Robert HardingIts iconic mountain vistas are hard to beat – a row of vertical granite towers rising up against a dramatic landscape of forests, gigantic glaciers and milky coloured lakes. The tiny town of El Chalten, in the heart of Argentina’s Glaciers National Park in the Patagonian Andes, makes a great base to explore the Fitz Roy Massif and its surrounds, whether you are a hiking novice or a pro mountaineer. Trails range from easy day hikes to five-day treks affording incredible views.
While many tourists head to Argentina’s legendary Perito Moreno Glacier – known for being one of the world’s last advancing glaciers – Lake Viedma, half an hour from El Chalten, offers a less touristy experience in which visitors can hike over an other-worldly peninsular that was formed under the incredible weight of the ice fields. From here they can view Glacier Viedma from close-by as its walls of ice break off dramatically, forming icebergs of an intense blue colour.
