Pat’Alaska, Part 3: Perito Moreno and Fitz Roy
We started our bikepacking journey in Ushuaia and have traveled the island of Tierra del Fuego via the “Fin Del Mundo” route. Now, we are in the heart of Patagonia and continue our way up North…
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Two beautiful lakes and 230 kilometers lie between El Calafate and El Chaltén.
Riding Argentina’s Ruta 40
El Calafate and El Chaltén are famous town stops for those who want to see the wonders of Patagonia in real-life. The Southern Patagonian Icefield, third largest in the world after Greenland and Antarctica, draws people from all over for many different reasons. We, too, followed the footsteps of climbers and wanderers, excited to see these iconic places with our own eyes. So we pointed our wheels up north towards Los Glaciares Parque Nacional perched along the “Ruta Cuarenta”, Argentina’s most scenic highway.
Not posed, pinky promise! We just observed a chunk of ice falling into the water.
Arriving in El Calafate
With summer slowly coming to an end, we arrive mid-February in El Calafate, tourist hotspot and gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. We settle into a downtown hostel for three nights, where we spend our time doing laundry, catching up with loved ones and sorting through our footage - it takes a while sorting out our electronics!
In the middle of all that, we stumble upon our next adventure: the magnificent Perito Moreno glacier. As the third-largest glacier in Argentina and the crown jewel of the Patagonian Icefield, it beckoned us straight away. But visiting the glacier would also mean a 160-kilometer detour with headwind and a very steep entry price of 45.000 pesos. That could be a deal-breaker…
Finding Our Way To the Glacier
Stubborn (or just headstrong?) as we are, we set out anyway, knowing that flexibility gets you a long way. And lo-and-behold: we reached the park boundaries in just 1 day (long live windless days)! Since wildcamping isn't allowed within the park, we found a hidden spot in the bushes just outside the boundary. The following morning, we arrived bright and early at the park office to get our entry tickets. In almost any national park in Argentina, the entrance fee for foreigners had increased by an insane amount, and this was no exception, with the fee reaching 45,000 pesos (or about $40) per person. Yikes! In comparison, a National Park Pass in the USA costs $80 and lets you enter all the parks for free….
Fortunately, students are allowed access for 7,000 ARP and as Ryan and I consider ourselves students of life, we managed to save a good bit of pesos that day. ;-)
On our way to the glacier, we captured a rainbow seemingly coming out of the ice.
The real journey began after entering the park - another 29 kilometers lay between us and the glacier! Fighting sudden headwinds for two hours, we pedaled on as people waved at us from the comfort of their cars and buses. Finally reaching the parking lot at noon, we grabbed our lunch, locked the bikes and headed toward the magnificent wall of ice.
With the sun gone, the glacier looks almost terrifying.
The Sound of Silence
Despite the crowds, visiting the park felt quite serene. They designed the park in a particular way, with several terraces and staircases offering various lookouts over the glacier. All in all, you can choose several routes and walk from one viewpoint to another. We spent nearly five hours there, mostly in quiet contemplation… I don’t want to exaggerate, but looking upon the glacier is a surreal experience. All around us, other visitors fell silent as well, in awe of Perito Moreno’s grandeur.
Glacier Grief is a Thing
The glacier’s presence is almost overwhelming, much like the Grand Canyon. It’s so large (70 meters!) and vast that it’s hard to comprehend what you’re exactly looking at. Plus, the glacier’s colours vary according to the daylight, ranging from blindingly white and blue, especially in direct sunlight. Don’t forget to bring your sunglasses!
Though the glacier continued growing until 2020, its surface has been diminishing in recent years. Calving of large ice chunks happens more and more frequently, marking Perito Moreno’s slow but definite retreat…
Riding from El Calafate to El Chaltén
The stretch on Ruta 40 between El Calafate and El Chaltén is about 230 kilometers. Riding out of El Calafate eastbound felt amazing—we had a strong tailwind pushing us forward… Until the road turned north, and that same wind hit us sideways.
Stepping off our bikes to push them forwards, we met Frederik, a Norwegian adventurer hiking across Patagonia! He was following a self-designed route, carrying up to 10 days worth of food. He mostly zigzagged over mountains and the steppe and had been on the road for awhile. We were in awe of his endurance and waved him off as he hiked towards El Calafate and another food resupply.
