El Chalten guided tour from El Calafate
Description
Discover the charm of El Chaltén, a picturesque mountain village nestled in the heart of Argentine Patagonia and celebrated as the National Capital of Trekking. This full-day guided tour is ideal for travelers eager to experience the breathtaking natural beauty of El Chaltén—without the need for long or strenuous hikes. Designed with comfort and exploration in mind, this experience takes you to some of the area’s most iconic spots, including the stunning Chorrillo del Salto waterfall and the panoramic Condors Viewpoint. You'll also enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant (vegetarian options available), and have free time to explore the village at your own pace. Whether you're looking to take in dramatic mountain landscapes, enjoy a relaxed outdoor adventure, or simply check off a must-see destination in Patagonia—this tour offers it all. Don’t miss the chance to visit one of Argentina’s most scenic treasures.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your guide will meet you at your hotel in El Calafate around 7:30 a.m. to begin the journey to El Chaltén. Along the way, there will be a stop at Estancia La Leona, where you'll have the chance to enjoy breakfast. We highly recommend trying one of their tasty homemade cakes. As you travel, you’ll be treated to stunning views of the surrounding mountains, including Cerro Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, and the Viedma Glacier.
Once we arrive in El Chaltén, we’ll begin a short hike to the Condors Viewpoint — a trail just over 700 meters long with a gentle incline. From the top, you’ll enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the town and the surrounding landscape. Next, we’ll head to Chorrillo del Salto, an easy walk of less than 500 meters on flat terrain, leading to a beautiful waterfall.
Around 2:00 p.m. you’ll join the group for a meal at a local restaurant in the village (a vegetarian option is available). Afterward, you’ll have some free time to grab a coffee and explore the village at your own pace.
Around 4:00 p.m., you’ll regroup with the rest of the tour to begin the journey back to El Calafate. Although the Full Day Chaltén experience will be wrapping up, you’ll still have time to take in the beautiful Argentine scenery during the return trip. You can expect to arrive at your accommodation in El Calafate around 7:00 p.m.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
From your accomodation in El Calafate at 7:30 a.m.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(8)
Lots of interesting explanations and a super friendly guide. The walk was beautiful and the food tasty but in terms of value for money it was a bit expensive. The weather wasn't good for us either, but of course nothing can be done about it. We were hoping for some more vantage points.
Dear Melissa, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience of the El Chaltén Guided Tour from El Calafate. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the interesting explanations provided by your guide, their friendliness, the beautiful hike, and the food. At the same time, we're sorry to learn that the tour did not fully meet your expectations in terms of value for money and the number of viewpoints along the route. Patagonia's weather can be unpredictable and unfortunately plays a significant role in the overall experience. While this is beyond anyone's control, we completely understand your disappointment when hoping for clearer views and more scenic lookout points. We truly appreciate your honest feedback, as it helps us and our local partners continue improving the experience and setting accurate expectations for future travelers. Thank you again for traveling with Howlanders. We hope you still took home wonderful memories of El Chaltén and Patagonia. Kind regards, Howlanders Team
I enjoyed the trip with Sandra as the tour guide. Able to explore Mount Fitz Roy and The town of El Chalten. Sandra was an excellent tour guide. I enjoyed the 700 meters hiking to see the panoramic view of Mount Fitz Roy and El Chalten. Highly recommended!
Hola! Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re very happy to hear that you enjoyed exploring Mount Fitz Roy and the town of El Chaltén with Sandra as your guide. The panoramic hike is truly a special experience, and we’re glad you had such a great time. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Sandra. Thank you again for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you on another adventure in Patagonia soon! Howlanders Team
A nice trip, bilingual Spanish/English to tell stories and landscape formation of the area. Our driver is very cautious in the severe weather. Short hike to see the surrounded mountains. Delicious lunch in a nice restaurant. Definitely recommend.
Thank you very much for your review. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the trip to El Chaltén, the landscapes, and the stories shared by the guide during the journey. It’s also great to know you had a pleasant hike and lunch despite the challenging weather. Best regards, Howlanders Team
Great comms the night before confirming the pickup time and links to puchase park tickets 45,000 pesos. South Road operated the 4WD Ttruck and very comfortable. Arrived right on time at 7.30am at my hotel. Reload of more passengers outside El Calafate from feeder hotel vans. Carla was the tour guide and Henry the driver. She explained the topography and geology very well with maps. Good toilet and coffee breaks and stops for photos. About 3 hours drive to El Chatan. NOTE: new law passed in the town requiring a 3,000 peso levy and its collected by officers when you arrive in the town; you can pay by cash or card. I did not do the full 8km round hike to the lake but I did the short 2km round trip to a mountain top to view vistas of the town and mountains and saw some condors flying around. This meant lunch in the town and had a nice lentil stew. Then onto a waterfall and then back to El Calafate in 2.20 hours, arriving back around 8.00pm. I really enjoyed the day and would recommend if you have a day to kill.
Marek, Thank you for your detailed feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed El Chalten guided tour from El Calafate! Your kind words mean a lot, and we hope to see you again for more unforgettable adventures in Patagonia! Safe travels, The Howlanders Team
We took a nice tour bus with our Guide Alex from El Calafate to El Chalten. Along the way he told us about the history of Patagonia. We stopped at a ranch/hotel/museum to break up the ride and have a rest stop. We then drove to a spot a short walk from a waterfall where we took pictures. We then had a nice lunch in El Chalten. Afterwards we went to the park entrance and walked approximately 45 minutes, mostly uphill to a point to view the peak of El Chalten, unfortunately the clouds were lower than peak. We did however see a condor on the peak near us.
Hola, Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re glad you enjoyed the journey from El Calafate to El Chaltén with Alex, and that the stops along the way and lunch made the day special. It’s wonderful that you spotted a condor near the peak—even if the clouds hid El Chaltén itself, those moments in Patagonia are unforgettable! We hope to welcome you back for more adventures in this incredible region. Best regards, Howlanders Team
Great day. A couple of short walks suitable for all ages and magnificent scenery. Great guide and multi language. Nice meal in the restaurant as well. Loved it.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had such a great day on the guided tour to El Chaltén from El Calafate. It’s fantastic to know that the short walks were suitable for all ages and that you were able to enjoy the magnificent scenery — this part of Patagonia truly is breathtaking ✨ We’re also very happy that you appreciated the guide, the multilingual experience, and the meal at the restaurant. Thank you for choosing Howlanders and for sharing your experience with us. We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon! Howlanders Team
Great hike. Had to take my time on first one but Mckayla (Michaela) Waited for me and helped me up the steeper rocky area. Both guides helpful and informative. Second hike flat to a pretty nice waterfall with lots of water. Driver was also good and stopped to get pictures on way back to El Calafate
Thank you very much for sharing your experience! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the hikes and that Mckayla (Michaela) and the rest of the team were so supportive, especially on the steeper sections. It’s wonderful that the second hike and the driver’s stops for photos added to your day. Your feedback means a lot to our guides, and we’re happy you had a great tour from El Calafate! Kind regards, The Howlanders.com Team
We had a wonderful tour to El Chaltén. Our guide Martin was fantastic and was very knowledgeable. We enjoyed the short trekking experiences and took some amazing photographs. Would highly recommend this tour if you're short on time in Patagonia.
Leona, The Howlanders.com team would like to thank you for your kind review. Have a safe trip!
