Los Huemules Nature Reserve
Discover the north face of Fitz Roy
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY
physical exertion
Total duration
Los Huemules Nature Reserve
Discover the north face of Fitz Roy
Program detail
INTRODUCTION
Get off-the-beaten-track in the Los Huemules Nature Reserve for an alternative experience of all the typical features of the landscapes in Patagonia.
Located 20km from El Chaltén and just outside the official boundary of the Los Glaciares National Park, Los Huemules sees far fewer visitors than the well-trodden, classic trails that climb directly from town. This allows you to enjoy a day of hiking without the crowds along well-marked trails of different difficulties. An added bonus is the possibility to visit a small museum with information about the recent history, and the flora and fauna of this part of Argentina.
ATTRACTIONS
• Discover a completely different part of the region around El Chaltén, including mountains and glaciers that are not visible from the town
• Enjoy a network of trails set amongst a virgin forest
• Climb to the Loma del Diablo for unbeatable views of the north face of Cerro Fitz Roy
ITINERARY
We‘ll leave the hotel with a short transfer to the starting point of our trek - a village in the Los Huemules nature reserve. After we register our hike at the Visitor’s Centre, we will start our climb towards the Loma del Diablo (1790m). Depending on the weather and the physical condition of the group, we may ascend through the full 1200m of altitude to reach the summit, or we may opt to climb only to the beautiful viewpoint located just above the tree-line at 1050m.
At first, the trail climbs through a forest of Lenga and Ñire and offers glimpses of the different glaciers and peaks in the area. Once we pass 850m, the terrain becomes quite steep and the vegetation reduces in height, revealing mountains in every direction.
If you would like to explore the reserve but would prefer a less strenuous hike, we will instead take the route to the Lagunas Azul and Verde (Blue and Green lakes) which connect via a valley to Laguna Diablo. In this way, we can avoid the steep ascent. This is also the route that we will take if the weather is particularly bad and ascending to the viewpoint and peak is too dangerous.
In the afternoon we will return to El Chaltén by private transportation.