Mount Fitz Roy, El Chaltén🏔️
Hiking to Laguna de los Tres to see the iconic Patagonia logo of Mount Fitz Roy is one of the best things we have done so far! It is roughly a 24km return hike and you can either do it as a day hike or go for sunrise. We highly recommend going for sunrise, because if you are lucky enough with the weather, you will see Mount Fitz Roy change colour as the sun begins to shine.
There are a few places where you can watch the sunrise, with the most popular place being the summit. We chose not to go to the summit but to Laguna Capri instead. There were a few reasons as to why we chose this, firstly, you would have to leave your hostel at 1am, if not earlier to make sure you get to the summit for sunrise. We thought it would also be very busy, as it’s the most popular spot, so we didn’t necessarily want there to be loads of crowds. Lastly, the final 1km of the hike to the top is extremely hard, steep and rocky and can take up to an hour to do. That combined with pure darkness and busy crowds, made us decide against it.
Laguna Capri
To get to Laguna Capri from our hostel, it was roughly 5.7km and took us under an hour and a half. The hike itself isn’t bad at all, most of it had a steady incline so it wasn’t hard on your legs. We woke up at 3am, left by 3:30am and got to the lake around 4:45am. Sunrise was at 5:30am so we had to wait for 45 minutes before the sun started to rise, so you can leave later if you are a fast paced hiker like us. The weather at the top can be quite temperamental, with it normally being very windy, even on a good day. However, for some reason, the weather for this morning was so still with hardly a breeze. I had not brought a lot of layers so I was really lucky, otherwise I would have frozen having to wait for the sun to rise. As we waited, more people joined, but it wasn’t busy at all!
When you get to Laguna Capri, there is an open view where you can sit and see Fitz Roy over the lake (above). As the weather was so still, you could see a beautiful mirroring view of Mount Fitz Roy over the lake, which was incredible. This is where we sat, did a Timelapse and watched the sunrise. You can see the gorgeous red tones begin to fall down Fitz Roy as the sun begins to rise (below).
However, at Lake Capri, there are so many other private opportunities to sit and watch the sunrise without anyone else! Get some pictures once you arrive at the lake, then continue walking along the path. Walk past the campsite and you will find so many other amazing spots, perfect for taking photos of Fitz Roy. There will be benches to sit on, a small pebble beach or different spots between the trees. We wish we had found this spot for sunrise, but we made the most of it for the pictures (below).
Cascada Escondida
From Laguna Capri, we made our way towards Laguna de los Tres following the All Trails app. On the way we decided to stop off at Cascada Escondida Waterfall. Here you can see the sun has nearly fully risen and cast a shimmery white tone over Fitz Roy. The perfect place to have a snack and rest before continuing your hike.
Laguna De Los Tres and Mount Fitz Roy.
The hike from Cascada Escondida to Laguna de los Tres is mostly flat with incredible views along the way. The amount of times we stopped and said wow was too many to count! Once you get to 1km away, you will see a sign stating that you are 1 hour from the top. The only reason it is another hour, is because of how hard and steep the rest of the way is. There isn’t a proper path, it is just rocks with steps and you follow the person in front of you. We were honestly dying by the time we got to the top, but the views are completely worth it! (below).
Once you get to the top, take in the amazing views, get some sick photos, rest for a few minutes, then continue walking over towards the next hill. Most people stop at the summit but the second hill, to the left, the views are even more incredible. Stop at the bottom and get photos by the lake on the way (below). If the wind is still, you can see a more up close mirror view of Mount Fitz Roy.
At the top of this second hill you will see a second lake, Laguna Sucia to your left (below) with Lago de los Tres to your right. This will make your 360 view of Fitz Roy and the surrounding mountains even better.
Different tones of Mount Fitz Roy
See below the different colours of Mount Fitz Roy throughout the day, from sunrise to late afternoon. We were honestly so lucky with the weather!
