El Chaltén
title: "El Chaltén" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cities-in-santa-cruz-province,-argentina"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Chaltén" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | El Chaltén |
| image_skyline | El Chaltén.jpg |
| imagesize | 265px |
| image_caption | El Chaltén |
| image_flag | |
| image_shield | Escudo_de_El_Chaltén.svg |
| pushpin_map | Argentina |
| pushpin_relief | 1 |
| coordinates | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Argentina |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | Bandera de la Provincia de Santa Cruz.svg Santa Cruz |
| subdivision_type2 | Department |
| subdivision_name2 | Lago Argentino |
| elevation_m | 397 |
| population_total | 1861 |
| population_as_of | 2022 Census |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| timezone1 | ART |
| utc_offset1 | −3 |
| :: |
|name = El Chaltén |image_skyline = El Chaltén.jpg |imagesize = 265px |image_caption = El Chaltén |image_flag = |image_shield = Escudo_de_El_Chaltén.svg |image_blank_emblem = |nickname = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |pushpin_map = Argentina |pushpin_relief = 1 |coordinates = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Argentina |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = Bandera de la Provincia de Santa Cruz.svg Santa Cruz |subdivision_type2 = Department |subdivision_name2 = Lago Argentino |established_title = |established_date = |government_type = |governing_body = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_km2 = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |elevation_m = 397 |population_total = 1861 |population_as_of = 2022 Census |population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = auto |population_urban = |population_metro = | population_rank = |population_demonym = |timezone1 = ART |utc_offset1 = −3 |timezone1_DST = |utc_offset1_DST = |postal_code_type = |area_code = |website = |blank_name = |blank_info =
El Chaltén is a small mountain village in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is located on the riverside of Rio de las Vueltas, within the Los Glaciares National Park (section Reserva Nacional Zona Viedma) near the base of Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy spires, both popular for climbing. It is 220 km north of El Calafate. It is also a popular base for hiking numerous trails, such as those to the base of surrounding peaks and glacial lakes, such as Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres (near the base of Fitz Roy).
For those reasons, El Chaltén was named Argentina's Trekking Capital or Capital Nacional del Trekking. In 1985, Argentina and Chile had a border dispute over El Chaltén. There was no war, and El Chaltén was awarded to Argentina. Homes, government buildings, and flags of Argentina went up to mark the city settlement.
The town is located at the edge of the 12363 km2 Southern Patagonian Ice Field and about 350 inhabitants live there throughout all the seasons of the year. Snow and ice mostly fence the town, and the homes are low structured with roads mostly made of rocks and dirt.
Etymology
"Chaltén" is a Tehuelche word meaning "smoking mountain".
In 1877, Argentine explorer Francisco Moreno named mount Chaltén as mount Fitz Roy, in honour of Robert FitzRoy, captain during the Second voyage of HMS Beagle in the 1830s. It has its own flag and coat of arms.
Tourism
The village has commercial camping grounds, mostly for backpackers.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/El_Chaltén_(5469499485).jpg" caption="El Chaltén"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Las_Vueltas_River.jpg" caption="Hiking trails leading north from El Chaltén."] ::
Climate
El Chaltén has an unpredictable subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc) with subantarctic continental (Dfc) influences, with precipitation distributed on a large number of days despite not being nearly as heavy as in Chilean Patagonia; bad weather is exceedingly common. Summers experience long daylight hours, very windy weather, and cool temperatures, mostly below 18 C during the day and below 5 C during the night. Frost can and does occur in the summer too. Winters bring snow in moderate quantities, and average temperatures around 3 C during the day and -4 C during the night; however, the coldest nights are much colder than this. Spring and fall are variable, but generally cold as well.
|location = El Chaltén (1941–1950) |single line = Y |metric first = Y |Jan record high C = 30.3 |Feb record high C = 28.4 |Mar record high C = 25.6 |Apr record high C = 23.8 |May record high C = 20.4 |Jun record high C = 19.9 |Jul record high C = 17.5 |Aug record high C = 17.6 |Sep record high C = 19.5 |Oct record high C = 22.5 |Nov record high C = 25.2 |Dec record high C = 26.5 |year record high C = 30.3 |Jan high C = 18.0 |Feb high C = 17.0 |Mar high C = 14.7 |Apr high C = 11.7 |May high C = 6.6 |Jun high C = 4.4 |Jul high C = 4.3 |Aug high C = 5.0 |Sep high C = 7.9 |Oct high C = 11.8 |Nov high C = 13.9 |Dec high C = 16.2 |year high C = 11.0 |Jan mean C = 12.2 |Feb mean C = 11.4 |Mar mean C = 9.1 |Apr mean C = 6.4 |May mean C = 2.0 |Jun mean C = 0.0 |Jul mean C = -0.1 |Aug mean C = 0.3 |Sep mean C = 2.5 |Oct mean C = 6.3 |Nov mean C = 8.4 |Dec mean C = 11.0 |year mean C = 5.8 |Jan low C = 7.8 |Feb low C = 7.3 |Mar low C = 4.6 |Apr low C = 2.1 |May low C = -1.9 |Jun low C = -3.9 |Jul low C = -4.0 |Aug low C = -4.2 |Sep low C = -0.8 |Oct low C = 2.6 |Nov low C = 4.4 |Dec low C = 7.1 |year low C = 1.8 |Jan record low C = -1.5 |Feb record low C = -2.5 |Mar record low C = -3.3 |Apr record low C = -13.0 |May record low C = -14.5 |Jun record low C = -20.2 |Jul record low C = -16.3 |Aug record low C = -14.8 |Sep record low C = -11.3 |Oct record low C = -3.3 |Nov record low C = -4.4 |Dec record low C = -2.0 |year record low C = -20.2 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 58 |Feb precipitation mm = 62 |Mar precipitation mm = 67 |Apr precipitation mm = 92 |May precipitation mm = 92 |Jun precipitation mm = 90 |Jul precipitation mm = 73 |Aug precipitation mm = 67 |Sep precipitation mm = 49 |Oct precipitation mm = 63 |Nov precipitation mm = 45 |Dec precipitation mm = 50 |year precipitation mm = 808 |source 1 = Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial{{cite web | url = http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/pdf/ar-cerro.pdf | title = Cerro Fitz Roy (Argentina) | publisher = Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas | access-date = January 31, 2016 | archive-date = 3 January 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170103191310/http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/pdf/ar-cerro.pdf | url-status = live |date= November 2013}}
Gallery
|image = File:El Chaltén, panoramic view.jpg |height = 230 |alt = Panoramic view of El Chaltén |caption = Panoramic view of El Chaltén. Peaks on the skyline include Cerro Adela, Cerro Torre, and Fitz Roy.
References
References
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la Republica Argentine, Census of 16 May 2022.
- "Laguna Torre {{!}} Full Day Trek {{!}} Excursions and Services in El Chaltén offered by Walk Patagonia".
- "Laguna Torre - Self-guided treks in El Chaltén - elchalten.com, since 1999 showing El Chaltén to the world".
- (24 January 2018). "Laguna de los Tres Hike".
- "Best of Argentina".
- "Best of Argentina".
- "El Chaltén Travel Guide: Most Important Information".
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