Glaciers in El Chalten

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Amazing! At the end of the road we ended up in a sleepy town that is growing into a major tourist hub by the minute. There´s nothing but construction everywhere with hostels, hotels & more restaurants going up all around. But if you saw the scenery & what the locals wake up to every morning you would understand why! Look in any direction & the scenery is spectacular. Mount Fitzroy, Cerro Torre & Cerro Toro are some of the great mountains with glaciers perched on them that can be easily appreciated.

So first day out we moved to a nice & cosier hostel called Patagonia Albergue. It had the added advantage that it had the most impressive restaurant Fuegia next door....which became our nightly retreat before bedtime. We slept well after a feed there. A trip to El Chalten wouldn´t be the same without a visit here.

Day 1 we were treated to blue skies so we wasted no time & headed to Cerro Torre.......all the tracks are fairly comfortable & easily accessible from the town which makes it all the more rewarding when you finally reach the foot of the glacier......they are beautiful. So we spent the next 4 days doing all the day treks in the area, with a short navigation of a nearby lake when the weather stopped us in our tracks.

I probably amn´t selling this place as well as I should but so far, it has been one of the highlights. We´ve found the Argentinians to be very friendly, always making an effort to chat to us in Spanish even when the majority of them can speak English well....but just so we can practise our Spanish. You can do loads of overnight treks as well, but Grace & I aren´t that hardcore. We meet these people weighed down by their rucksacks, heads hung in desperation, moving at snails-pace.......& even though the scenery is cool, I still can´t see the attraction.......& it gets very cold at night & the thought of a hot shower at the end of the day is a real motivation to keep motoring.

El Chalten was a real treat. It´s nice to be still feeling that sense of awe & excitement when you arrive somewhere. It didn´t disappoint. Loved it......well worth the 2 days on the bus to get there.

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Photos

Cerro Torre, El Chalten
Blue skies, glaciers...doesn´t get better.

Cerro Torre
Nice reward at the end of the track

Cloud spoils it a bit
All the same...very impressive

Glaciers
Too tired to say anything more

El Chalten
One cold evening...dusty roads, threatening clouds & glaciers in the distance

Fitzroy
From a different viewpoint

Lago Desierto
Lake navigation

Sunset
Route 40...a welcome change of scenery

Sunset
On the way to El Calafate

Llama
Another one of the house pets