Friday, January 29, 2010

El Chaltén

Notes  from the WEB Site Hostel Trail
El Chaltén is popular backpacker destination in Argentina, just north of El Calafate, and famous for the Fitz Roy Mountain range. The town itself is small and was built in 1985 as a base for mountaineers and those wishing to explore the surrounding area. The resident population is only around 400 people but tourists are plentiful in the months from October to May when the village recieves an influx of those wishing to take advantage of the good.
The area has many spectacular treks of varying length and difficulty as well as excellent mountaineering opportunities, horse riding and rafting excursions. The most popular activities are the Laguna Los Tres and Laguna Torre day treks reaching altitudes of up to 3,400 metres and affording breath-taking views of Mount Fitz Roy.
There is no park entrance fee and rough camping is also free within the park although there are no facilities for campers other than simple toilet facilities. Hotels and restaurants as well as general supplies in the village can be expensive as the area is extremely remote and the residents rely almost fully on tourism as a means to earn a living.

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