El Chalten exists because of the hiking in the Fitz Roy Range. Much in the same way Damascus, Virginia exists because of the nearby hiking/biking, or the town of Breckenridge exists because of the nearby skiing. But even those towns would have (and have had) other reasons to thrive. El Chalten is a hub for hiking, plain and simple, and sits at a perfect place to easily access the mountains. The trailheads are just a few hundred yards from most of the accommodations, so there is no need to get an elaborate shuttle for most hikes – just walk out your door and start hiking! (One exception – the trail to Laguna de los Tres can be accessed via town, but it is more interesting to start with a shuttle to El Pilar and make it a point-to-point.) So while we enjoyed three full days of hiking here, it was also fun to stake out a seat at one of several local pubs and restaurants in the late afternoon and enjoy a snack and a beverage as hikers came out of the mountains with hiking poles in hand. Breckenridge and Aspen have their “apres-ski”, but El Chalten has its “apres-hike”.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.