After a 4 hr flight from Buenos Aires which included a stop in Ushuaia, Shea and I arrived at El Calafate airport and were greeted by our guide Daniel and the rest of our group. We immediately boarded a van and were whisked away on a 4hr ride to the trekking town of El Chalten, 188km to the north. The landscape along the way was semi-arid like much of the Patagonia region.

About half way we stopped at a rest stop. The signpost shows Lago Viedma, which we would have to drive around to get to El chalten.

Mt Fitz Roy loomed in the distance as we approached El Chalten

The majestic Fitz Roy massif, one of the stunning parts of the Andes. At 3405m its the tallest peak in the area. The Tehuelche Indian name for FitzRoy is El Chalten but the mountain was named Fitz Roy after the captain of the Beagle who navigated Darwin's voyage in the area.