OVERVIEW

The serene town of El Chaltén, nestled in Argentine Patagonia, is one of the planet’s most sought after trekking destinations and the hike to Laguna de los Tres is arguably the most iconic trail of them all. 

The hike is located in Los Glaciares National Park and winds through valleys and forests, across glacial rivers and eroded cliffsides, and ultimately leads to the crystal clear emerald waters of Laguna de los Tres.

It’s a tough hike, incorporating a relentless ascent up a vertical mountainside. But the reward of seeing the majestic spires of Mount Fitz Roy reflecting on the surface of Laguna de los Tres is absolutely extraordinary.

The hike is easily accessible from El Chaltén, a town renowned for its spectacular trekking, relaxing atmosphere, and breathtaking scenery. El Chaltén comes to life in the summer months as adventurous travelers from all over the world thirst for its iconic hiking trails.

Hiking to Laguna de los Tres provides the opportunity to view spectacular mountain vistas, pristine glaciers and diverse wildlife in this remote corner of the Earth. This hike proved to be one of our favorite treks in not only Patagonia, but the world.

LAGUNA DE LOS TRES HIKING STATISTICS

The hike can be customized in a few different ways. It can be done as an out and back hike form El Chaltén, but we hiked it as a point to point trail. Both options will be discussed in more detail below, but these hiking statistics are based on our route.

Distance: 13.1 mile (21.1 km) point to point.

Elevation Gain: 3,274 feet (998 meters)

Duration: 7-8 hours.

Difficulty: Moderate – strenuous.

Where: The trailhead we used began at Rio Electrico, about 14 km north of El Chaltén. It can be reached by shuttle bus, taxi, or your own car. The trail ultimately returns to El Chaltén.

When: The southern hemisphere’s summer and shoulder months, from late October to early April.

GETTING THERE AND WHERE TO STAY

Virtually everyone hiking to Laguna de los Tres, commonly referred to as the Fitz Roy Hike, will be based in El Chaltén, a quaint village at the base of the Argentine Andes in Patagonia. El Chaltén can be reached from nearby El Calafate by a 3 hour drive. 

El Calafate has an international airport, receiving regional flights from several cities within Argentina. Transportation to El Chaltén can be arranged at the airport, through bus routes or rental cars. The drive between the two towns is incredibly scenic.

El Chaltén has several lodging options, including a variety of hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and campsites. Food can be found at a number of small markets, quaint cafes, and delicious restaurants lining the city’s main street. There’s also a surprising amount of shopping, supply stores.

In addition to Laguna de los Tres, El Chaltén boasts a number of other exceptional hikes. We spent 3 days in the region and also hiked to the alluring waters of Laguna Torre and to the brilliant turquoise lagoon fed by Huemul Glacier.

Don’t wait to book lodging until the last minute, as the ordinarily quiet town transforms into a popular and lively backpacking community in the summer. Lodging in December and January might be especially hard to come by.

GETTING TO THE TRAIL

Out and back

There are a few different ways of hiking to Laguna de los Tres. The simplest way is as an out and back trail, beginning from El Chaltén. You can take the trailhead at El Chaltén, hike the gradual 5 mile ascent to Camp Poincenot, the 1,500 foot (460 meter) ruthless ascent to Laguna de los Tres, and return the same way.

Using this route, the trail would be a total of about 14 miles and not require any transportation arrangements. The disadvantage is that you wouldn’t see the northern half of the trail, which admittingly isn’t as stunning as the southern half, but is impressive nonetheless. 

It would also make for a somewhat more redundant experience. You’de be hiking the same trail twice rather than being continuously exposed to new and changing landscapes.

Point to point

Laguna de los Tres can also be treated as a point to point trail which can be hiked in either direction. El Chaltén would remain the closer trailhead while the more northern trailhead could be found at Rio Electrico, 14 km away. 

Please note, the northern trailhead used to be located at the secluded Hostería El Pilar. It has since moved about 1 km further north to Rio Electrico. A large parking lot can be found here, which is frequented by buses, shuttles, and taxis from El Chaltén.

The recommendation from a guide we met at our hotel was to begin the hike at Rio Electrico. Using this option, you hike in the southern direction along flat terrain to Camp Poincenot, ascend to Laguna de los Tres, and then descend back to El Chaltén along a different trail. 

This route would complicate matters a little as you’d have to find a ride to the trailhead at Rio Electrico. Fortunately our hotel arranged for a shuttle to pick us up with several other likeminded hikers. The shuttle made a few stops in town before making the 30 minute drive to Rio Electrico.

