Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
02962 / POP POP 1630
This colorful village overlooks the stunning northern sector of Parque Nacional Los Gla-
ciares. Every summer thousands of trekkers come to explore the world-class trails that
start right here. Founded in 1985, in a rush to beat Chile to the land claim, El Chaltén is
still a frontier town, albeit an offbeat one, featuring constant construction, hippie values
and packs of roaming dogs. Every year more mainstream tourists come to see what the
fuss is all about, but in winter (May to September) most hotels and services board up and
transportation links are few.
El Chaltén is named for Cerro Fitz Roy's Tehuelche name, meaning 'peak of fire' or
'smoking mountain' - an apt description of the cloud-enshrouded summit. Perito Moreno
and Carlos Moyano later named it after the
Beagle's
Captain FitzRoy, who navigated
Darwin's expedition up the Río Santa Cruz in 1834, coming within 50km of the cor-
dillera.
