Day Trip to El Chaltén, Patagonia from El Calafate 🏔️ Fitz Roy Trail hike to Laguna Capri

WOW! What a fabulous adventure in Patagonia, Argentina last month. I started in Buenos Aires and spent time in El Calafate, El Chaltén and down at the end of the world in Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego. With only a short 1.5 days in the El Calafate and El Chaltén area, I got up early and drove from El Calafate to El Chaltén for a six hour (roundtrip) road trip. Factoring in stops to take pics, grab lunch, and refuel, I wasn’t sure I’d have time for much of a hike and then drive back to El Calafate before dark. I’d heard the guanacos are everywhere and they tend to run at the cars. I didn’t want that to happen if I was driving back in the dark. Anyhow, the day was cold, windy, and AMAZING!!! Little did I know that I’d be able to see Fitz Roy on the road as I approached El Chaltén. And it had snowed the night before and dumped fresh snow all over the peaks. What an incredible view. If I had one only word to describe the view I beheld, it would be MAJESTIC. When I got to El Chaltén, I grabbed a sandwich to take with me on the hike. I hadn’t decided which trail to take considering the small amount of time I had. I’d previously marked several trails that I wanted to hike, but now I had to decide which would be the only one I’d get to trek. Since I really had no clue which would be the best, I thought I’d try the Fitz Roy trail, even though I didn’t have enough time to make it to Fitz Roy. I figured at least I could say I hiked part of the trail. I decided to just hike long enough so I could leave town by a certain time and off I went. I was just thinking that it was about time I started heading back as I was nearing the 3/10 marker. At that time, I was chatting with a kind lady from Buenos Aires who told me we were almost to the lake. Funny, I didn’t even know there was a lake on the trail, nor that it had an amazing view of the majestic Fitz Roy Peak. We continued on and arrived at the lake where I became truly speechless, taking in the wonders of this amazing world. Thanks for the video Ingrid and for your kindness and companionship on the trail. ¡A la próxima vez!