Explora El Chaltén Argentina
Go Deeper with Explora
At the northern edge of Los Glaciares National Park, one of the world’s leading trekking destinations, our award-winning lodge sits within a granite amphitheater shaped by ice, wind, and Andean mountain peaks.
From Explora El Chaltén, views open toward the Cerro Eléctrico and the glacier-clad Marconi Range, with the Río Eléctrico valley stretching below. Its braided rivers run through native forests, and the scale of Patagonia sets a slower, more deliberate rhythm for each day’s explorations.
Committed to the highest standards for social and environmental performance.
Awards and Recognitions
South America’s #9 Resort in the US Edition of the 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards
Andrew Harper Editors’ Choice Hideaway Report 2024
20 25
Argentina’s Leading Lodge in the 2025 World Travel Awards
20 25
Argentina’s Leading Lodge in the 2024 World Travel Awards
The World’s Leading Expedition Company for six consecutive years.
ANDREW HARPER’ S
Into Patagonia’s Stark Contrasts
Explora El Chaltén lies within a territory celebrated worldwide for its trails, viewpoints, and high-mountain landscapes. From this privileged position, each day begins already inside nature: forests, rivers, lagoons, and open valleys reveal themselves step by step, offering the freedom and immersion that define this world-class destination.
Views Beyond Comparison: Ice,
Water and Granite
Crafted as a hidden sanctuary for deep rest between bold explorations, our lodge features just twenty rooms, contemporary low-impact architecture, and wide glazing that frames the landscape as the main character. From your window, you’ll watch light and colour shift over the Río Eléctrico and across the ridges of the valley.
The Los Huemules Conservation Reserve
The lodge sits inside the 14,000-acre Los Huemules Conservation Reserve, a privately protected valley of native forests and crystalclear lagoons with direct access to high-mountain terrain. Trails start at your doorstep, wildlife moves freely across the reserve, and the peaks surrounding El Chaltén rise continuously along the horizon, offering one of the closest, most seamless ways to connect with its living wilderness and the vast Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
Accommodations
More Than 30 Explorations
Round-trip Airport Transfers at scheduled times
Spa Facilities
All Meals and Beverages
Entrance Fees to national parks
Inquire for additional services such as massages and private or alternative explorations.
Blending steel, glass and local timber, our lodge features light-filled common spaces, modern design and wide picture windows. These snug-yet-expansive areas invite you to unwind with views of the granite mountains that define the landscape.
Our rooms and suites welcome you with quiet tones, expansive windows, and a calm that mirrors the landscape, a serene place to pause and take in the surroundings.
After exploring, your day closes with a forest-view spa, open-air hot tubs, indoor saunas and gentle service tailored to restore you.
Award-Winning From the Start
Since opening, Explora El Chaltén has been consistently honored for excellence. The lodge was named Argentina’s Leading Lodge at the World Travel Awards in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. It was also featured in Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List as one of the best new hotel openings worldwide.
Fire-Led Patagonian Cuisine
In our dining room, open-fire cooking takes centre stage, with Patagonian beef and lamb roasted in a traditional mud oven, and seasonal roots and vegetables gathered from nearby farms. Each dish reflects local provenance and gaucho heritage, while a curated selection of wines from Río Negro and Neuquén accompanies meals served with views over the forested valley.
Flexible Daily Itineraries with Your Expert Guide
Each evening, travelers meet with our guides to shape the next day together — a simple conversation that blends our guide’s expertise with each guest’s pace and interests. Plans stay flexible and personal, whether the goal is a demanding ascent, a quiet forest walk, or a ridge with wideopen views.
With small group departures, the silence of the reserve remains intact, deepening every traveler’s connection to El Chaltén’s untamed landscapes.
