Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
384
El Chaltén has definitely taken a turn upscale o ver the past fe w years, first with the
Los Cerros hotel, and now with the planned arriv al of two more luxury lodges—run by
the same folks behind Explora in Torres del Paine and by Eolo outside El Calafate. Both
are just in early stages, and will be located on the r
oad north from El Chaltén to ward
Lago del Desierto.
Populated by folk with a pioneering spirit, E l Chaltén has a cool, y oung vibe.
Most visitors come here for 4 days, with 2 travel days on each end. If you take the early
morning bus fr om El Calafate, y ou'll be here with time for a good half-day hike. M ost
hotels offer a catering ser vice that pr epares box lunches y ou can take with y ou on the
trail. Don't hit the trail without food!
The town's layout is somewhat haphazard, but a ne w bus terminal at the entrance to
town, scheduled to open in 2009, will help orient tourists when they hop off the bus
from El Calafate. G üemes and S an Martín are the main drags; most hotels and r estau-
rants don't have street numbers.
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY PLANE
All transpor tation to E l Chaltén originates fr om El Calafate, which has
daily plane service from Ushuaia and Buenos Aires. From El Calafate, you need to take
a bus or rent a car; the trip takes fr om 3 to 3
1
/
2
hours.
BY CAR
From El Calafate, take RN 11 west for 30km (19 miles) and turn left on RN
40 north. Turn again, heading northwest, on RP 23 to E l Chaltén. The only place for a
midtrip pit stop is the historic Estancia La Leona, where you can grab a snack and a cof-
fee. The route is now almost entirely paved.
BY BUS
Buses from El Calafate leave from the terminal, and all cost about $30 (£20)
round-trip. A giant new bus terminal is being built in El Chaltén at the entrance to town.
In the meantime, buses continue to use their normal dr op off/pick up locations listed
here.
Chaltén Travel,
with offices in El Chaltén at Avenida Güemes and Lago del Desi-
erto (
&
02962/493092;
www.chaltentravel.com), leaves El Calafate daily at 8am, 1pm
(Jan and Feb only), and 6:30pm, and E l Chaltén at 7:30am, 1pm ( Jan-Feb only), and
6pm, departing from the Rancho Grande hostel. Chaltén Travel can arrange private tours
and day trips to outlying destinations such as Patagonian ranches, as well as summer-only
transportation up RN 40 for those cr ossing into Chile.
Caltur,
which leav es fr om El
Chaltén's Hostería Fitz Roy, at Av. San Martín 520 (
&
02962/493062;
www.caltur.com.
ar), leaves El Calafate daily at 7:30am and 6:30pm, and leav es El Chaltén at 3pm.
12
VISITOR INFORMATION
There is a $10 (£6.80) fee to enter the par k, which is charged when buses stop at the
APN Intendencia (park service) at the entrance to town (
&
02962/493004
). Park war-
dens give a good intro to the park in English. El Chaltén also has a well-organized visitor
center at the town's entrance—the
Comisión de Fomento,
Perito Moreno and Avenida
Güemes (
&
02962/493011
), open daily fr om 8am to 8pm. H ere y ou'll find maps,
pamphlets, and brief interpretive displays about the region's flora and fauna. In El Cala-
fate, the
APN Intendencia (park service)
has its offices at A v. del Libertador 1302. Its
visitor center is open daily fr om 9am to 3pm (
&
02962/493004
).
There is neither a bank nor an ATM in El Chaltén. Many inns, restaurants, and stores
don't take credit cards, because phone lines ar e sketchy. So be sure to stop in for cash at
a bank in El Calafate.
