How to get to El Chaltén (and get around without a car)

El Chaltén has no airport and no train. You get there by road from El Calafate, which is where the flights land. It looks far on the map, but the trip is simple: fly to El Calafate, then three hours on the road to town, with the mountains in front of you most of the way.

From El Calafate

It is about 215 km, all paved: Ruta 40 north and then provincial road 23 west, along Lago Viedma. By bus or car it takes about three hours.

• By bus: buses leave the El Calafate terminal every day in season, and some companies also leave from the airport (Taqsa-Marga and Don Atilio, for example). It is what most people do.
• By transfer: there are shared and private transfers that pick you up at your hotel or at the airport.
• By rental car: useful if you want to stop along the way or go on to Lago del Desierto, but in El Chaltén itself you will hardly use it.

Schedules and prices change with the season, and in winter there are fewer departures. Check with the company before you book your flight, especially if you land late in the afternoon.

By plane: from Buenos Aires and other cities

You fly to El Calafate (code FTE). There are direct flights from Buenos Aires all year, and in high season routes from other cities are added. If you want to do it all in one day, look for a flight that lands early: that way you catch the afternoon bus and sleep in El Chaltén.

If you land at night, the easiest thing is to sleep in El Calafate and leave in the morning. Our guide on how many days to spend in El Calafate and El Chaltén may help.

From Chile

From Puerto Natales there are buses to El Calafate that cross the border in a day. From there you go on to El Chaltén like everyone else. It is half a day of travel with the border crossing, so it is worth spending a night in El Calafate. If you are coming from Torres del Paine, see where to stay in Puerto Natales.

From Bariloche and northern Patagonia

On Ruta 40 it is more than a thousand kilometres: a trip in itself, a good one if you have time and a car. If not, the practical thing is to fly to El Calafate.

Once you are there: El Chaltén without a car

Here is the good news: in El Chaltén you do not need a car. You can walk the whole town, and the best-known trails start on the same street where you sleep.

• The trail to Laguna de los Tres (the Fitz Roy one) starts at the end of Avenida San Martín, on the north edge of town.
• The trail to Laguna Torre leaves from the west side of town.
• For Lago del Desierto or Hostería El Pilar, outside town, there are morning transfers in season.

Of the 34 places to stay with direct booking we list in El Chaltén, 19 are 15 minutes or less on foot from the bus terminal, 11 are 15 minutes or less from the Fitz Roy trail and 28 are 15 minutes or less from the Laguna Torre trail. Each listing tells you how many minutes you walk to each one.

The national park entry fee

El Chaltén is inside Los Glaciares National Park, and you have to pay to use the trails. From 1 June 2026 the day pass for the El Chaltén entrance is ARS 50,000 general, ARS 25,000 for Argentine residents, ARS 8,000 for residents of Santa Cruz and ARS 15,000 for Argentine students. Retirees with an Argentine ID and children up to 6 go free, and a second day is 50% off within 72 hours. You buy it online on the national parks portal.

For the most famous hike in town, read Laguna de los Tres: what the Fitz Roy hike is like and what to pack.