Hiking Laguna de los Tres

The incredible Laguna de los Tres hike was one of the highlights of the entire trip! This is one of the best known and most iconic hikes of Patagonia. It was also one of the most strenuous and difficult treks I have ever done.

At 7 am, Bridget and I collected a pre-ordered packed lunch from a small bakery called ‘Simple’. This was 20 USD each however with a bread roll the size of half a loaf and filled with tasty roasted vegetables and cheese, an empanada, a piece of brownie, a packet of fruit and nuts and a banana it was substantial enough to last the whole day.

At 7.30 am we met our Fitz Roy guide Pato (short for Patricio which is Spanish for Patrick) at the hotel. After a few warm up stretches we walked through El Chalten for a km or so until we reached the top of the Avenida San Martin and the official start of the trek.

We began with a steep climb and panoramic views of El Chalten nestled in the valley behind us soon opened up.

Higher up we came to another designated view point which looked across the Rio de Las Vueltas valley.

Little spring flowers along the way!

After around 3 km you have a choice! You can opt for the right of the loop which takes you to an official Fitz Roy viewpoint or the left of the loop which takes you via the Lago Capri. We took the right of the loop leaving the lake view for the return journey.

There was quite a few mosquitos on the way up (and a huge amount on the way down) so taking mosquito repellent is advised!

After the initial climb the trail flattened out and passed through woodland and meadows. In one of the woodland areas we were fortunate to see a woodpecker!

The trail flattened out for the middle section which made for pleasant hiking in the sunshine in temperatures of I guess around 19 degrees.

We would shortly arrive at a dedicated campsite but before doing so we came across some barren looking windswept trees.

Next was the campsite which was close to a stream. This stream water is drinkable and on the way back was a good place to refill my water bottle. Some of my group drank the water straight from the stream but mine went through its filter!

After a small energy boosting snack (i.e. the brownie), it was time for the tough bit! The path ascended steeply and went on and on and on for well over an hour… at least for us… some people get as far as this and are unable to make it any higher. And apparently, El Chalten was covered in snow only 2 weeks before and this section of the path was closed meaning those doing this hike had to stop there and wouldn’t get to the end!

As we climbed higher the panoramic views opened up and we could see for miles across the landscape.

We had re-grouped close to the top of this section before the final push…

We finally arrived to see the spectacular Fitz Roy mountain view complete with its glacier mirror lake, the Laguna de los Tres! Unfortunately the top of Fitz Roy, the highest peak was obscured in cloud so after taking some initial photos our group sat around eating our packed lunches.

As we were eating lunch, a rather tame and rather well fed arctic fox sauntered past! I suspect it is forbidden to feed wildlife within the Los Glaciares national park as this interferes with the ecology of the area.

Hurrah! As we munched our way through lunch everyone was delighted when the cloud started to lift and the full magnificent view was unveiled and enhanced in dazzling sunlight.

After lunch I walked down to the edge of the icy Laguna de los Tres for stunning views!

If you walk up the hill to the left of Laguna de Los Tres you come to a ridge where you can see a deep blue lake called ‘Laguna Sucia’.

We began our long trek back following the same path with the varied landscape. It was tough going back down the initial steep section and it took a while. We continued on our way back, across the stream, through the campsite, along the flat bit until we reached the ‘loop’. This time we chose the right path again which took us via Lago Capri.

On the shore of Lago Capri a crested caracara came into land! This is a type of falcon and is also known as a Mexican eagle. It strutted around the shingle beach area and was un-phased by our small group.

We saw another woodpecker on the way back and eventually we had the final steep section until the end was in sight 🙂

As mentioned in the previous post, with aching limbs and a huge sense of relief, 9 of us from our group of 13 stumbled our way into ‘La Birre del Rancho’ for celebration drinks and a carb-packed snack.

Summary

This was one of the hardest treks I’ve done and will certainly be one of the most memorable! We were incredibly lucky to have had perfect weather and the views of the Fitz Roy mountain range and the Laguna de Los Tres were magnificent.

From El Chalten we spend the next 3 nights in El Calafate!