As our trusty Lonely Planet told us, Chalten is the trekking capital of Argentina, and we didn't want to miss it. It was hard to get to, though. We couldn't get a direct bus to it from Bariloche, since Ruta 40 was closed. So we landed in the closest town possible, Calafate, and figured that we would find our way to Chalten eventually. We were able to find a four-hour bus that would take us there, but it left within a couple of hours of us reaching Calafate. After the 36 hour journey from Bariloche to the Calafate bus terminus, we weren't exactly looking forward to spending an additional four hours on the bus, but we soldiered on after fortifying ourselves with Argentinean beer (Cerveza Quilmes) and pizza.
And it was well worth it! Chalten has nothing more than a cluster of a few houses, hostels, a local restaurant, and a cafe. No banks, one store. The village sits within a national park, and is only accessible by a rough unpaved road from November till March. We visited in late November, so it was still early in the tourist season and summer was just setting in. Chalten sits in a valley surrounded by the Fitz Roy range. It's the windiest place I have ever been to, and because of its stark landscape and minimalist creature comforts, it drove home the fact that I had truly and finally arrived in the legendary Patagonia. And yet, we stayed in a hostel that was more luxurious than I imagined Chalten to be, with hot water, and high speed satellite internet!
We hiked to the base camp of Mr. Fitz Roy and enroute saw our first llama. We also made a few new friends, including ES, an agricultural researcher from Cordoba with whom we shared mate. Exciting times.
And it was well worth it! Chalten has nothing more than a cluster of a few houses, hostels, a local restaurant, and a cafe. No banks, one store. The village sits within a national park, and is only accessible by a rough unpaved road from November till March. We visited in late November, so it was still early in the tourist season and summer was just setting in. Chalten sits in a valley surrounded by the Fitz Roy range. It's the windiest place I have ever been to, and because of its stark landscape and minimalist creature comforts, it drove home the fact that I had truly and finally arrived in the legendary Patagonia. And yet, we stayed in a hostel that was more luxurious than I imagined Chalten to be, with hot water, and high speed satellite internet!
We hiked to the base camp of Mr. Fitz Roy and enroute saw our first llama. We also made a few new friends, including ES, an agricultural researcher from Cordoba with whom we shared mate. Exciting times.
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