Trekking to Laguna de los Tres – El Chalten

Trekking to Laguna de los Tres
9 hours, moderated difficulty

The trail head begins at the end of Avenida San Martín, where the urban area of El Chaltén ends and the car park is located. During the first hour of trekking the path ascends steeply up to a natural viewpoint of the valley of the De las Vueltas river. The trail continues up along the Del Salto stream entering the valley towards Mount Fitz Roy. As the ñires become more numerous along the way, approximately an hour and a half later you will reach a well-marked natural rocky viewpoint with a sign that allows you to interpret the whole unforgettable landscape. The path follows always up along the Del Salto stream to the drainage area of Laguna Madre e Hija. Four hours ahead from the starting point you will arrive at Poincenot Base Camp (the most popular camp site in the National Park) and after crossing the Blanco River, you will reach its base camp (for climbers only). From here the path ascends steeply for approximately 400 metres until arriving to Laguna de los Tres, which will require more than an hour of effort. The trail finishes at the ridge of the old frontal moraine of the De los Tres Glacier (enormous formation in the shape of an arch that currently contains the lagoon, formed by the action of the advance and subsequent glacial retreat) with an extraordinary view of the lagoon and De los Tres glacier. This is the closest view to the granite wall of Mount Fitz Roy and the surrounding peaks. If you make the effort to arrive at sunrise, the prize will be double, since you will be able to witness the extraordinary moment when the hills are dyed red with the first rays of the sun. Going down the moraine, and skirting the lagoon to its natural draining point, you will find a path heading towards another breathtaking viewpoint: the desolate Laguna Sucia and its hanging glaciers. Although the access to this viewpoint is possible all year round, from April to October it will vary depending on the accumulation of snow on the trail, especially in its final stretch.