Region Information
Santa Cruz province Consists of three ecologically distinct zones: the Atlantic coast, the Patagonian steppe, extending several hundred kilometres inland, and the Andean lake district, famous for its rugged glacial terrain. The Santa Cruz river, born in the Fitz Roy range, and the glacial troughs of Viedma and Argentino Lakes, cut through the steppe to form a deep, broad, and scenic canyon. The arid and windy plateau failed to attract Europeans until the 18th century, when Spain established a series of outposts. Even after the independence of Argentina, settlement lagged until opportunities in wool attracted British pioneers. Although vast Santa Cruz offered almost unlimited grazing over nearly 250,000 sq km, the human population grew very slowly.
El Chaltén: El Chaltén is a small mountain village located in the riverside of the Río de las Vueltas, within the Los Glaciares National Park at the base of Mount Torre and Mount Fitz Roy, both popular for climbing. For this reason, this village is well-visited by trekkers and climbers. The village was built in 1985 to help secure the disputed border with Chile. Today the sole reason for its existence is tourism. It is 220km north of El Calafate. "Chaltén" is a tehuelche word meaning smoking mountain, as they believed the Fitz Roy mountain was a volcano for its peak is most of the time covered by clouds. This small village is isolated and with strong winds blowing across its picturesque streets but its wonderful surroundings make it a unique place with amazing sights. Other visited tracks and sights are Glacier Torre, Laguna Capri, Glacier Piedras Blancas, Chorrillo del Salto and Laguna de los Tres.
Fitz Roy Range: The Fitz Roy range is the Mecca of the area for hikers and climbers. The staging point for everything is the tiny end-of-the-road settlement of El Chaltén. One of many fine hikes in the area goes to lagoon Torre, and continues to the base camp for climbers of the famous spire of Cerro Torre. From lagoon Torre, there are stunning views of the principal southern peaks of the Fitz Roy range. Clouds usually enshroud the summit of 3,128-meter-high Cerro Torre with a "mushroom" of snow and ice that caps the peak. This precarious formation is the final obstacle for serious climbers, who sometimes spend weeks or months waiting for good enough weather to allow their ascent. Another exceptional but more strenuous hike is the one to lagoon de los Tres. Condors glide overhead and nest in an area where, on clear days, the views are truly extraordinary.
Ruta 40 and Northwest Santa Cruz: The Ruta 40 is the legendary and only north-south road on the west side of the country. It connects the far south of Patagonia up to the most northern village at the Bolivian border. In Santa Cruz province, it is mostly paved and only some parts unpaved. It connects El Calafate with El Chaltén and the further northern villages of the province. There is no public transportation and very little traffic. North-western Santa Cruz offers some of the most extraordinary and unspoiled landscapes with turquoise blue lakes and snow caped mountain peaks which stand in a harsh contrast to the dry Patagonian steppe. Especially mentioned are the lakes Posadas, Pueyrredon, and Buenos Aires. It is an excellent area for fishing and hiking and typical accommodation is available at estancias or small hotels. South of the village Perito Moreno are the famous caves de las Manos, a series of galleries with 10,000 year-old paintings of human hands and animals in red, orange, black, white, and green are interesting to see even for those not interested in art on rock. The canyon on which the caves are located is really beautiful, especially in the evening. The border village Los Antiguos at the shore of Buenos Aires Lake is the northern gateway to this beautiful area.