So I’m just going to come out & say it. El Chalten in Argentina is my favorite place I’ve visited on this trip. Yes, that just happened. It’s this perfect little quaint charming town of 1,000 situated inside the Northern end of the same Parque Nacional Los Glaciares that El Calafate borders from the South. In its backyard are these unbelievable mountains dominated by Mount Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre. The hiking trails start right from this darling town. You just throw on your daypack & walk out the door. You don’t have to give a thought to transport. It’s so easy. Well not the treks but the accessibility. It’s obvious I am a massive fan of Torres del Paine. But Torres del Paine is not nearly as accessible as El Chalten. The closest town to Torres del Paine is Puerto Natales, 2hrs away. Unless you’re tent camping in the park, nearby lodging is quite expensive & it’s still a 45-75 min transport to/from the trails (or ferries leading to the trails). I would also argue the treks, mountains & views in El Chalten are just as challenging, rewarding & beautiful as those in Torres del Paine. That’s why it’s number 1.

Merely 30 minutes into the 4hr drive from El Calafate, the bus comes around a bend & perfectly highlighted by the sunrise 75 miles away is Fitz Roy sparkling far above everything else in sight. Fitz Roy getting increasingly large as we neared town only made the rest of the ride go pretty quickly as did passing an estancia previously owned by Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid where they chilled for a few years prior to heading to Bolivia (where they supposedly weren’t killed – I never before knew there was controversy here – now I don’t have to cry anymore at the end of that movie).

The town itself is only 31 years old & still small but I’m told is unsurprisingly expanding. It already has some wonderful tiny local restaurants, cervecerias, supermercados & 1 lovely spa I frequented & made friends w the owners. But the town is solely focused on the trekkers. The quarter-full bus arriving makes its required first stop at the national park’s visitors center for a debrief, trail maps & open Q&A session. They know why you’re visiting & want to make it as easy as possible & also make clear they care about preserving the park. But unlike El Calafate, which is much bigger & not shy about sticking it to you, there’s no fee in El Chalten for the SAME national park (the one where I paid $35 a day to visit on top of the expensive glacier tours). In fact, El Chalten is in a fight with the Argentine Parks system to keep it no-fee as the town itself is within the park’s borders.
After a 15min walk from the bus station to my hotel, where I had already booked for 3 nights, I immediately doubled my stay before I even ventured on a single hike.  I just had a feeling about the place. And because I’m so enamored, there’s going to be a few blog posts – based on my 3 favorite treks. The first was a hike to a vantage point w a lovely panoramic view of the area. Then after seeing that view, I of course, had to get up close & personal to Mount Fitz Roy together with Mount Poincenot, Mount Torre & the chain of mountains that surround them.