The drive from El Calafate to El Chalten took us about 3 hours. We arrived at lunch time and checked into our airbnb. The weather was phenomenal for El Chalten hiking, especially for Patagonia. No wind, sunshine and no clouds so we went right away for a short hike. Here is more on the hike to Condor lookout and Aguilas (eagles) lookout.

After the hike we had a very nice dinner at one of the restaurants in El Chalten. El Chalten has a surprisingly good collection of restaurants, bakeries and cafes for such a small place. On this first evening in El Chalten it seemed every house had a barbeque going (parrilla to be correct) on the occasion of warm beautiful weather. Butcher almost ran out of meat!

There are two major full day 20km plus hikes from El Chalten to consider. Laguna Torre (overlooking Cerro Torre the tallest of the 3 skinny mountains) and Laguna de Lost Tres (overlooking Fitz Roy). Many other hikes are a part of or connecting to these two main trails.

On our first full day in El Chalten we thought we would go to Laguna del Los Tres. But as we reached Laguna Capri along the trail, the cloud cover was very thick and we decided that we would try Laguna del Los Tres another day. We had a nice hike to Laguna Capri, then went to Ftz Roy lookout, had our sandwiches and watched clouds moving and slowly lifting from Fitz Roy. Here is more on our hike to Laguna Capri and Fitzroy lookout.

The next day the weather deteriorated. It was windy, very cloudy with rain in the forecast. Instead of hiking we drove around. First we went to Lake Viedma. One cannot see Viedma Glacier because of how the mountains are, but the lake and birds around it are good. Then we went up towards Rio Electrico to check access to the alternative route for Laguna Los Tres hike via Piedras Blancas glacier lookout that we were considering.

The weather kept getting worse. Winds were blowing at over 40kmh and rain started. There was no point driving around as we could not see much of the scenery. We went back to our airbnb to watch the storm from inside and enjoy some Argentinian vino.

On our third day in El Chalten sun came back and we went hiking to Laguna Torre. It is a 20km mostly flat hike. The hike was great and skies mostly blue. But Cerro Torre was covered by solid cloud that was not lifting. Good thing is that we had a few days in El Chalten so we went to Laguna Torre again on our fifth and last day, after we made it to Laguna de Lost Tres. Here is more on our Laguna Torre hikes.

On our fourth day in El Chalten we finally headed to Laguna de Los Tres. Since we already did half of the trail when we went to Laguna Capri, we decided to take a different route. We started at Rio Electrico near Hosteria El Pilar and hiked past Piedras Blancas Glacier lookout point. This route is slightly shorter arguably flatter. Except for the steep last section of the hike to Laguna de Los Tres that one has to do no matter what. We felt that this hike was more difficult than Laguna Torre, but not as difficult as Torres Base lookout in Torres del Paine in Chile. The view at Laguna de Los Tres was definitely worth it. Here is more on Laguna de Los Tres hike.

We had excellent stay spending full five days in El Chalten. It has a really nice vibe and just feel slike a very happy place. It is also helped by the fact that El Chalten has some phenomenally good restaurants. We made our own sandwiches for lunch for all the hiking but ate out every night. Our favorites were La Tapera, La Oveja Negra, and Fuegia Bistro.

Back to Argentina Patagonia trip to Los Glaciares

Perito Moreno is a very large beautiful glacier with excellent tourist infrastructure making it easy to visit. Until recently the glacier also was quite an exception in that it was a stable glacier, not retreating like many other glaciers around the world. However a recent study shows that that is changing now and Perito Moreno is shrinking away too.

Perito Moreno is part of Los Glaciares National park, also including Fitzroy mountain and area around it. We bought online a multiday permit that enabled us to go to Perito Moreno and later to all our hikes in El Chalten. The rates for the park entrance tickets are here.

Mirador de Los Susperos is the first lookout point of Perito Moreno Glacier that one reaches. It has a beautiful view of the glacier and Lago Argentino around it. As at some other major tourist sites, we saw Malvinas Argentinas sign. We also saw it near El Chalten and at Iguazu falls with respective distances to the islands. Malvinas other name is Falkland islands, British overseas territory that Argentina and UK fought a war over in 1982. It is clearly not a closed question in Argentina.

After the lookout point we headed to the parking lot for the Perito Moreno Glacier. Parking lot is very large and is far from the Glacier walking trails and platforms. One can walk it (uphill to the glacier visitor center) or take a shuttle. We took a shuttle. There are extensive walkways and viewing platforms to admire the glacier. It was busy with many tourist buses but the platforms have a lot of space to view the glacier. We have seen several chunks of ice breaking off, calving, while we were there. It is a very impressive spectacle.

Unexposed and submerged part of the glacier has a different very blue color, because of its higher density. When pieces of glacier break off and flip over one can see this very beautiful, blue ice. Over time it cracks and starts to look white, like regular ice.

We walked all the platforms to appreciate different view points. We had our sandwich lunch admiring the glacier. And by the time we were leaving, most tour bases have departed and we enjoyed the Glacier without crowds.

