ARGENTINA REGION BY REGION - Argentina - page 244

% Lago San Martín
Road map B5. 138 miles (222 km) N of
Tres Lagos. * 500. @ from El Chaltén.
n Ave Güemes 21, El Chaltén,
[phone]. ∑ elchalten.com

Straddling the border between
Argentina and Chile, where it is
known as Lago O'Higgins, this
lake derives its two names from
the popular Independence
heroes of the two countries,
who united forces in the early
19th century to defeat Spain.
Lago San Martín marks the
starting point of the Austral,
Argentina's Deep South, and its
surrounding landscape is one
of dramatic Andean peaks and
glacial lakes.
Though remote, the lake
has two lovely estancias
located on its shores, Estancia
La Maipú and Estancia El
Cóndor (see pp310-11) . Both
offer treks, horse rides, and
bird-watching tours into the
surrounding forests. Trails,
along which Andean condors
are seen, lead to a number of
lookout points that offer
breathtaking views of the lake
and the Andes. Excursions to
the lake are run by tour
agencies in El Chaltén.
However, the lake is rendered
inaccessible at times due to
unpredictable weather that
makes navigation difficult.

Hikers on their way to Mount Fitz Roy, El Chaltén
^ Parque Nacional
Los Glaciares
See pp 254-9.

between Argentina and Chile.
First populated by border
guards and government
employees, El Chaltén has since
blossomed into Argentina's
foremost trekking destination.
Situated within Parque Nacional
Los Glaciares, it is an ideal base
from which to explore the
northern section of the park. In
summer, its 500 permanent
residents are joined by almost
60,000 hikers and climbers
drawn by the trails that lead to
the base of the highest summit,
Mount Fitz Roy, in the Fitz Roy
massif. The base offers an
opportunity to go ice-trekking
on the Viedma and Torre glaciers.
The best time to visit is fall
as well as October and Nov-
ember when the town is less
crowded.

& El Chaltén
Road map A5. 81 miles (130 km) W of
Tres Lagos. * 500. @ n Ave
Güemes 21, [phone]. _
Fiesta Nacional del Trekking.
∑ elchalten.com

With its wind-pummeled gravel
streets and rugged Andean
setting, El Chaltén gives every
impression of being an old
frontier settlement rather than
the country's newest town. It
was created in 1985 as a
geopolitical maneuver in a
long-running border dispute

* Lago del Desierto
Road map A5. 23 miles (37 km) N of
El Chaltén. g Dec-Mar daily. @ n
[phone].
A long-hidden jewel, Lago del
Desierto (Lake of the Desert)
was unveiled to tourists in 1995,
when Argentina's border
dispute with Chile came to an
end and sovereignty over the
lake's shores was finally ruled in
its favor.
Tours lasting a full day pass
through the forests of the Río
de las Vueltas valley before
arriving at the lake's southern
shore. From there a number
of treks are possible, the
low-difficulty hike to Glaciar
Huemul being highly Río de las Vueltas making its way through forests

For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99