Hi all,

I am looking for help in planning the El Calafate/El Chalten leg of my trip to Argentina. A friend and I are arriving in the evening on October 27th and have three full days before flying back to BA on the afternoon of October 31st.

We'd like to see (and possibly trek on) the Moreno Glacier, and do some trekking in the Fitz Roy area, maybe the Laguna de los Tres route. Would you recommend booking organized tours for these activities, or is it possible to do this on your own? Is it advisable to book tours in advance?

Also, does anyone have recommendations for places to stay in El Calafate or El Chalten? Is it easy to get a bus between the two places?

Thanks,
Lesley

No worries. It is all easy. Get a bus out there, find a hostel, hotel to stay in and go. I would definitely not get any kind of tour for Fitz Roy, just catch the bus to town, and walk a quarter mile through town to the trailhead. Absolutely great views, and relatively easy hiking. I thought the Fitz Roy was way more impressive than the Glacier, but we did not hike on the glacier, you might need a tour for that. I don't think booking ahead for any of this is neccessary, and we certainly didn't need to when we were there in March. As far as places to stay, we just got off the bus and walked until we found one(not far) Hope that helps, Fitzroy is amazing.

If it was the middle of summer with your short time frame, I'd consider booking the bus a few days in advance. In October, though, you'll probably be alright.

If you want a little more adventure for quite a bit less cost, consider doing a glacier trek in El Chalten instead. The glacier is a little more crevassed, they even may set up a little 20 foot ice climbing section for you to try, you get to do a little rope traverse across the river, and there are excellent views of Fitzroy. It's about a 25 km day though.