Things to Do in El Calafate and El Chaltén: A 1-Week Itinerary

You can visit El Calafate all year, though the most pleasant months are September to March. Perito Moreno Glacier, the area's main attraction, is open all year.

But if you want to combine El Calafate and El Chaltén on the same trip, the best time is between October and April, the southern spring and summer. During these months the weather is more pleasant, with milder temperatures (though it can be windy), and most of the trails are open.

• October and November (spring): The landscape starts to fill with flowers and the days get longer, but there may still be some snow on the highest trails, and some lagoons may be frozen. It's ideal if you want to avoid the summer crowds.
• December to February (summer): This is high season, with the longest days (up to 17 hours of daylight) and generally more stable weather.
• March and April (fall): A magical time, with fewer tourists and landscapes tinted in reds and oranges. The weather is cool, but you can still enjoy the trails.

The most convenient way to get to El Calafate is by plane, with regular flights from Ushuaia, Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Trelew and Córdoba during high season.

From the airport or the town of El Calafate, buses leave for El Chaltén every day at several times. They make a single stop at El Calafate airport to pick up passengers, and the fare is ARS 35,000. Here's a table with the schedule: the times in green are the ones that stop at the airport.

Another option is a private transfer, which you can book in advance here, or renting a car at El Calafate airport, which gives you much more freedom to get around. You can compare options and book your car at El Calafate airport here.

There are also guided tours that leave from El Calafate and return the same day. They're a good option if you don't have much time but still want to get a look at El Chaltén. If we had to choose a day trip from El Calafate to El Chaltén, it would definitely be one of these two:

• Hiking day trip from El Calafate to Laguna de los Tres: This tour includes the hike to the famous Laguna de los Tres at the foot of Fitz Roy.
• Full-day tour from El Calafate with a short walk around El Chaltén: This one gives you more panoramic views of Fitz Roy, without going all the way to Laguna de los Tres.

In this post we share our one-week route through El Calafate and El Chaltén. It may not be the ideal route for everyone, but it worked for us with the days we had. If you have more time, we recommend exploring more trails in El Chaltén. You can read our El Chaltén guide, with all the trails and our advice on what to wear and what to bring.

Most of the trails in El Chaltén are self-guided and well marked, so you don't need a tour to hike them.

Day 1.

We arrived early at El Calafate airport from Buenos Aires and took the last bus to El Chaltén. Once there, we checked into our hotel, had lunch and used the afternoon for a short hike to Chorrillo del Salto.

The 7 km (4.3 miles) trail is easy and runs through a beautiful hillside forest. You can also do it by car or bike. At the end of the trail is the spectacular Chorrillo del Salto waterfall, which drops 20 m (66 ft).

Day 2.

We checked the forecast the day before and decided this would be the ideal day to sleep at Poincenot campground and catch the sunrise at Laguna de los Tres. The day was going to be clear and the temperatures wouldn't be too low. As we mentioned in our El Chaltén guide, there are two trails to Poincenot campground: the one from Hostería del Pilar and the one by way of Laguna Capri. After doing some research and asking for recommendations, we decided to hike both so we wouldn't miss any of the views.

The night before, we booked a shuttle van through our hotel to take us to Hostería del Pilar, 17 km from El Chaltén. The van picked us up at 9 in the morning and we set off for our starting point.

From Hostería del Pilar to Poincenot campground it's about 6 km (3.7 miles). This trail takes you to the viewpoint for the Piedras Blancas Glacier, and what a view it is!

We reached the campground around 15:00, and there were already quite a few people there. We pitched our tent, ate what we'd brought, admired the view of Fitz Roy and rested in the sun. As it got dark, we made dinner with the food we had carried up. We went to bed early because we had to get up a few hours before sunrise to see Laguna de los Tres in the best possible light.

In our El Chaltén guide you'll find all the information you need for sleeping at the campground, plus some useful tips. If you prefer, you can also book this 2-day tour, which includes the night at the campground with everything you need, meals and a guide. Or, if you don't have a tent or don't want to carry the extra weight, you can rent an already pitched tent, with a sleeping bag and meals included, from Fitz Camp here.

