Laguna de los Tres is a mountain lake in Argentina, located near the small village of El Chalten in the province of Santa Cruz – Patagonia.
Laguna de los Tres trail is one of the most beautiful mountain trails that can be taken when the paths that start from El Chalten begin and cross into the mountains.
And naturally, crowds of tourists come there from all over the world. Europe, North America, Russia are the main visitors to the park. Dozens of buses with retirees run along scenic roads in the Argentinian pampas.
Access : Coordinates: / There are two main roads to access the El Chaltén area: National Route (RN) No. 3 that borders the Atlantic coast is the busiest (asphalted throughout) and RN No. 40 parallel to the Andes Mountains (mostly gravel).
/ By Air : The nearest airport is El Calafate International Airport, and from there you can continue by bus to El Chalten (215 km / 4 hours). From Buenos Aires depart daily flights to El Calafate (3 hours on direct flights).
/ By bus : Due to its remote location, the only possibility of arriving by bus directly is from the town of El Calafate (215 km.) To the south of the province of Santa Cruz or from the town of Perito Moreno (220 km.) to the north of the province of Santa Cruz. From and to El Calafate, daily buses run from October to May, from and to Perito Moreno, the transportation service is not regular.
Highlights :
- Mount Fitz Roy and Laguna de los Tres at its foot, fed by the glacier of the same name, are some of the most beautiful places in Argentine Patagonia.
- Park Los Glaciares (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) is probably the most popular in Argentina. It hides in itself incredibly beautiful places – the world-famous Perito Moreno glacier, the Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy mountains, Lago Viedma and Argentino.
- The Laguna de los Tres trail is one of the most beautiful to do in El Chaltén because from the viewpoint you can have the best panoramic view of Mount Fitz Roy and its needles.
- Hike : This is the most classic hike and one of the most beautiful in the area, as it leads us to the foot of the mythical Mount Fitz Roy. There are two ways to start this route, from El Pilar (20 km from Chaltén), which is what is suggested, or from Chaltén itself, as a second option:
Option starting from El Pilar: this trailhead is almost 20 kilometers from El Chaltén, which is why a land transfer is needed to start, which can be regular or private. The advantages of doing it from this point are several: it is less effortful, since there is not as much slope as when starting from El Chaltén. The path is not repeated, since it ends going down to Laguna Capri and then El Chaltén. and it allows to know more landscapes, such as the Piedras Blancas Glacier.
From El Pilar, access to the Río Blanco base camp is allowed in a faster and less effortful way, in just 2 hours of travel, as it is the shortest route and with little unevenness. In addition to enjoying the view of the Piedras Blancas Glacier.
The return to the town of El Chaltén is done passing through the Capri Lagoon, and descending the end of this path. Duration approx: 7hs. Total distance: 21km - Option starting from El Chaltén: First, the same is done as going to Capri , From this point will walk along the flattest route of the route, in an area of mallines and streams for 1h. 30 ‘until arriving at Poincenot camp. In another 15 minutes, you will arrive at the Río Blanco camp, exclusively for climbers, from where the path to the Laguna de los Tres viewpoint begins, with an uninterrupted slope of 1h 15 minutes. You return to the town of El Chaltén along this same path. Duration approx: 8hs 30´-9hs. Total distance: 25km
- From Camping Poincenot, especially if you will sleep there after visiting Laguna de Los Tres, you can hike 2.37 kilometers (4.74 round trip) essentially flat to the viewpoint of the Piedras Blancas Glacier. This is the branch marked in green on the map, and which is part of the Laguna de Los Tres route through El Pilar.
Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking,walk through tremendous Patagonian landscapes, Laguna de los Tres considered one of the most popular treks in the area / In this beautiful place you will have a great variety of unforgettable panoramic views.
Go next : Laguna Sucia / Laguna Torre / El Chalten is a small mountain village in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina / the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the Argentino Lake / Excursions to the nearby Lago del Desierto depart from El Chaltén.