El Chaltén: Tips for El Chaltén in Patagonia
El Chaltén was the final stop on our Patagonia trip. The village is famous for Mount Fitz Roy (which also features in the Patagonia clothing brand’s logo) and its many hiking trails. We spent three days in El Chaltén and share all our tips here to help you plan your own visit.
How to Get to El Chaltén in Patagonia
There are basically two ways to reach El Chaltén. The easiest and most enjoyable option is by rental car. Make sure to book well in advance, as many rental companies are fully booked during high season. We found this out the hard way when we were still searching for a car at the last minute. You can also check Sunnycars, although they don’t always have rental locations throughout this region.
The second option is taking the bus from El Calafate. Bus tickets can easily be booked via Busbud or purchased at the ticket counters in El Calafate upon arrival. At these counters you can pay by card, which is much cheaper for foreigners than trying to get large amounts of cash in Argentina.
Tip: Compare the price of a rental car with bus tickets. Sometimes renting a car is more expensive than taking the bus! Once you’re in El Chaltén, you won’t need a car anyway.
Where to Stay
El Chaltén offers hotels and hostels in all price ranges. If you’re looking for a private room with a shared or private bathroom, be prepared to pay quite a bit more—accommodation here is noticeably more expensive than elsewhere in Patagonia. Our recommendation is to book via Airbnb, so you can pay directly in the app and avoid having to pay cash on arrival. Again: paying in cash in Argentina is generally more expensive than paying by card. Booking a place with breakfast included is also a good idea, as groceries in El Chaltén are quite pricey.
Tip: Create a free Revolut account. We benefited from a great exchange rate, and our card worked everywhere in this region. If you’d like, feel free to send us a message on Instagram and we’ll share our referral link.
Hiking in El Chaltén
There are plenty of hikes to choose from in El Chaltén, but the trek to Mount Fitz Roy is an absolute must. You can already see the peak from afar, but up close it’s easily 100 times more impressive. This hike takes a full day: from the village, it’s about 28 kilometers round trip. The signs at the start of the trail are a bit optimistic in terms of timing, but don’t let that discourage you! If you’ve done the Base Camp hike at Torres del Paine, we actually found the Fitz Roy hike slightly easier, though it is longer. We also did a free hike to the Paredón viewpoint (photo above, left), which was well worth it. In our Google Maps Patagonia map, you’ll find all the hikes we did, including GPX files.
How Much Does Hiking in El Chaltén Cost?
Hiking in El Chaltén isn’t cheap. A day pass costs 45,000 Argentine pesos per person (price indication late 2025). If you hike a second day, you get a 50% discount—but you’ll need to keep your ticket from the first day. Some people enter the trails before sunrise and manage to avoid the entrance fee altogether. We don’t have personal experience with this, though, and we also wonder whether you might still be asked for a ticket when you return, as you pass the checkpoint again on the way back into the village.
