1

Patagonia is worth more than 5 or 6 days. But with that amount of time your idea to go to El Chalten and El Calafate is a good one. It'll give you time there.

Also, El chalten is pretty popular. The trails are pretty well marked. And most are day treks from the township itself. There is very little need for a guide or to take a guided trek. And if you did, it would be bloody expensive to take one.

2

In El Calafate take a full day boat trip to see the glaciers. You can buy in a tourism office, in the hotel, the prices are the same. Good options are minitrekking, including is a walk for 1 h in the glacier, and 3 glaciers, you see Spegazzini, Onelli and Upsalla glaciers. Do at least one of the tours.

From El Calafate take a bus to El Chalten, there are 2 classical treks, to Cerro Torre and to Laguna de los 3, in front of Fitz Roy. The first one is a not so hard day trek. The Fitz Roy is little hard, but possible, to do in one day. The best way is to sleep in a tent near Laguna de los 3, then wake up early and see sunrise from the moraine (a 1-2 h trek from the camping. I think you can rent a tent in EC.

One more trek from El Chalten is to Laguna del Desierto, you walk next to a road and near a blue, glacier water river. You can find a transport back to El Chalten.

There are other treks and tours, including one to walk for a longer time in a glacier, both in El Calafate and in El Chalten, but I don´t know details.

As said by Trent84, no need a guide, the treks are very easy to find, and in summer there is a lot of people doing the same. A lot of people, but not as much as in Torres del Paine, which is more crowded.

3

There are 2 very popular and scenic treks at El Chalten but easily done as daytreks, Laguna de la Torre and Laguna de las 3 at Fitz Roy. The Laguna del desierto is less interesting compared to the others. Lago Electrico is an option too. An organised trekking tour in Patagonia is often poor value and very very expensive and not necesary at all. There are very good dayhikes close to Ushuaia too, easily done on your own. You can hire camping equipment in all of these places

4

Synger, you'll be a bit pressed for time given that it will take at least a day to get there and a day to get back to BA- that is two days, maybe three just for the travel part. that would leave two or three days to hike the trails, enough time to see the highlights. Make sure you put the following on your check list:

1. hike up to Laguna Torre- one day
2. hike up to Laguna de Las Tres- on day
3. hike up the Rio Electrico- one day

You can do all the hikes out of El Chalten- so no need for camping equipment- just a day pack with camera, rain gear, trekking poles and snacks and water.

You do not need organized tours. The trails are easy to walk and everything is very obvious. There will be hikers ahead of you and behind you.

If you want more info, maps, and pix on Monte Fitz Roy hiking possibilities click on my post here-

http://wp.me/p25mXk-ML

5

Hi! I don't have three weeks but maybe 1.5 weeks.
I am from HK, female, mid thirties. Not too good in navigation but fine with exercise. Easy going. Might like to tag along if you don't mind.

6

Thanks for all the tips. Sounds like an organised hike is really not necessary, I'm pretty good with navigating anyway.

I was also thinking about a group trek as regards meeting people, but I guess it's probably easy to meet people in the hostels or along the treks anyway?

An hostel recommendations for El Chalten?

7

You'll meet people on the hikes and in the hostels. Even on the bus out there. So in regards to that you'll be fine. Stay at a fairly sociable hostel though if you do want to meet people.

I stayed at here it was by far the best shower I've had in all of South America. Its comfy, but it was not exactly that sociable.

8

I found El Condor de Los Andes very good in El Chaltán