Hiking in Patagonia – Argentina

With one month to plan a last-minute vacation over the christmas period plus the state of COVID uncertainty, we decided to look up destinations to visit. Starting with the countries that began with “A” we quickly scrolled upon Argentina and realised it was a perfect fit. Patagonia had always been on our bucket list! The hiking in Patagonia has set our hiking standards HIGH ever since and we would recommend it to anyone who wants insane hikes with unbeatable views. We did three hikes in the Patagonia area from the base of El Chelten:

• Laguna Torre
• Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
• Laguna de Los Tres

El Chelten can be reach by taking a flight into El Calafate, and either renting a car or taking a bus to the town (approximately 2-3 hour drive). If you are driving in you will see incredible views of the mountain peaks, and the road is quiet so you can stop to pullover and take as many pictures as you want! I would recommend downloading all trails to easily find the trail heads and stats for all the hikes in the area that you are interested in.

El Chelten is a small hiking town with a suprisingly good amount of accomodations, restaurants, brewerys – so there is ALWAYS something to do (if you’re not in the mountains all day). We honestly loved the vibe of the town and wished we had stayed longer. It is the base for all the hikes (atleast the three hikes we did), so if you do decide to take the bus into the town you will easily be able to reach the starting destination of your hike.

As our vacation was planned last minute with not alot of details outlined, we decided to day hike (instead of backpacking). This gave us more flexibility on packing requirements, and also allowed us to do whichever hikes we wanted based on how we were feeling and the weather on each day. We stayed three nights and three days before travelling back to El Calafate, doing a hike on each day.

Hike #1: The Laguna Torre Trail

This was our first hike in Patagonia after tons of travelling so it was slow but SO exciting. Once you get a little bit in you start to see the mountain peaks in the distance and you are able to see them pop in and out throughout the entire hike which keeps you entertained throughout the entire duration. Theres a few good view points and picture opportunities along the way which break up the trail a little.

Once you get to the end goal of the trail the view is amazing. You could stop where most people do, down near the water, but we opted to continue to the right of the trail. We walked further up to the right up some rocks which gave us even better vantage points of the mountain and glacier for some even better views.

Overall the hike was relatively moderate minus some ups and downs, and was about 18 kms total, with a there-and-back route. It took us in between 5-6 hours to complete and was worth every minute!

Hike #2: The Loma del Pliegue Tumbado Trail

If you are looking for something a little more off the beaten path and isolated, I highly recommend this hike. The hike starts in the town and takes you through a variety of terrain including areas with great views of the town, forests, rocky areas, some cow sightings, and up to the very top of a mountain (yes the one in the picture – it requires a bit of climbing up some rocks). Once you start getting closer to the top of the mountain you can see crazy views of the water (the lake) and glacier pools. However, you will also start to feel the effects of the weather more. We reached the top and immediately felt the intensity of the wind and it started to rain – we had to be extra cautious on the way down. Our favourite part of this trail was how isolated it felt – we saw no more than 10 people the entire day on the trail and the views were very different from the other two hikes we did which changed up the scenery a bit.

Although the views were less iconic than the mountain peaks, they were nonetheless incredible and this hike was 100% worth it. It took us approximately 7-8 hours and 18 kms to complete (potentially more depending on where you are staying) with a there-and-back route.

Hike #3: The Laguna de Los Tres Trail

Saving the best for last! This hike is extremely popular for a good reason… just look at the photo! The high was really moderate until the last kilometre when there is a STEEP incline. Along the way there are so many great photo-ops with amazing backdrops which keep you excited throughout the entire hike.

This hike was a personal favourite thanks to the crazy blue water and iconic peaks. At the top every now and again you could see small portions of the ice/snow trickle down from the glacier. It was mostly a there-and-back route, with a slight loop that allowed us to veer off path to see another lake with a great view of the mountains behind it (and dip our feet in!).

This hike was approximately 21 kms and took around 7-8 hours.

Saved Rounds…

We visited Argentina during COVID (december / january 2021), when alot of the world was going through another COVID lockdown phase so I do think that impacted the number of personnel that were touring the area at this time. Although it was busy in some remarks (the last hike we did was the most noticeable), it was definitely not as busy as it could get outside of COVID restrictions.

We also visited during Argentina’s summer, however it was still kind of cool out. We wore smaller base layers, but brought rain jackets / sweaters / puffys as it can get windy and cooler as you reach the top. The weather also really worked in our favour as we were only there for three days and you want to ensure you are able to head up to the view points when they are not covered in fog / clouds. I would recommend planning enough time to ensure there are some flex days when the weather isnt so cooperative.

As these hikes are super long, bring tons of water (we each brought 2-3L of water per person for each hike) and snacks throughout. We liked to stop in town and get some empanadas for the road!

If you only have time for one or two hikes, I would recommend doing the Laguna de Los Tres just because of the insane blue water and mountain views, followed by Laguna Torre, and then I would suggest Loma del Pliegue Tumbado for those looking for something off the beaten paths and unique in the area.