Growing up in Chamonix I always knew about the mountains of Southern Argentina. Local climbers would share pictures and stories of their first ascents on the Cerro Fitzroy or the Cerro Torre. I remember posters exposed in front of the post office or city hall. We couldn't travel all this way without checking them out. A flight from Bariloche to El Calafate and then a two hours drive down the pampa to El Chaltén.

The drive up to the town is far from off the beaten tracks. The instagram algorithm seems to feed me and everyone around me with videos of trips to Patagonia with cinematic shots of cars driving up towards the mountains of El Chaltén. This view is far from overhyped. A 100km stretch of near straight road in direct view of the Fitzroy, 70s music blasting out the tiny rental car speakers. The ultimate roadtrip segment. Hands down.

The plan was pretty clear once we got there: two days of hiking and then we were off. The park comes with a relatively steep entry fee but in my opinion it was worth it. It's busy. Feeling like a zoo at times, with queues at the entrance and on the trail. Not that surprising. Deep shaded mossy forests, crystal clear rivers that you can drink out of and of course National Geographic views at every corner.

Two days of hiking gave us plenty of opportunities to gaze at the stunning back drop but when the trees obstructed the view we still had plenty to listen to and watch. Who would've known that people watching was this good at the foot of the Fitzroy. Understandably a lot Americans. Families kitted out with 10000 USD worth of outerwear for their 5 day Patagonian trekking holiday. Groups of single thirty somethings raving about trampoline jazzercise and how LA was the hotspot when it came to discovering new types of workouts. New York finance bros bragging about how much Nvidia stock they had, whilst finally putting their brnaded insulated Patagonia gilet to good use. Argentinian families from Buenos Aires clearly less strong than others, dragging themselves up the hill, mate in hand. Climbers setting off for multi day climbs up on the Fitzroy east face carrying up their home for the days ahead in their bag.

I liked El Chaltén, but not necessarily for the same reasons that my fellow Americans did. Coffee shops, wine bars, local breweries, gift shops, mountain equipment stores; El Chaltén has it all. After two weeks up in Northern Patagonia I had my fix of craft lager and milanesa napolitana. Once you walk a block or two off the high street, the town has a lost western town vibe. Unpaved streets, abandoned buildings, rusty pick up trucks, empty camper van parks stuck in time. With the stunning mountains in the backdrop it almost felt like a film set.