Just a visit to this town lets everyone understand why it has come to be called the Hiking Capital of Argentina. There is absolutely no doubt about that. Saying "Chaltén" in Patagonia is a synonym for mountain, walking, hiking, climbing, outdoors and the list could go on.

The town was created in 1985 as a geopolitical strategy that put an end to the border conflicts with Chile over Lago del Desierto. Ever since its modest origins, this small mountain district has developed according to the typical features of its first denizens: love for the mountain being the first one. Thus, the youngest town in Argentina continued to grow and today, with almost a thousand dwellers that reside there year round, it has a spirit of its own which makes it different from all the other Patagonian towns. For instance, there is no cell phone service by choice of most of its inhabitants.

A dreamed-of place for mountaineers and climbers from all over the world, El Chaltén has been declared the Hiking Capital of Argentina. Beyond this title, there are more than enough reasons for its visitors to set out along its hiking trails. There are plenty of attractions, reached through paths of various difficulties. All of them lead to ideal scenes that seem to become magical sites.

From the air, the town may be seen resting on the mountains by Lake Viedma, whereas one of its natural borders is the well-known Río de las Vueltas (River of the Bends), whose winding light-blue course when the waters run clear grants a supernatural facet to its shores.

El Chaltén is surrounded by ravines that announce the presence of the mountain range and is watched by the Viedma Glacier and the ancient massifs known as Mount Torre and Mount Fitz Roy.