We preferred this option as compared to beginning in El Chaltén and finishing at Rio Electrico. We wouldn’t have to arrange for a ride at the completion of our hike and risk getting stranded if we mistimed our arrival to Rio Electrico. 

CROWDS AND TOUR GROUPS

Laguna de los Tres is one of the marquee hikes of Argentine Patagonia. For that reason the trail can be quite crowded. 

It’s best to start the hike early. We left our hotel around 8 AM and several people had already descended upon the trailhead at Rio Electrico. However, the crowds quickly thinned out as we progressed toward Laguna de los Tres.

We did see a handful of guided tour groups throughout the day. They usually only consisted of 10-12 hikers, so they didn’t clog up the trail too badly. Although a popular trail, it didn’t seem overrun by tourists…yet.

The trail itself had sufficient sign posting, with yellow and red trail markers throughout the route. It was also in great condition and didn’t present any technical areas or require advanced mountaineering skills.

Assuming you can arrange transportation yourself, there’s really no need for an organized tour. Most hikers of reasonable fitness should be able to complete it without too much difficulty. 

OUR EXPERIENCE HIKING LAGUNA DE LOS TRES

Getting to the trailhead

We were staying at Los Cerros del Chaltén, a wonderful hotel located on the western side of El Chaltén. The staff had arranged for a van to pick us up from the hotel around 8 AM and transport us to the trailhead.

The van arrived a bit late, which gave us the chance to down another cup of coffee. The shuttle was empty and we hopped in. The driver scurried around town, making 4-5 more stops to pick up other adventure seeking hikers.

We drove north on highway 23, along a gravel and bumpy road. He passed the old trailhead at Hostería El Pilar and continued a bit farther to a parking lot next to the large metal bridge at Rio Electrico. 

We exited the van to a sea of about 200 other hikers, all preparing themselves for the trek to Laguna de los Tres. The views around us were already incredible. To the north we saw immense snow-capped mountains beneath feathery clouds and the morning’s sun.

Trailhead to forest

The trail began in a wide open river valley that had formed from a dried up stream. Hikers were scattered throughout the area as it was sometimes hard to find the yellow trail markers, but we were all heading more or less in the same direction.

We crisscrossed a few shallow streams and noticed the spring wildflowers were already starting to bloom. Shirlee found the remains of an animal scattered along the riverbed. From the looks of it they had been there for quite some time, and we’re still not certain what type of animal it was. 

We soon encountered a short suspension bridge crossing over the roaring Rio Blanco. This was a popular place for pictures. A dozen or so people were in line for their own iconic photo of the bridge beneath Patagonia’s beautiful mountains.

Forest to the Río Blanco rest area

The trail soon entered a dense beech forest where the trail rejoined the old trail coming from Hostería El Pilar. The hike now featured some elevation gain, as we ascended and descended along the undulating hills within the forest.

We passed a few viewpoints along the way, providing panoramas of the Piedras Blancas Glacier in the distance. Tour groups were congregating in these areas, so we had to get creative and find our own vantage point.

A subsequent clearing offered our first view of the majestic Mount Fitz Roy, still far off to the east, but now dominating the landscape. The trail exited the forest and cut across a colorful meadow. 

We reentered another dark pine forest where the large Camp Poincenot was found. Many hikers stay the night here in an attempt to see Laguna de los Tres brilliantly lit up by the early morning or late evening sun. 

The trail exited the forest, crossed over Rio Blanco again, and finally brought us to the notorious final ascent to Laguna de los Tres. 

Río Blanco rest area

From the start of the day we had heard other hikers voicing their anxiety about the final ascent to Laguna de los Tres. The rocky trail ascended 1,500 feet over a little less than one mile on uneven terrain using a series of relentless switchbacks.

At the base of the ascent were several wooden benches where you can eat lunch, rest up, and collect your thoughts before the brutal climb. We shed a few clothing layers in anticipation of the heat and exhaustion that we would soon be experiencing.

Ascent to Laguna de los Tres

We resumed the gravel trail which remained shaded for only a few minutes before transforming into large sheets of granite rock, diagonally rising up the mountainside. Hikers were scattered all throughout the face of the mountain, some already needing a moment to recover.

We then reached an impossibly long set of switchbacks that seemed to rise directly up the cliffside. This section of the hike seemed to go on forever as the intense afternoon sun continually beat down on us.

We’d look back behind us every so often as we rose higher into the Patagonia sky. We could see for miles across the valleys, forests, and grasslands below us, all the way to Lagunas Madre e Hija (Mother and Daughter Lagoons) and Laguna Capri.

