Today we drove about 3 hours from El Calafate to El Chalten – another scenic drive with a bunch of photo stops! The drive took us around the east shore of Lago Argentino.
El Chalten sits at the base of Fitz Roy mountain – we started to get amazing views of the mountain about an hour before we reached town!
El Chalten is considered Argentina’s ‘newest’ town – it was built up around the mountaineering center starting in 1985.
The Patagonian climate is famous for its temperament. The local weather forecast says “intense sunshine, a gentle breeze, strong winds, intermittent rains or even surprising snowstorms” and that’s just for today! Another forecast says “wind from 5 to 9 miles per hour with gusts to 49 mph.” We thought it was a joke, but the wind here is incredible and constant!
Tonight we are settling into our lovely hotel in El Chalten – will try the local parilla restaurant up the street for dinner. Tomorrow we hike closer to Mount Fitz Roy.