Rain, sweat and tears hiking to Laguna de los Tres in El Chaltén (Travel Diaries Day 31)

I don't even know where to start to describe how excited I was to finally be in El Chaltén! A small mountain village full of hikers from all over the world, this town is the gateway to some of the most epic and spectacular hikes in Patagonia.

We boarded our bus from El Calafate, and about two hours later, we had our first glimpses of Mt Fitz Roy, which left us absolutely speechless.

Towering over a dramatic line of peaks, Mt Fitz Roy (also known as El Chaltén) completely dominated the landscape with its 3,600 meters of pure drama. It’s seriously so intense. There were mountains everywhere, but Fitz Roy totally stole the show - none of the others even came close. Some people say that this view inspired the Patagonia clothing logo!

The view of Mt Fitz Roy getting to El Chalten

Rainy weather hinders our hiking plans

We had four days planned here, with two big hikes on the list: Cerro Torre and Laguna de los Tres. But our excitement quickly met a bit of a reality check when we saw the weather forecast... it looked pretty grim for the next few days. I was a little (=very) bummed out. I had been so excited for this part of the trip, and now we had to compromise because of the weather… in a place that’s not exactly easy to come back to. (Spoiler: this ended up being a familiar feeling later on during our time in Peru 😅)

So we shuffled plans around and tried to make the most of it. On the first day, we still decided to hike to Cerro Torre even though the forecast wasn’t promising. We hoped the weather would clear and that we’d catch at least a glimpse of the peak, but no luck, just gray clouds and rain the whole time. Cerro Torre was nowhere to be seen… and we never actually saw it at all during our time there. It was always wrapped up in a thick wall of clouds.

I think Cerro Torre is somewhere in there??

But the next day, the forecast looked slightly better!

We were glued to WindGuru, an app that literally everyone in El Chaltén swears by for the most accurate weather forecast. And that morning, it showed clear skies until noon, with clouds rolling in later. That could only mean one thing: today was the day for our first big hike! A 24km round-trip to Laguna de los Tres. This is one of the most famous hikes in the area, known for ending at a glacial lake right beneath Mt Fitz Roy. It’s long and challenging, especially the final stretch, but absolutely iconic for a reason.

Hiking to Laguna de Los Tres

We started early, around 7am, and made our way up. And just like WindGuru said, the weather was perfect. After the first uphill, we cruised through the first 3km and reached the first viewpoint of Mt Fitz Roy. The sky was clear, the light was beautiful, and the views absolutely insane. I was so happy.

We continued for another 6km on mostly flat, gorgeous trail, through forests, open meadows, and spots with jaw-dropping views of Fitz Roy. It was so beautiful. Honestly, probably the best day hike I’ve done during my whole time in South America.

Eventually we hit kilometer 10, and that meant only 1km to the top! But this is also where things got real...! My feet and legs were already tired, but they had no idea what was coming next. A final ascent of 500m with a 40% average incline 😮‍💨 It was brutal: super steep, rocky, and slippery. It felt never-ending 🤣 Every time we thought we were almost there, we’d turn a corner and... surprise! More climbing!

But little by little, we pushed through. And when we finally reached the top, completely ✨exhausted✨, it was so worth it. Mt Fitz Roy stood right in front of us, towering over the pristine green lake. The very top of the peak was hidden behind a cloud, but it was still unbelievably stunning. We took a break, had some food and water, and just soaked it all in before heading back down.

Unbeatable views at the top, making the sweat and tears totally worth it

Tired, but so happy

The descent felt so long and during the last 3km I swear I could barely walk 😂 But we made it, slowly but surely.

Laying down that night felt amazing, and the next day I barely moved lol. It was definitely a tough one, but I’m super proud of us for doing it and making it all the way to the top.

Now we could officially say: we’re ready for the W trek!!!