El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina. A must visit in South America, no questions. 🇦🇷
If you're in Argentina for a short visit, this certainly needs to be, I'd say number one on your travel itinerary. For me it's my secret to escaping the chaos of a megacity.
This tiny town in the Patagonian mountains is my escape from the chaotic Buenos Aires life. It’s the hiking capital of Argentina, and the town has front row seats to the incredible Mount Fitz Roy (below). You cannot come to this continent and not visit El Chalten.
I first visited in December, which is peak season. I had great time here, it was busy from tourists all over the world, and the whole town was buzzing. There are multiple craft brew places and bars which are packed until late every night. I ended up having one seriously big night here and stumbled back to my room ~3am.
In summer, you’re so far south (~50°S) on the South American continent that the sun doesn’t set until midnight. This means plenty of time to hike during the day light without waking up too early.
For this post, I’ll focus on my winter time trip, as it’s what made me want to write this post, it was so fucking good.
The real beauty of this trip is not what you first think. It’s all to do with the timing, and which might not suit too many people, but for someone like me who despises tourist traps and loves nature and serenity, it’s bloody perfect!
I was sitting in Buenos Aires doing the usual, trading some options, and noticed a good weather forecast for El Chalten. Clear sunny days but freezing nights around -10℃, which is my guess for what keeps the crowd away.
So, I booked flights on the national carrier Aerolineas Argentinas from Buenos Aires (AEP city airport - which is a blessing) to El Calafate. I booked business class return for $300 USD, incredibly comfortable and another perk of off-season travel.
Winter is off-season and this tiny town of normally 2000 people is absolutely deserted. To give you an idea, instead of 40 restaurants open for dinner in peak season, there is only one open (but it’s an epic one).