Back to Los Glaciares National Park

Laguna de Los Tres is the most famous hike from El Chalten. We did this hike from Rio Electrico and via Piedras Blancas glacier lookout. The more common route is from El CHalten via Laguna Capri. But since we already did Laguna Capri we wanted to try this different route. It was also meant to be marginally shorter and maybe flatter. We drove to the parking lot near Rio Electrico and started the hike along the river valley. The hike is about 22km return.

The first part of the trek is along the river bed. We did not see many people on the hike. The trail was well marked. The views are beautiful.

The trail then turns up and continues in the woods along the valley with ocational views of the mountains in the distance through gaps between the trees.

When we reached the lookout of the Piedras Blancas glacier the mountains in the back were partially covered by clouds. The glacier is a little bit far but a very beautiful site with waterfalls of melting water coming down. There were also some condors flying around but very high up.

The final part of the trek is a very steep ascent gaining about 400m of elevation over 1km. It was the busiest section of the hike partly because it is slow moving partly because there are no trees so you can see more.

Once we reached the top though all the hard work climbing up was worth it. Again we were lucky and clouds parted just enough for us to see Mount Fitz Roy peak. We spent some time at the top hiding among the rocks as it was very windy up there. Had our sandwiches. Saw the fox that it appears frequents the site as some hikers give it food (should not). And just took in the beauty before heading back all the 11km to the parking lot.

Back to El Chalten

The first time we hiked Laguna Torre, we started this 20km hike from the same point as Laguna Capri hike.

After the trail split we continued through the forest on a mostly flat trail. We were spotted an orchid which was very exciting.

Mirador Cerro Torre is mean to provide the view of Cerro Torre. But on the day we arrived that part of the range was covered by a very thick cloud. We could se Cerro Solo very well, but no Cerro Torre. We still decided to go ahead and see what we see at the lagoon.

At the lagoon there was a lot of floating ice that broke off the glacier. Cerro Torre was still covered by thick cloud and there was no any sign of it lifting, unlike on our Laguna Capri hike.

We still enjoyed the hike and did not find it too difficult. On our last full day in El Chalten we decided to do Lagune Torre hike again as weather looked much better. This time we started from a different point. This one is also in El Chalten and not too far to the one with all other trails that we used before. It provides a slight shortcut it seems at the start of the hike. Or maybe it is an older trailhead because the sign looked older and there were no guards checking passes. But there were many hikers heading through.

What a difference. Now at Mirador Cerro Torre we had a clear view of the Cerro Torre and glacier next to it.

We spent some time at the lagoon eating our sandwiches and enjoying the view and nice weather. There seemed to be less ice than the first time in the lagoon. And more hikers.

We returned back to El Chalten through the same “shortcut” route. Laguna Torre is very nice and not difficult full day hike.

Back to El Chalten

The hike to Los Condores lookout starts at the visitor center. It is a somewhat steep but shork walk up to a rocky outcrop with spectacular views of El Chalten village and Mount Fitzroy in the distance

After admiring the view one can go to Aguilas (eagle) lookout. This is mostly flat slightly rolling half an hour walk around the top of the hill. It has the view of the Viedma lake. One cannot see Viedma glacier as it is behind the hill.

Walking back from Aguilas lookout there are more beautiful views of the Mount Fitzroy, Torres, and other mountains in the range.

We had a perfect day without clouds. Since this was our first day we did not realize how lucky this was as tops of the mountains are often covered by clouds.

We took awhile admiring the views at both lookouts and waiting for condors. We did not get condors (maybe because there was no wind at all). But we enjoyed the scenery and spent around 3 hours walking around and sitting at lookouts.

Back to El Chalten

Most hikes around Fitzroy mountain start from the edge of town in El Chalten. We walked down from our airbnb, showed our multi-day passes to the guards at the gate and headed up the hills.

Th trail to Laguna Capri (all of them actually) starts with a steep assent that reaches a nice view point of El Chalten. Later trails diverge. After the initial steep assent, the trail to Laguna Capri is mostly rolling flat – some ups and downs but nothing too strenuous.

When we reached Laguna Capri, Fitz Roy peak was covered by thick clouds. The cloud cover was moving all around and there was a threat of drizzle coming in. We decided not to proceed to Laguna de Los Tres which was a very steep hike up to the beautiful lagoon with a view of Fitz Roy mountain, if clouds did not cover it.

We then headed back on the trail stopping at Fitz Roy lookout. At this point we decided to eat our lunch, watch clouds shifting over Fitz Roy and wait for Condors (it was a windy day). We saw several condors cruising around though all of them pretty high up and too far for a photo. Then clouds started lifting and we could see almost the entire mountain range. We decided to walk back to Laguna Capri again and get a photo of Laguna with Fitzroy.

It was a completely different scene at Laguna Capri – sun shining and a beautiful view of the mountain. We learned our lesson for Patagonia – weather always changes, four seasons in a day. If you wait clouds might lift (or not), but all landscapes are beautiful in their own way.

Back to El Chalten

We headed from Antigua towards lake Atitlan on the 30th of December. The road is very good. Oddly, all along the way we saw people sitting by the side of the road in small groups. According to our driver they were “having a picnic” while waiting for the passing buses since everyone was traveling some place for the new year celebrations/ returning from Christmas celebrations.

