DAY 7, Dec 4, 2013:
El Chaltén:
This is the El Chaltén welcome sign with the real Fitz Roy in the background on the left. Chaltén village lies at the trail heads to both Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, at an altitude of 400m.
El Chaltén is a small mountain village 220 km north of El Calafate. It is located within the Los Glaciares National Park at the base of Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy mountains, both popular for climbing. It is a very popular base for hiking numerous trails, such as those to the base of surrounding peaks and glacial lakes, such as Laguna Torre.
For those reasons, El
Chaltén is named Argentina's Trekking Capital or Capital Nacional
del Trekking.
The weather there is
pretty windy and rainy most of the time and we were wondering whether
we should include it. But the route between El Calafate and El Chalten is very scenic on the famous Ruta 40 and if lucky we can get
great views of the famous Cerro Fitz Roy on the trip itself without
the lengthy hikes. So we decided to have a short trip to El Chalten.
There are day trips returning back to El calafate on the same day but
we decided to take the morning bus there, stay there for the night
and take he evening bus back the next day.
We had researched the
hikes and had our notes but were quite open to the idea we may not
have conducive weather to hike. But luckily for us, we had excellent
weather and managed 2 big hikes on our short visit with awesome views
of the mountains and glaciers.
OK, to elaborate on our
day...
Packed
2 light bags and left the rest with Solares del Sur guys. We were
returning in a day, no point taking our whole luggage.
At
7.30 am took a taxi (40 pesos) to terminal de omnibus at centro.
Took
the 8am bus from terminal de omnibus at centro to El Chalten. we had
booked the tickets earlier on the 1st evening we arrived in El
Calafate.
Gave
our bags to be stored in the luggage space on the bus, had just our
food bag and camera with us. We were early enough to board the bus
and get seats in the upper deck on the left side. We got a view from
the front as well as the huge windows at the sides. The seats had
more leg room and had a reclining leg rest as well. Very comfy 3 hour
journey to chalten—220km. Tip to bag best seats—arrive early at
bus stop and board first!
Weird
incident— when our bus was leaving El Calafate toll gate, a
policeman got in and asked to check all our tickets—he was saying
passports and other tourists were taking out their passports.
We
had packed ours in the bags we left behind in El Calafate... with
trepedition, just showed him our ticket and he went away.
Several
people mistake us for locals—-may be our looks helped!!
The
bus stops at a hotel Leona midway where we took some pics. Another lovely mile sign.
This
is the only stop in the 3 hr journey. Position of La Leona marked on
the map. as seen the route is on the banks of the lake—-journey was
so scenic.
The
bridge over the lake on which our bus traveled...
Ruta 40:
Ruta 40 is the famous 5000 km road in Argentina passing through scenic spots—we were on it for a while
Route
40 is the longest route in Argentina and one of the largest in the
world (along with the U.S. Route 66 and the Stuart Highway in
Australia ), more than 5,000 km (3,107 mi) long.
At
its traditional southern end near the city of Río Gallegos it starts
at sea level, crosses 20 national parks, 18 major rivers, 27 passes
on the Andes, and goes up to 5,000 m (16,404 ft) above sea level in
Abra del Acay in Salta.
The
road crosses the provinces of Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro,
Neuquen, Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán, Salta and
Jujuy.
We
caught sight of Fitz Roy right from the bus during the last portion
of the journey—Cerro Fitz Roy, 3,475 m (12,000 ft) , Patagonia,
also known as Cerro Chaltén.
Cerro
Torre 10278 ft / 3133 m is to the left in the pic—the granite
fingers. Torre is the highest in this four mountain chain: the other
peaks are Torre Egger (2,685 m), Punta Herron, and Cerro Standhardt.
It
was one of the very few good weather days and we had an awesome view
The
Andes is the longest continental mountain range in the world. It is a
continual range of highlands along the western coast of South
America. This range is about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long, about 200 km
(120 mi) to 700 km (430 mi) wide and of an average height of
about 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The Andes extend from north to south
through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador,
Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Our
bus stopped at the visitor center where the guy gave tips, map for
the hikes and weather info and then we were dropped off at the
terminal.