Left: Adventurer Frederik. / Middle: A Caracara flying overhead. / Right: Ryan fighting headwinds.
But for us that day, the party was over: we slowly ground our way north, barely making any progress. After about fifteen kilometers, we said "forget it—let's camp!"
At the northern shores of Lago Argentina, we found a campsite shared only by wild horses, a busy armadillo and fat mice. The presence of mice meant this was a popular camping spot, so we carefully hung our food from the branches of the bush. When Ryan got up in the middle of the night for a bathroom visit, he looked up at the starry night sky and took some incredible shots.
The beautifully blue Lago Argentina.
With very little light pollution, the nightskies in Patagonia are something else…
Stuck in the Middle with You
The next morning, we made good progress—until we didn't. 🙂 Around noon, the winds picked up and we found ourselves back on the "sufferbus." All aboard! When we reached Hotel La Leona in the middle of the abandoned steppe, deciding to camp there was easy—riding our bikes was simply impossible in this weather. We paid 13,000 pesos p.p. to camp in their backyard with minimal facilities. The hotel clearly catered to wealthier tourists, charging $5 for just a machine-made coffee. We found shelter under the tall willow trees that blocked most of the wind gusts. By morning, we were eager to leave—there was nothing here for us but losing money and time.
Hitchhike Number Two
We packed our bikes early and waited in the parking lot, chatting with people and asking about their travel directions. Around noon, a man greeted us while lighting his cigarette, and we explained him our situation. As luck would have it, he was the driver of an empty tourist bus! He agreed to take us to El Chaltén, and we gratefully loaded our bikes onto the bus, ready to escape the windy steppe. We couldn’t believe our luck and rode in silent relief for an hour. Upon arrival, we gave him a generous tip to show our appreciation. Perhaps this might encourage him to help other stranded cyclists later on.
Kindness is contagious— pass it on!
Chasing dreams in El Chaltén: In Honor of Marc-André Leclerc
Visiting El Chaltén had been on my mind ever since watching the excellent documentary "The Alpinist". It tells the story of Marc-André Leclerc, a celebrated and eccentric Canadian climber known for his free solo climbs and mixed climbing achievements around the world. One of his remarkable feats was free soloing Torre Egger in El Chaltén during winter. But what really left a lasting impression on me, was his humble approach, no-nonsense mentality, and undeniable love for the landscapes he moved in. Though he died far too young, the documentary beautifully celebrates his life and deeply moved me. Setting foot in the town where he spent weeks waiting for the perfect moment to achieve something incredible— that felt truly special to me.
Beautiful vista of El Chaltén.
A mecca for climbers and backpackers, El Chaltén feels small and cozy. Being so remote, prices were soaring, so we did our best to keep costs down. We stayed at a campground for a few nights at 25,000 ARP (roughly 23 euros) per night. Though we cooked all our own meals, groceries were still expensive. We kept it basic, eating tons of pasta, rice, eggs, sauce, and the occasional tuna can. We connected with Javier from NS Bike Service, who runs an adventure business and bike shop in El Chaltén together with his wife Sol. He crafted a new rim for Ryan's bike at a super fair price and shared valuable tips for other routes in the North of Argentina. Muchas gracias!
The Smoking Mountain
The sunrise over Fitz Roy is pretty magnificent…
Of course, you can’t visit El Chaltén without noticing the majesty herself: the fair Monte Fitz Roy— or Chaltén, as named by the Tehuelches people. It means “smoking mountain” because its peaks are more often than not wreathed in whispy clouds.
Determined to catch the pink sunrise on the mountain slopes, we set our alarms for 5 AM. Hiking in the dark, we reached the base of Mount Fitz Roy a few hours later and were rewarded with a wonderfully quiet scene. It wasn’t long before the trails filled with busloads of hikers, making us grateful for the early start. The Laguna de Los Tres hike is incredibly popular, and it’s easy to see why.
So, what’s next?
Next up is something we have been really looking forward to: Riding the famous Carretera Austral, more than 1,000 kilometers of glorious riding through Chile’s most scenic parks and places… Bring it on!
Thanks for reading and following along! You can support our journey by becoming a Patreon member and get access to live updates and early video-releases — maybe even receive a postcard from our next destination :) Cheers!
