Need to know
Rooms
20, including three suites.
Check–Out
10am. Earliest check-in, 1pm.
More details
Rates include all meals, soft drinks and some wines, entrance fees to national parks, guided explorations, and transfers in private planes and comfortable vans. A minimum three-night stay is required.
Also
The hotel has a small shop onsite, where you can purchase extra gear if needed, plus a range of local handicrafts and books about the region.
Hotel closed
The season runs from 1 October to 30 April
At the hotel
Spa with saunas and Jacuzzis, lounge, free WiFi, laundry service (charged). In rooms: Bathrobes and slippers, heating and air-conditioning.
Our favourite rooms
Rooms have a simple Scandi feel to them, lined in blonde wood, with modern furnishings and a few homey touches: rugs, throws, robes and slippers. If you think that sounds a touch sparse, don’t worry, embellishment comes courtesy of the views; through large picture windows a panorama of riotous colour and jaw-slackening set dressing will capture and hold your attention. There are no dud aspects here, but the views are slightly better on the upper level.
Spa
Believe it or not, it’s possible to come to this wildly remote part of the world and disconnect further still. The hotel’s spa, set amid the ñirre forest, is a place of quiet contemplation, with its lounging space facing the Eléctrico River, two massage rooms, five alfresco Jacuzzis, and two saunas.
Packing tips
In a place where you could experience four seasons in the space of a day, you’ll need a wardrobe that you can shed and bulk up as you go. Pack various layers and waterproofs, fleeces, long socks (to avoid nips), gloves and gaiters, hats, sunglasses and a small backpack.
Also
Be patient with the WiFi – the hotel has it, but it can be a bit sluggish.
Children
Provided your children are bigger than a bird of prey can carry, they’re welcome here, and an extra bed can be added to each room. The easier hikes and day trips by van will be the least taxing for little ones.
Sustainability efforts
Explora El Chaltén lives in the Los Huemules Conservation Reserve and the group is, in fact, a significant stakeholder in the wild expanse, so – when it comes to eco-friendliness – it keeps its house in order (so to speak). The lodge itself was constructed offsite, using natural materials, before being rebuilt in modular units on stilts amid the forests, ensuring a light touch on the landscape, with any disturbed trees replanted elsewhere. And, it's entirely carbon neutral, with green bonds in place to keep it that way (the B Corp company is even retroactively wiping clean its carbon footprint too), water is treated in a plant onsite to cut down on usage, Earth-kind products are used throughout (including the deliciously scented herbal bath products), guides are schooled in protecting the local flora and fauna, and the kitchen works exclusively with small local suppliers when they can’t harvest what they need nearby. Plus, they’ve joined the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action and Tourism in its efforts, and partnered with the Association of Friends of the Los Glaciares National Park.