FEB 23, 2016 – The village of El Chaltén is unusual in many ways. Located in the middle of a National Park, it houses almost exclusively trekkers from all over the world and their hosts. All tourists wishing to enter El Chaltén receive a briefing at the park’s visitor center first. The rules are strict: Park rangers posted at the trailheads make sure nobody starts ascending too late in the day, and both trails and camp grounds can be closed in difficult weather conditions. Treks outside the trail network – which includes only one peak, the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado – require a wilderness permit and complete gear for trekking and/or rock climbing. Many hikers are fascinated by the views of Mt. Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, which can be observed from several viewpoints, weather permitting. Others, like me, don’t mind looking at some peaks but also want to reach the top eventually…
In the three days Roman and I spent at El Chaltén, we hiked most of the official trails and went on a mountain bike trip along Rio de las Vueltas. Due to bad weather conditions and limited time, we didn’t really consider doing a wilderness trek. Luckily we found a cozy hostel called La Comarca, where we played card games in the evenings with fellow backpackers. The hikes were nice, but I really thought that “hiking capital of Argentina” is not an appropriate title for this village – while there are many options for rock climbing and wilderness trekking here, the ones for hiking are very limited and the trails crowded. Bariloche, further north, is a better place to go.