Argentina

<p>El Chelten is the trekking capital of Patagonia - located between the mountains, with the amazing mountain Fitz Roy in the background and without cellular reception. It has a special charm and it attracts people from all over the world who come to hike, climb and disconnect from civilization. I spent three weeks there and could have stayed longer! If you love to trek - this is the place for you.</p>

El Chaltén

Laguna de los Tres

丽托雷

Campamento Laguna Capri

Río Electrico

Laguna Sucia

Lagunas Madre e hija

Cabañas Paso del Viento

<p>I went to this hike with 4 friends who I met in Wenuy hostel at El Chalten. Me- from Israel, a girl from France, a girl from Venezuela and two guys from Spain- a wonderful combination. We took a taxi from El Chalten to 'Rio Electrico' bus stop that cost us 1,200 peso total, 30 minutes drive. The station located on ruta 41, right before the bridge. Then we started a 7km walk to refugee 'Piedra del Fraile'. There are good marks and signs on the way, and to be on the safe side, we used an app called 'maps me' to which we downloaded the maps in advance. The walk is flat and passes through a beautiful forest near the creek, it took us 2 hours to get to the refugee. It located in a beautiful clearing under a snow mountain. The refugees are very popular in Patagonia, and in Argentina most of them belong to private people. Usually they have kitchen and workers or volunteers who offers meals and essential products which you can buy. We paid 2,400 pesos per night for one bad in a dorms of 6. The only thing you get is mattress so bring a sleeping bag with you because it's cold at night. If you want to sleep in your own tent it costs 1500 pesos. We left our bags in the room and went to the main cabin- a warm and nice dining room with fireplace, kitchen, little library and board games. We ordered hot chocolate and homemade pizza (1,500 pesos) and decided to go to see Lago Electrico- 20 minutes of walk, 1.5km from the refugee. The walk was really nice and we enjoyed the view of the lagoon and the glaciers. Unfortunately on the way back the rain caught us and we arrived completely wet- but straight to the warm fireplace. We cooked dinner, played cards with people we knew in the refugee and went to sleep to get ready for the next day. Note: There are no showers- only toilets, sinks and a tap for filling water. After a good night's sleep we woke up, ate oatmeal and prepared our bags- 1.5L of water, lunch, rain coat and warm clothes. The route from the refugee to the glacier who overlooks the Fitz Roy and Cerro Electrico passes through Piedra Negra camping. It's 3 km of ascent of 1000 meters, but the view on the way is incredible. It took us 2.5 hours with some brakes on the way to catch our breath. From Piedra Negra camping who Looks like a pile of stones arranged in a circle, no more- we continued go up towards the lagoon and there we saw it all- the lagoon next to the glacier, the back of the famous mountain Fitz Roy, the snowy mountains next to the refugee... 360° of spectacular view. It was cold and windy but we sat down to lunch in the warm sun and enjoyed the powerful place. After lunch we continued to the glacier itself, beware of slippery rocks. It is also possible to return straight from the view point and not continue to the glacier. From there we returned from the same way we had come - a steep descent, it took us an hour and a half to get to refugee. I recommend bringing walking sticks to relieve strain from the knees. In the refugee we relaxed with hot chocolate and the meal of the day which we ordered in advance in the morning. We had an amazing time together- without phone signal, just us and the nature. </p>

Hiking 2 days to Cerro Eléctrico- mountain overlooking the Fitz Roy, and to piedra negra- viewpoint on a huge glaciar and beautiful lagoons.

Hike around the Fitz Roy and sleep in a dream refugee

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