The trail was crumbling beneath our feet from erosion caused by the hostile Patagonia storms. We also had to hop between and amongst some of the larger boulders while hoping not to injure ourselves. 

Finally the trail began to flatten out as we continued across open scree while the fierce wind whipped us around relentlessly. We hooked to the right and slogged up one more small hill. After a grueling 45 minutes we had finally reached the ridge that peered down into the amazing Laguna de los Tres.

Laguna de los Tres

We had seen the towering peak of Mount Fitz Roy hours early, but unfortunately clouds had now moved into the area. Visibility was still decent, but the mountain peaks were shrouded in clouds.

Nevertheless, the sight from the ridgeline was absolutely amazing. We were hiking in the early spring, so the lagoon had not yet thawed from winter. It was covered in a sheet of snow and ice, which gave a different but equally impressive perspective.

Ordinarily, the emerald waters of the glacier-fed lake are framed by the iconic spires of Mount Fitz Roy towering above. From photos we had seen, the sight is nothing short of amazing and a true testament to the raw beauty of Patagonia.

The wind whipped through the lagoon with ferocious intensity. I periodically hid behind the enormous collection of boulders encircling the lake for protection and warmth while Shirlee braved the elements and descended to the shoreline for more photos.

Off to the left we noticed some hikers gathering along the cliffside so we went over to see what was so interesting. The ridge dropped straight down to an even more impressive lake, Laguna Sucia. The azure water was being fed by several waterfalls cascading down the cliffs.

After an hour of exploring the area around Laguna de los Tres we retreated back down the steep trail. Dense fog was setting in and we sympathized with the steady stream of afternoon hikers ascending up the demanding trail to what would surely be near zero visibility.

Camp Poincenot to Laguna Capri

Upon returning to Camp Poincenot, we now took the trail to the right, continuing our journey south and back to El Chaltén.

The landscape had morphed into eroded escarpments and we once again found ourselves hiking through a dried up riverbed. Tree roots were dangling down from the sandy bluffs to our right, amazingly able to support their own weight without toppling over.

The glacial streams in these lowlands had now converged and created a golden marsh featuring thick shrubs, brilliant wildflowers, and were punctuated by the snow-capped Patagonian peaks. We both thought that this area was the most beautiful of the entire hike.

Wooden planks and a primitive boardwalk were strategically placed throughout the marsh, providing a means of crossing. We were now near the Chorillo del Salto waterfall, where we had been hiking a few days prior. After another mile we came upon another fork in the trail.

Laguna Capri to El Chaltén

The trail to the left led to Mirador Fitz Roy, which was slightly shorter and a bit more of a direct route back to El Chaltén. Clouds had now encased Mount Fitz Roy, so we took the slightly longer option to the right, that brought us along the shoreline of the pristine Laguna Capri.

The paths reconnected and steadily descended back toward El Chaltén. The landscape off to our left was beautiful in the late afternoon sun. The maze of rivers, vibrant meadows, and evening sun created a spectacular blend of bright colors.

Just before reaching the town we came upon Mirador Río De Las Vueltas. We were battered by the winds while trying to photograph the expansive river valley being carved out by the Río De Las Vueltas. Only a few more minutes of hiking brought us back to El Chaltén.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

The hike to Laguna de los Tres marked the culmination of our time in El Chaltén, and what a finish it was! Over the course of 14 arduous miles we tackled variable and sometimes challenging terrain while witnessing the natural spectacles of remote Patagonia.

Most of the hike was flat and not terribly demanding. The exception, of course, was the near vertical 1,500 foot ascent directly up the mountainside to Laguna de los Tres. 

The hike can also be customized to any level of fitness or skill. By beginning the trek at Rio Electrico and hiking toward El Chaltén, much of the trail was flat or only a gentle descent. 

There’s also no shame in eliminating the final ascent to Laguna de los Tres. Although seeing the glacial fed cobalt lagoon and the neighboring Laguna Sucia is an amazing experience, there are many other panoramas along the trail offering views of the rugged peaks of Mount Fitz Roy.

Of course, the real appeal of hiking to Laguna de los Tres lies in the epic views and landscapes encountered along the way. We were treated to unparalleled views of the Patagonian mountain ranges, Piedras Blancas Glacier, and glacially carved river valleys, before even reaching the climax at Laguna de los Tres.

If you’re staying in El Chaltén, make sure to seek out this remarkable hike. With some creativity and careful planning you’ll also be able to construct an itinerary that provides the rare opportunity to see the impeccable Laguna de los Tres.