WORLD THROUGH FRAMES
View over the Río de las Vueltas valley on the trail to Chorrillo del Salto near El Chaltén.
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Story Day

El Chaltén Hiking: Chorrillo del Salto and Mirador de las Águilas

Day 15 / 2/26/2026

El Chaltén is one of the world’s great hiking destinations, where trails begin almost directly from the edge of town and lead deep into the Patagonian wilderness. Short walks such as Mirador de las Águilas and Chorrillo del Salto offer spectacular scenery without the demands of a full-day trek, with sweeping lake views, forests, waterfalls, and the immense landscapes that make this corner of Argentina so unforgettable.

When we originally planned this trip, we had allowed a few contingency days so that we had a better chance of good weather for the main walk up to Laguna de los Tres. With that hike completed, we now had time for two shorter walks close to El Chaltén: Mirador de los Cóndores and Mirador de las Águilas, along with the better-known trail to Chorrillo del Salto.

Photo Diary

After the previous day’s efforts, we were in no great hurry. After a leisurely breakfast, we set off towards the start of the trail to Chorrillo del Salto, taking things at a much gentler pace than the day before.

Bridge crossing the Río de las Vueltas.

After wandering down to see the bridge, we headed towards the main trailhead. We had heard a strange rattling noise during the night, and it turned out to be the loose planks on the bridge. Rather than climbing higher, we followed the slope around towards the waterfall. Chorrillo del Salto is also accessible by road without needing a pass, but as we still had a day available, we took the more scenic official trail, which gave us lovely views over the Río de las Vueltas.

Views over the Río de las Vueltas valley.

The falls were busy, but still very pretty. As Chorrillo del Salto is only a few minutes’ walk from the car park, it attracts plenty of day-trippers from El Calafate as well as people staying in El Chaltén. It was not the quietest spot we visited, but the setting beneath the cliffs made it well worth the short walk.

Chorrillo del Salto waterfall near El Chaltén.

After we had seen enough, we headed back into El Chaltén for lunch and a rest. The plan was to head out again in the early evening to the two viewpoints near our end of town, hoping to catch the golden hour and, if the weather held, sunset over the surrounding mountains.

Welcome to El Chaltén, Argentina’s trekking capital.

Seeing the Fitz Roy massif today showed just how fickle the weather can be in El Chaltén. After the clear views we had the day before, the peaks were now drifting in and out of cloud, changing almost by the minute. It made us very glad we had allowed a contingency day and had grabbed the opportunity for the Laguna de los Tres hike while the weather was in our favour.

Fitz Roy disappearing into cloud above El Chaltén.

Lovely light was breaking across the mountains on the far side of the valley, with patches of sun moving over the ridges as the clouds shifted above El Chaltén. It was one of those moments where the view kept changing, even though we had barely moved.

Ever-changing light over the Fitz Roy massif.

View from Mirador de las Águilas.

We returned to our lodge in the warm light of the setting sun, but by then the previous day’s long hike had properly caught up with us. As tempting as it was to wait for the actual sunset, we were too tired to stay out any longer.