Weather
info is very important as rain and heavy winds which are very common
can endanger hikes.
This is Cerro Solo—2121m high to the left corner; Torre and Fitz Roy massifs sighted with Solo as well...
Fortunately
we had no rain and very little wind—excellent conditions for
hiking.
After
coming back, tried to get info on weather on past days in El
Chalten—but it's not available online. Only forecasts are
available.
Most
of the Chaltén Massif is located in the northern part of the Parque
Nacional Los Glaciares. This park was created in 1937 and covers an
area of 600.000 hectares that was declared a World Heritage site by
the UNESCO.
Our
intention has been to just see the sight of these lovely peaks of
Andes and enjoy the beautiful scenic route between calafate and
chalten... we were thrilled with the unexpected and rare good
weather.
http://www.elchalten.com/indexen.php
is the official site and gives very useful info on all treks.
Good
links for trip planning:
The
ancient dwellers called this mountain “Chalten”, a name that in
the “Ahonikent” tongue means “smoking mountain”, due to the
clouds that rest on its summit almost constantly.
It
was renamed to Fitz Roy in 1877 by Francisco(Perito)Moreno in honor
of Captain Robert Fitz Roy of HMS Beagle in which Charles Darwin was
doing his voyage, where they sighted the dramatic mountain while
sailing up the Santa Cruz River to chart the desolate and isolated
Patagonian coast on the 1834 expedition.
Renaming
is so stupid... when people take credit for "discovering"/climbing
a mountain where natives have lived for 12000 years....
Got
info on reaching our hotel from a kind lady at the bus office and
started walking through the picturesque little town.
Nice craft pieces as rustic seats...
Nice craft pieces as rustic seats...
Hosteria Confin Patagonica:
At our hotel...Hosteria Confin Patagonica.... all woodwork done
by the owner Jorge, the sweetest guy one can imagine. The room had a
mini fridge, safe and a very comfy tub... the bathroom had a motion
sensitive light and used to switch off if it did not detect
movement... so had to move while soaking to activate the light a
couple of times... ha ha..
There
was a lovely view of Cerro Solo from our room.
Watching sunset from the room was awesome... looked much better than the pics we took...
Watching sunset from the room was awesome... looked much better than the pics we took...
Adela
range is just outside our hotel.
LAGUNA TORRE HIKE:
After
keeping our bags, we were off on our 1st trek—Laguna Torre...650
feet elevation from El Chalten—11 km one way from trail head. to
reach trail head from our hotel, add 2 km.
The bins and sign boards in this little town are so artistic... it was lovely walking through...
We climbed this small green hill to start our hike to Laguna Torre.
Only
early in the morning Cerro Fitz Roy and Torre can be seen without
clouds; as the day progresses clouds start shrouding the top.
At the foot of the stairs.
At the foot of the stairs.
Atop the small hill.
11km
hike starts from here.
Torre
means tower—these hills look like towers/granite fingers, so they
are Cerro Torre...to be said with the typical Spanish rrroll of rrs.
From
El Chaltén we head off on the Laguna Torre footpath and after a
small climb we enter a small ñire tree forest. From here, the path
starts to gain height and straighten up alongside the Fitz Roy River
until it arrives at a viewpoint of the river canyon and the Margarita
waterfall. The panorama presents the valley of the Fitz Roy River and
its serpentine course and as the backdrop the singular Mount Solo,
the Adela range and the impressive Mount Torre.
Open
scrubland with scattered trees of Lenga and ñire...
We
reached the viewpoint of Margarita waterfall... visble down in the gorge...
Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre caught in the same pic...Torre is the granite fingers to our left.
This is Cerro Solo...
Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre caught in the same pic...Torre is the granite fingers to our left.
This is Cerro Solo...
The
whole range is Adela.
We
had our lunch with the beautiful sight of Torre and Fitz Roy.
Here's
a trekker flat on a rock—his backpack lying nearby...can't get a
lovelier place to take a nap!!!
