Hikers Heaven - also prices hell

We've been in El Chalten for the last 4 days. It is one of the two best locations for hiking in the Southern Andes. The magnificent Fitzroy peak towers over the town.

After a rainy 1st day, we set out on day two for Fitzroy. We set off early to avoid paying the extortionate national park entrance fees ($40 per head over 6 years old. $200 for us). Luckily, the officials who don't get paid overtime don't start till 8 am. We are not the only ones with this approach, as several hundred others do the same. The thoroughly unmotivated rangers don't check at the exit, and when we got back, they'd already gone home anyway.

Getting back to the walk, it was a monster 38km, with a 1000m rise. The last km up is particularly steep and tiring. As we go up, the kids ask others already coming down, "How much longer to the top?". The estimates range from 30 min to 2 hours. In the event we took 1 hour 40 minutes for the last part. The other people all said, "It's worth it!" So despite the tiredness, the aching knees, the hunger and the thirst we perciviered, and indeed the top of the walk is a truly magnificent lake at the base of the peak of Fitzroy.

What a place for our picnic lunch! The kids went to play for a while, but I was not left in peace. Multiple people wanted photos, "vertical please, it's for Instagram."

The way down seemed long, very long. In total, we walked for 12 hours. When we got back, I slumped on the couch, Lola seemed tired too, but the others whilst they didn't look tired, all went to bed quite early, and fell asleep more or less instantly.

The photos are of that walk, plus a small number of Lennox and myself when we did the other 38km walk in Chile the week before.

Not to forget the hell part of El Chalten. The crazy but avoidable entrance fees are just one part. Hotel and hostel prices are higher than in the capital Buenos Aires, and food in the supermarket is extortionate and often poor quality. I read a lot of grumblings like "The walks are brilliant, but I won't be back. It's turning into a place only rich kids can afford. " Too true. To work a little against that, we are living off pasta and sandwiches that we make ourselves. Only two years ago we could eat in a good restaurant for the same $.Read more