Santa Cruz (El Chaltén / Patagonia)
In the far south of Argentine Patagonia, where the steppe runs up against the southern Andes, a row of jagged granite spires rises straight out of the ice. The tallest of them is Mount Fitz Roy, known to the local people for centuries as Cerro Chaltén, the smoking mountain, for the cloud that so often streams from its summit. There are few silhouettes in the world so instantly recognizable, and few that reward the effort of reaching them quite so completely. To stand beneath these towers, with the wind in your face and the glaciers spilling down between them, is to feel very small in the best possible way.
The base for it all is the little village of El Chaltén, founded only a few decades ago and now the trekking capital of Argentina. What makes it so special is that the trails begin right at the edge of town: there is no long drive to a distant trailhead and no park fee at the gate, so you simply lace up your boots, walk out past the last houses and follow the path up into the mountains. The village itself is a friendly cluster of guesthouses, breweries and small restaurants, all of it set against a backdrop that stops you in your tracks every time you step outside.
The classic outing is the day hike to Laguna de los Tres, a long but well-marked climb that ends with a steep final pitch up to an alpine lake set directly beneath the peaks. Reach it on a clear morning and Fitz Roy stands mirrored in the water, the whole jagged skyline doubled in the still surface, and there is no better view of the mountain anywhere. The beauty here is wild and the weather is famously fickle, so we build the trip with a clear-peak window in mind and match each day's walk to your pace, leaving room to wait for the moment the clouds lift.
