. Not to mention all the desserts we ordered like chocolate mousse with whipped cream and caramel and pancakes with galafate ice cream. Plus all the wine. We were hungry after our tracks and this place hit the spot.
Dave, first stop of the day. Going for a cheeky pint. Apparently the first brewery in the town and um I've been having a sneaking in a few sips. I'm having a pills in. You went for a Weiss beer. Yes. A white beer. Vice beer. And this place is called Laeria. Yeah. Do you want to check it out? Great spot. Um they gave me a little tour inside the brewery is right next to the place to the pub house. So it's just behind it. And so I was able to go inside and learn about the process a little bit. Great little spot out here. And we're choosing to sit out in the patio. You can also go into the restaurant inside. And yeah, really good beer.
Yeah, it's very cozy inside. Like you're in a log cabin. Really warm and rustic. Second food stop of the day. And we are going to an institution here in the province of Santa Cruz. It's called Lazora. They have branches in all of the major cities here including El Caliphate where we first were. They're also open in Rio Gajos and also here in Elchelen. Awesome. And I'm having the smoked porter. Audrey got the IPA. Tangerine. Tangerine IPA. I'll try and fruity. Try them both here. Nice. One heck of a stout. So good. Let's try the tangerine IPA. You're really going to like yours.
Yeah. Intense grapefruit flavor. Yeah. Very good. I got the fries with pulled barbecue and I just loaded it with mayonnaise and ketchup on top cuz why not, right? How is it? So good. I'm so hungry. Is it a smoky barbecue sauce? Yeah. Wow. I'm going to like it. Smoky and sweet. All right. So, I'm having a ve burger with jalapo and avocado. Lift the hood there for a second. Beautiful looking burger. You can see we got tomatoes at the bottom. Big time jalapeno kick. Oh, and it has hot sauce. Forgot. It sure does. If you're craving a spicy burger, this is the one for you. Loving the food here so far in the beer.
Next up is La Waferia, which is all about waffles, which you can order sweet or savory. The cappuccinos are delicious. The califat waffle. Doesn't it look marvelous? So, this is a pretty special dessert because the ice cream and the sauce are made with the caliphate berry. And I think we've already mentioned this once before, but if you eat califhat when you're in Patagonia, it pretty much guarantees that you will be back to Patagonia someday. Yeah. So, we've been eating lots of caliphate. Yeah. We found it. It tastes 80% like a blueberry and 20% like a blackberry. Sam's done the math for us. We've done the math for her.
Now you know. Ooh. With the jam. Calate sauce. Calate ice cream. It tastes delicious. Honestly, the blueberry blackberry comparison, it's spot on. Pretty accurate. Yeah, it's pretty on point. Gorguma is a restaurant that serves vegan, raw, and celiac foods, none of which apply to our diet. However, we figured we would try something new and that it might be of interest to some of you watching. We were welcomed with a hummus dip and some celery sticks. And then Sam got a pumpkin coconut cream risoto while I got the quinoa with a roasted eggplant and an assortment of veggies. Both were delicious and very
flavorful. Plus, we also got a coconut milk smoothie with chocolate, banana, and nuts, and a muffin and an energy ball with dates and nuts. The one thing to note is that everything at Kuruma is made on the spot, so it can take a bit longer to get your food. In our experience, the wait time was between 45 to 50 minutes, so plan on having a delicious but very leisurely meal. And that is our travel guide to Elchalden. We hope you found this video helpful and that it gave you a few ideas of some of the hikes you can enjoy on the north end of Los Glaciadis National Park. If you enjoy this video, we invite you to give it a like, hit subscribe, and join us for more travels across Argentina. Tata