People of Guatemala are very industrious and at times it does seem that the entire population is either embroidering or making pottery. All along the way there were shops selling all manner of crafts and pottery.

After researching about various villages around lake Atitlan, we decided to stay in San Marcos La Laguna on the western side of the lake. To get there we first arrived by road to Panajachel and then took a boat. Panajachel is developing fast and even has high rise hotels. We felt we wanted a more quiet place. The drive from Antigua took about 2.5 hours. We then took a public water taxi – the lake version of a chicken bus. The water taxi stops by various villages dropping off and picking up passengers making a circle around the lake. We were traveling in the early afternoon and the waves were starting to pick up a little bit. Prepare to get splashed a little though they do have curtains to block of the spray. The luggage goes on top of the boat and also may get some spray on it.

We stayed in an airbnb just outside of San Marcos. Main transportation in the area, once one gets off the boat, is tricycle. We found them to be readily available and reliable. A couple of times our tricycle drivers looked like they were 12, but they drove very well! The development has reached lake Atitlan with a construction boom visible. There are quite a few cottages built around and many airbnbs. There is also a number of small hotels and yoga retreats as San Marco is known to be the “hippie” village. Our airbnb had phenomenal views over the lake and we were very happy we decided on this option rather than busy Panajachel.

A short and very scenic boat ride from San Marcos are San Pedro and San Juan. We took the water taxi boat to San Pedro – a lively village with many restaurants and bars and a popular base for backpackers on lake Atitlan.

In San Pedro we took a tricycle for the scenic route to three view points of the lake. Each viewpoint has a restaurant or two with multiple viewing platforms at it. Local and foreign tourists alike are fans of selfies and photos with stunning views. Most of these restaurants/ view point also have special attractions to take photos with, like a giant colorful hummingbird or a giant fish, in case lake view is not enough. We also walked around the town and had a nice lunch.

We then took a short tricycle ride to San Juan La Laguna known for its artistic side. The streets in San Juan were creatively decorated with murals, hanging hats, umbrellas and textiles. There are plenty of workshops selling all variety of handicrafts. It had a very cheerful vibe. Since we were there on 31 of December many locals seemed to be shopping for this celebrations. And the main road to the pier was busy with musicians and street food vendors.

Not too far away from San Marcos, across the lake, is a Mayan town of Santiago Atitlan. We headed there one early morning for a birdwatching tour at Rey Tepepul Municipal Nature Reserve to search for resplendent quetzal. Quetzal is a national bird of Guatemala and even its currency is named after it. It is a very beautiful bird living in cloud forest. Quetzal population is declining due to habitat loss despite its protected status.

We arrived by boat at sunrise at Santiago jetty and then headed up the hills to the cloud forest on the slopes of Atitlan volcano in the back of a pick up truck. A very authentic experience.

We hiked for an hour or so through beautiful forest to the spot where quetzals were sited. This is a working forest and there are stacks of harvested wood and plantations of pampano (calathea lutea) along the way. Our guide pointed out several bird species along the way. With 700 species Guatemala is a major draw for birdwatchers.

First we found emerald toucanet. Soon after quetzals arrived to the same tree. we were lucky to see several pairs of quetzals and had really great sightings. It is a really strikingly beautiful bird, especially the male with brights feathers and long tail. We were very happy we went for this bird watching tour even though we are not exactly birders.

A town of Chichicastenango nearby is well known for its market. Most tourist operators offer tours on market days (Thursday and Sunday). It is only 60km from San Marcos but takes about 2 hours zigzagging on mountain roads.

Chichicastenango market is a huge area selling everything. While there ae quite a few tourists coming to have a look and a large area where handicrafts are sold, for the most part it is a regular market for Guatemalas to buy stuff. There is food, appliances, clothes, household items, basically everything one could possibly need more or less. The main Church Santo Tomas is at the edge of the market and has a blend of pre-Colombian and Catholic worship. The stes of the church are increadibly colorful due to all the flower sellers there. Worshipers buy flowers and insents to make offerings. The inside is fascinating offering a glimpse of this world that mixes so diverse influences. It is absolutely not allowed to take pictures inside out of respect for people’s beliefs. But one is welcome to enter and have a look. Fascinating.

We were very limited by our luggage size and had to exercise maximum willpower at Chichicastenanho markets. There are were so many beautiful things to buy. Very beautiful decorative textiles and all manner of handicraft. It is also increadible to see all the traditional clothes, mostly women’s. It seems men have moved on to western style clothing mostly but women wear elaboarate beautiful traditional outfits. The quantity and quality of these beautiful textiles is overwhelming. Guatemalan women making them must be the most hard working and productive women in the world.

We had fantastic several days at lake Atitlan. And after days of exploring nearby sites, or paddling around the lake it was wonderfully relaxing to just sit on our airbnb verandah taking spectacular views of volcanoes. Including far away Fuego, still visible and still fuming.

From here we headed back to Guatemala City to pick up a rental car and start our self driving portion of the trip to Monterirco on the Pacific Coast.

Back to Guatemala