El Chalten
El Chalten 17th March to 21st March
17th Bus in the morning from El Calafate to – El Chalten we nearly made a muck up not checking the ticket and thinking it was an 8.30am departure however it was actually 8am. Much haste and a wee bit of panicking but got there in time. Lesson, double check the ticket! A comfortable bus ride and plenty of views including lots of Guanco (Llama) and Rhea (Emu) again and when we stopped along the way we saw two little foxes. Arrived in El Chalten about 11am.
The hostel we booked was really relaxing and included breakfast- it was still a busy town despite the fact that it is now in the shoulder of the summer season, so lots of choice for bakery lunches and eating out at night with reasonable prices.
On the first day there we climbed up to Mt Condors viewpoint in the afternoon and stayed till evening. Great view and the condors (birds) were giving a good show. We have had great weather and able to have excellent views of Mount Fitz Roy that is usually shrouded in cloud.
18th March - Mt Fitz Roy viewpoint and Lake Capri – this trek took us five hours return but we took lunch and stopped along the way for the views. A steep track but well-marked and lots of people using it to take in the great views. There were also condors on this side as well and on the way down heard and managed to get some pics of the elusive woodpecker. Looked like a family group with some smaller birds. Great walk with some breathtaking views.
19th March - We caught a local tour bus and went for a drive up the river Rio de las Vueltas. There were salmon in the river both alive and dead doing their final spawning. We hiked up to Lake and Glacier Huemui. This was quite a short, steep track with lots of tree roots, steps and roped areas to help you up some parts. Maree loved it. We also walked along to Lake del Desierto which was not far from where the bus was parked. People were picnicking as well as fishing for trout and we saw a man with a nice brown trout. Nice spot a lot like NZ.- We had three days running and clear as a bell and wished we stayed longer at El Chalten good hostel and lots to do.
Again lots of photos.
![]() |
Landscapes from the trip to El Chalten. |
![]() |
Map of the bus trip |
![]() |
Loved this house in the middle of nowhere should be a movie set |
![]() |
The foxes we saw along the way |
One of the Condors we saw on the first afternoon. |
Cool land forms again |
Sun coming up on Mt Fitz Roy and mountain range. |
Mt Fitz Roy again stunning in the morning sun. |
Cerro Torre or Hill Tower is in Argentina and Chile in the sector that is pending delimitation due to the 1998 Agreement ; therefore, it belongs to both countries pending a definitive line. |
One of the glaciers coming off the range |
Trying to be artistic |
Rio de las Vueltas |
Another Condor pic |
Taking a break during the walk - Maree loving it! |
Looking out towards Lake Viedma |
Beech forest near Lake Capri |
|
The Magellanic woodpecker found in southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. We have been trying to get some photos of this bird. Lots of fun! |
El Chalten |
Spawning salmon just about done. |
Beech Forest on the way up to Lake and Glacier Huemui |
Deciduous beech forest another photo below |
Lake and Glacier Huemui |
Looking back down the Rio de las Vueltas |
Guanco (Llama) on the edge of Lake Viedma |
Glacier Viedma at the head of the lake. |
More Guanco |
And more Guanco there were lots |
I liked this photo poplars and willow around the homestead. Also pines, broom, briar, rowen trees and every other invasive that you could think of just like NZ. |
Comments
Post a Comment