March & April, 2005
March 30 - April 2, 2005
We took a bus from El Calafate to El Chalten, which is a tiny, quaint town, located four and a half hours north of there, in the northern-most tip of Los Glaciares National Park, at the foot of Fitz Roy Mountin (3405 meters above sea level) and Cerro Torre (3,128 meters above sea level). El Chalten boasts 40 families, and just over 300 inhabitants. Although very small, and a relatively new town - apparently it was founded in 1985 - it has a number of hostels, bed and breakfasts and one very fancy hotel. It also has several delicious restaurants and bars (including some that make their own beer, which Mike was very excited about), a few grocery stores and outdoor stores, several travel agencies, and one or two places with very slow internet connections (but hey, at least it has internet).
During our visit, we stayed at the Condor Hostel, another great find. Again, for just over $20 a night, we had our own room and bathroom, and breakfast was included. And, like most of the hostels in this area, this one also ran a travel agency, although we did not sign up for any tours with them. Instead, we spent our 4 days hiking and treking throughout the countryside.
www.fitzroyexpediciones.com.ar
As the calafate berry legend would have it, we will certainly return to this area and Patagonia!
