UKC

Me and a friend  are planning a trip to patagonia in Apirl and will be spending some time around the El Chalten area. Based on our expereince and the time of year we've decided it would be best to use a guide to do some of the bigger routes.  Has anyone used the guides/got any advice on booking them in this area? We were wondering if we'd have to book in advanced  or if we could turn up and book a guide based on the weather once we've arrived.

It's quite expensive which is why we'd be really grateful of any advice! 

Thanks  

Hi Steph, I just went to Barriloche and got a guide (who often guides to El Chalten too) - i can pass on his details if you like?

You could definitely sort guides out in El Chalten if you are just going for the day (there are crags near the town apparently), it really depends on objectives.  if you want to do multi-day stuff then I would recommend booking in advance, as you can't guarantee they will be available  if you just turn up.

worth noting that (and apologies if this is obvious), but El Chalten does have pretty variable weather, so I wouldn't get too fixated on a particular objective - you might need to be flexible if the weather craps out.

Thanks for your reply! We've decided to not go this year as we're planning it as part of a bigger trip and it will use up too much of the budget. Thanks for the advice about the guides, that will be useful to know for future trips