Hiking Guide: Laguna Torres, El Chaltén

After we returned from our Fitz Roy hike, we went to go and book the Saturday bus from El Chalten to Bariloche, but that had fully booked out! Our next option was the Monday, which was an entire week from then. The weather forecast was starting to turn in El Chalten – we had such amazing luck with the weather whilst we were there, with sun every day. We decided to make the most of the last two days of sun, and squish in one more overnight hike – Laguna Torre.

Like the Fitz Roy hike, this can be done in one day, but we had no need to rush! After we had a slow start to the day – getting our groceries for our hike meals, hiring a sleeping bag once again, getting lunch – we set off around 2pm.

Pretty much from the get-go it was a steep incline – but luckily it didn’t last too long, about 2.5km or so. I was impressed how quiet the track was, but then we got to a point halfway up when I realised we hadn’t even been on the main track! The track we had taken met up with the main track and suddenly I went from blissfully listening to my downloaded podcasts to the constant “Hola! Hola! Gracias! De Nada!”s that come with being us being polite people on a busy trail (most people are very polite in Patagonia I’ve found, so when my Hola! isn’t returned with any reaction, I get annoyed with my unappreciated effort).

The rest of the hike was pretty easy, along mostly flat terrain, with gorgeous valley views and the mountains staying in sight ahead. We got to the campsite in about 2.5 hours, where there were still quite a few camp spots to choose from despite there being a tour group with all their matching tents there already.

After pitching our tent, we carried on a few hundred metres to see the lake. It was pretty overcast, so it wasn’t the jaw-dropping sight I’d hoped for and have grown accustomed to during my time in Patagonia. Due to the time of day (after 5pm), most of the day hikers had left so it was really peaceful and quiet.

That night I cooked the best camp meal we’d had in ages – a simple pasta and veggies dish with LOTS of pasta sauce and LOTS of parmesan. After a few misses on the camp food front, it was so nice to actually enjoy a meal again, and I devoured a massive bowl of it very quickly.

We got up for sunrise at about 8am. I was worried this would be too late, but luckily we didn’t get up any earlier because it was a pretty boring sunrise until about 8:30, just when I was giving up hope, the sky decided to play along and splash some pink clouds across the sky.

We had another slow morning of exploring (Tim), reading (me), cooking breakfast, and packing up. We started the descent about 1:30pm, and even after stopping multiple times for lunch, water refills, and photo stops, we still made it down in 3 hours. This time, we stuck to the “official” track which was a lot more rocky and scrambly than the route we took – I think our one would have been easier!

Overall, it was a beautiful hike, and if you are short on time or are after an easier hike, I think this is a perfect option. It’s rated Hard on All Trails, which I guess it might be if you do it all in one day, but as an overnight I would definitely say it was Moderate level.

LAGUNA TORRES FAST FACTS:

Time it was meant to take: 5 hours
Time it actually took us (inc. breaks): 6 hours (split over two days)
Distance: 17.5km

TOP TIPS:

- Take the trail starting from above Las Loicas/E Brenner streets, for a less crowded option.

- The only fresh water source is about 1km from the campsite, so bring enough water to get you there!

- This shouldn’t even have to be said, but unfortunately my faith in humanity declined when I saw the amounts of toilet paper strewn across the ground and bushes near the campsites. DON’T BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE and take all of your rubbish and toilet paper with you back to town.

- If you are doing it as a loop in conjunction with Laguna de los Tres and if you are only staying one night (long but possible) I would prioritise Laguna de los Tres for camping at as it didn’t feel as crowded at the sunrise viewpoint.