Mountain
adela range—-these are granite mountains.
Trekkers
on the winding path ahead...
We
had started our trek late at 12 noon as our bus had arrived at Chalten only
after 11... so we turned back by 5 without reaching our destination
Laguna Torre.
Sights like these bins make the walk back so interesting..
Sights like these bins make the walk back so interesting..
Granite Adela mountain range behind.
Beginning the descent...
Link to a lovely blog which covers the parts we missed
Chorillo falls this way—
DAY 8, Dec 5, 2013, 8.30 am:
TREK TO LAGUNA CAPRI & MIRADOR FITZ ROY
We
started our trek of the day early —to Laguna Capri and Mirador Fitz
Roy—7 km from this trail head.
Trail head
still closed... but we walked in through the gap.
Excellent views all around. Cool sunny day... no wind.
Rio de las vueltas=river of returns;mirador=viewpoint.
Two forks for different views... we went to Laguna Capri 1st and then on the way back, we went to the Mirador of Fitz Roy also.
Both magnificent...
Some one had written " longer?'
we had also wondered which will be shorter, but both were not far...10 min walk... after the long trek of 9km so far, this was the easy bit and totally rewarding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Torre names the peaks in a nice pic
Lenga
trees and the Fitz Roy massif.
The
skyline of Monte Fitzroy in full glory. The main peaks forming part
of this jagged skyline from left are: R. Juarez, Poincenot (3002m),
Fitz Roy (3405m), Val de Vois, Mermoz, Guillaumet.
Those
camping here get to see sunrise behind Fitz Roy... awesome...
Laguna Capri:
Our destination in sight, lenga trees bordering Laguna Capri.
Here's
Fitz Roy massif towering over the serene waters of Laguna Capri—and
Piedras Blancas Glacier descending from the Fitzroy massif.
I
soaked tired feet in the icy cold water for 10 minutes and felt
totally rejuvenated—was able to tackle the 9 km hike back with just
one brief stop and made good time as well.
Mirador Fitz Roy:
Actually
before going back, we took the other fork and went to the Mirador
Fitz Roy as well. Fitz Roy is 3359m high.
The couple on the left never moved—- usually people let others have a pic without cluttering the frame...some people are so discourteous...this couple sat at a plum viewpoint just doing their mundane work—not even admiring the view.
Climbed on to the left side hill...a small glimpse of the glacier to the right— Piedras Blancas Glacier descending from the Fitzroy massif.
The couple on the left never moved—- usually people let others have a pic without cluttering the frame...some people are so discourteous...this couple sat at a plum viewpoint just doing their mundane work—not even admiring the view.
Piedras Blancas Glacier visible.
Fitz
Roy massif with the smoky cloud. The
board names all peaks.
We
are 750 m above sea level and looking up at Fitz Roy 3450 m high.
Managed
to cut the annoying hogger couple out of the frame but that cut out Fitz Roy also.
Board
says Mirador del Fitz Roy—viewpoint and names the other peaks.
Piedras
Blancas Glacier is visible as well.
We
started our trek back..
Back
at Chalten village...admiring cabanas on wheels.
Nice
craft—but shop was closed and we had to hurry for our bus which
was scheduled to leave at 6pm.
We
had some food at the dining room/kitchen in Confin Patagonica, the
owner Gorge was very gracious... after washing up and repacking, we
walked to the bus stop at 5.40.
The upper deck was already full. We sat in the lower deck and reached calafate after 9,
bought
some provisions from the supermercado near the bus terminal, caught a
taxi —45 pesos —and reached Solares del sur. Collected the bags
we had left behind and settled back in our old cabana.
Were
so happy with our treks in El Chalten. We had had such awesome views of the elusive Fitz Roy and Torre mountains!
The next day was going to be still better with terrific views of the famed Perito Moreno glacier... described in the next post:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2017/06/argentina-trip-report-day-9-perito.html
The next day was going to be still better with terrific views of the famed Perito Moreno glacier... described in the next post:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2017/06/argentina-trip-report-day-9-perito.html