Discover Unique and Authentic Explorations
Into the Realm of Fitz Roy
Our explorations are tailored to each traveler’s interests and rhythm, opening countless ways to experience El Chaltén’s most iconic viewpoints or reach its quieter, more secluded terrain. Classic Explorations offer a meaningful introduction to the highlights of the surroundings, while our Signature Explorations — crafted and operated exclusively by Explora — extend into high granite country, hidden valleys and offtrail routes deep within the reserve.
With more than 30 guided hikes, overland routes and e-bike journeys included in your stay, each outing is designed for small groups of no more than eight guests, ensuring an intimate and authentic connection with the landscape.
More Than 30 Explorations
Led by Explora’s Expert Guides
Curate Your Daily Explorations
Each Evening
Classic Explorations
Discover El Chaltén’s most emblematic landscapes through our Classic Explorations — journeys that follow well-known trails toward some of Patagonia’s most recognized viewpoints. These routes introduce travelers to the Fitz Roy massif, the glacial valleys that define the region, and the native forests that colour the foothills through the seasons.
Explore the Valle del Granito, where pale rock walls rise sharply from the forest floor and streams run with meltwater from the Piedras Blancas Glacier. Reach Laguna de los Tres, an iconic viewpoint with direct views of Mount Fitz Roy above turquoise waters. Follow the trail to Laguna Torre, tracing the Río Fitz Roy as it moves through braided flats and glacial terraces, ending at a
Valle del Granito Laguna los Tres
quiet lagoon below the dramatic profile of Cerro Torre. For gentler days, wander along the Río de las Vueltas, watching condors rise on thermal winds and the valley open toward distant peaks.
For travelers drawn to expressive scenery, abundant colours and accessible paths, these Classic Explorations offer an essential way to experience the landscapes that make El Chaltén a worldrenowned destination.
See all explorations.
Laguna Torre Ruta de los Vientos
Signature Explorations
Designed and operated exclusively by Explora, our Signature Explorations lead beyond the familiar paths into the most remote corners of the reserve and the surrounding high terrain. These journeys reveal lesser-visited valleys that feel more personal — intimate viewpoints where the sound of nature tells the story of Patagonia’s deeper wilderness.
Las Lolas offers a gentle introduction to the reserve, where native trees and local birdlife create a calm setting that reveals the character of the conservation area. The Valle del Eléctrico exploration takes you deeper along the river’s course, gaining perspective as the scenery widens to show the surrounding peaks and the dramatic upper basin. El Pliegue leads to a higher vantage point where long ridgelines and layered rock formations
Las Lolas Valle del Eléctrico
El Pliegue Lago del Desierto
give a broad, open view of the region, including the silhouettes of significant peaks and the long sweep of the valley below. An ideal place to sit and contemplate the mountain. At Lago del Desierto, the experience shifts to a cooler, more sheltered environment, walking through varied terrain near the lake’s northern forests and glacial features, with clear water and a sense of remoteness marking the day.
Together, these Signature Explorations offer a more secluded way to understand El Chaltén — designed to connect you with landscapes that few travelers will ever experience.
See all explorations.
Additional Information
Getting to El Chaltén
Daily flights from major cities connect to El Calafate Airport, followed by a scenic three-hour drive along Route 40 and the winding Río de las Vueltas Valley. The road reveals open steppe, wind-shaped rock formations, and the first silhouettes of the Fitz Roy massif rising ahead.
Many travelers choose to extend their Patagonian itinerary by combining Explora El Chaltén with stays at Explora Torres del Paine or Explora Parque Nacional Patagonia, creating a seamless lodge-to-lodge experience across some of the region’s most extraordinary landscapes.
Best Time to Travel
Explora El Chaltén opens from October to April, the ideal season for exploring the region. During these months, weather, daylight, and trail conditions align for trekking, e-biking, photography, and discovering the reserve’s viewpoints and iconic peaks.
Contact Information
To book your stay or for additional information, contact us at reserve@explora.com
Our toll-free numbers:
United States
+1 (855) 733-0262
Chile
+56 2 2395 2800
United Kingdom
08000869054
Perú 080071646
Argentina
+54 11 5199 0564
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