Day 3.

We woke up 2 hours before sunrise, made hot coffee for our thermos and headed out into a cold night full of stars. We swear we've never seen as many as we did that night in the middle of the mountains!

The last 2 km (1.2 miles) of the climb are the hardest, since the trail is quite worn and full of rocks. But every bit of effort paid off: the closer we got to Fitz Roy, the wider our smiles got. We arrived just in time to see the giant turn a stunning orange-pink.

Once at the top we stayed for several hours, taking photos, enjoying the view and resting. Around noon, just as most of the tourists were reaching the lagoon, we started back on the Laguna Capri trail, with 11 km (6.8 miles) still to go to El Chaltén.

We got back to town pretty tired and went straight to the shower and to bed.

Day 4.

After two intense days, we wanted a more relaxed trail and chose to visit the Huemul Glacier. The night before, we booked transportation with a company called Zona Austral, since the glacier is near Lago del Desierto, 37 km from El Chaltén.

The trail to the Huemul Glacier is 4 km (2.5 miles) round trip and takes about 2 hours. It's easy to moderate, though one part has a steep climb. Keep in mind that the trail is on private property, so you have to pay an entrance fee.

Day 5.

We woke up to a cloudy day, but since it was our last day in El Chaltén, we couldn't miss the hike to Cerro Torre. The trail is 19 km (11.8 miles) in total and takes 7 to 8 hours. Fortunately the slope isn't too steep, so it's an easy one. Sadly, because of the weather we couldn't see Cerro Torre, but the trail was beautiful all the same. We got to see the lagoon, full of icebergs from the hanging glacier. From there you can also walk another 2 km (1.2 miles) to Mirador Maestri, but we decided not to because the wind was so strong we felt like we were going to blow away.

Cerro Torre looks much better at sunrise, since it faces west. There's also a rustic campground in the area called D'Agostini, where you can camp.

If you'd like to go on a tour, you can take this day tour to Cerro Torre from El Chaltén or opt for this 2-day one that includes Laguna de los Tres, with a night at a campground and a visit to Cerro Torre on the second day.

Day 6.

We took the first bus back to El Calafate. We reached the station at noon and took a taxi to our hotel to drop off all our things. After lunch, we hired the same taxi that had taken us from the airport to the hotel to drive us to the boardwalks at the Perito Moreno Glacier.

The Perito Moreno Glacier boardwalks are about 1 hour from the town of El Calafate. There are three ways to get there:

1. Rent a car
2. Book a tour with a travel agency
3. Hire a taxi or a private car (remis)

The entrance fee for Los Glaciares National Park is ARS 45,000 for foreigners and ARS 15,000 for Argentine residents.

After walking the boardwalks and admiring the imposing glacier for a couple of hours, we headed back to our hotel in El Calafate.

Day 7.

Did you know you can walk on Perito Moreno Glacier? It's an unforgettable experience! So on our last day in El Calafate we did the Mini Trekking on the glacier (we wanted to do the Big Ice, but because of the pandemic they weren't offering it). There are two options:

• Mini Trekking: a walk of about 2 hours on the glacier. Available from July 1 to May 31.
• Big Ice: a longer hike, with about 4 hours on the glacier and 3 hours through the forest. If you have the budget for this one, we highly recommend it. You walk on other parts of the glacier, where you see rivers and ice caves. It's mind-blowing! It runs from September 15 to April 30.

The agency gives you the crampons you need to walk on the ice and a safety helmet. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

You can add transportation to the tour, but we decided to hire a taxi again, since it seemed cheaper and more comfortable. When the tour was over, we walked the glacier boardwalks again: we were already there, so we couldn't pass up the chance to walk around for a while and enjoy the view. Then we headed back to our lodging, picked up our luggage and went to the airport for our flight home.

There are many more tours to do in El Calafate. We didn't have time for them, but we tell you a bit more about them and about the glacier in our post on El Calafate.

If you have more days, we recommend spending them in El Chaltén: after so much hiking, your body will thank you for a rest day. We also left a couple of hikes undone on our itinerary. We tell you everything you can do here.