El Chalten, Argentina

The Granite Appeal of Patagonia


Contemplation
Travelers admire the granite grandeur of Mount Fitz Roy.
Argentine ice
Stretch of the Viedma glacier at the foot of the Fitz Roy granite hill.
River Viedma
The Viedma heads south, fed by the melting of the homonymous glacier, near the Fitz Roy peaks.
Directions for the Path
Hikers examine the trail map around Cerro Fitzroy.
Southern Flora
Coniferous forest gives way to a meadow parched by the cold in the heart of Los Glaciares National Park.
El Chalten sign
A sign indicates the distance to the border town of El Chalten.
toothed ridge
The sharp granite top of the Fitz Roy Peaks massif.
Argentine Ice II
A small iceberg in the colors of the Argentine flag floats on the surface of Lake Viedma, at the foot of the Fitz Roy mountain range
Mother and Hija
Ecological plaque displays one of the most famous trails in the vicinity of Mount Fitz Roy.
irrigated meadow
Riacho runs from the foothills of the mountains to the wider rivers formed by the melting of snow and glaciers in the mountain range
sharp ridges
Sharp peaks of the Fitz Roy range with mist hanging over ice and granite on the southern slopes of the mountains.
after the short summer
Autumn colored foliage embellishes the coniferous forest between El Chaltén and the Fitz Roy mountain range
stone peak
The sharp summit of Monte Fitz Roy, the main elevation of Los Glaciares National Park, together with the neighboring Cerro Torre.
on foot or on horseback
A small sign indicates separate paths for walkers and horse riders in the beech forest around the Fitz Roy mountain range
Lugubrious Rail
Trail that leads from the base of the Fitz Roy hill to the base of the Cerro Torre.
Peeking the Autumn
Vegetation takes on autumnal tones in view of the ever-snowy Fitz Roy.
Two stone mountains have created a border dispute between Argentina and Chile. But these countries are not the only suitors. The Fitz Roy and Torre hills have long attracted die-hard climbers

Days passed. The somewhat epic nature of our last foray into Patagonia seemed to be confirmed.

The emotions generated by the grandiose scenarios compensated for the frigidity of the southern weather. Faithful to this guarantee, we moved to the northern reaches of the Los Glaciares National Park, in search of the solitary and unlikely coziness of El Chaltén.

The most recent village in Argentina was built in a hurry, in 1986. Buenos Aires saw the urgency to reclaim a vast undefined surrounding area before its Chilean neighbor could.

The objective was guaranteed, but the controversy associated with the partition of the territory would only be appeased 12 years later, when the two countries crossed the imaginary dividing line over the highest peak of the homonymous mountain – the indigenous people called it “smoky” in their dialect tehuelche.

Since then, the passionate interest of travelers and climbers in the region justified some investments, but the pseudo-population has changed little.

The Night Arrival to El Chalten and the Miraculous Weather in the Morning

We arrived from a long journey, almost all at night on a winding road, from crib wet and slippery to match. We found the final stop deserted, untidy, windy and dusty, like any border post lost in nothingness.

No one visits El Chaltén for its sophistication or for the beauty of its avenues and monuments. The big attraction is, and always has been, the Fitz Roy Mountains.

It makes up an imposing section of the Andes not so much because of the altitudes, just over half of Mount Aconcagua (6962 m), the roof of South America, but because the tectonic movements and erosion there have carved out some of the truly eccentric peaks on the face of the Earth .

el chalten rail plate, monte fitz roy, argentina

A sign indicates the distance to the border town of El Chalten.

“Look, they either spend a lot of time there or they'll need luck to see them,” the ominous natives of El Calafate warned us. "These mountains are only discovered 20 or 30 days a year!"

It's eleven at night. We feel like we're on our toes. An unavoidable photographic anxiety forces us to peek again through the inn's cramped window and freeze our faces once more.

We let ourselves be carried away by belief. In spite of the furious wind, we interpret the huge moon and the clear sky as signs of a worthy dawn.

When the day wakes up, some of the visitors curse the clouds and the rain having just disappeared upon their departure. We, rub our hands, celebrate the ephemeral satisfaction. We close our backpacks and head out into the yellow-green forest of slogans and southern beeches.

autumn leaves, monte fitz roy, argentina

Autumn colored foliage embellishes the coniferous forest between El Chaltén and the Fitz Roy mountain range

Trek the Trails and the Breathtaking View of Mount Fitz Roy

We have 10 hours of natural light to walk but we reach the small promontory of Loma del Pliegue Tumbado in no time.

From there, the unexpected sight of the granite spiers of Mount Fitz Roy against the blue sky takes us by surprise. It gives rise to a perplexed and lingering contemplation.

travelers contemplate, monte fitz roy, argentina

Travelers admire the granite grandeur of Mount Fitz Roy.

We continue to the base of the colossus and reach the vicinity of the Piedras Blancas Glacier.

Viedma glacier ice, mount fitz roy, argentina

Stretch of the Viedma glacier at the foot of the Fitz Roy granite hill.

We then cut to the south and cross a drenched meadow that leads us to the banks of the Lagunas Madre and Hija. Soon, we return to a dark forest and descend towards the D'Agostini camp and Laguna Torre.

At the end of this last steep stretch, we glimpse for the first time the other majestic peak of the mountain range.

Cerro Torre: Monte-Agulha Challenging and of All Controversies

Considered among climbers and climbers the most difficult in the world, Cerro Torre is the apogee of a descending sequence of four mountains: Torre Eger, Punta Herron and Cerro Stanhardt.

sharp peaks, monte fitz roy, argentina

Sharp peaks of the Fitz Roy range with mist hanging over ice and granite on the southern slopes of the mountains.

It reaches 3133 m of altitude. Nothing special, feel like finishing. But its summit juts out into a gigantic needle of rock dotted with ice. It forms a challenge that the best climbers and climbers cannot resist and that has already put an end to several lives.

The “Stone Cry” by Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog, the German director obsessed with filming obsession and madness all over the world also let himself be caught by the magic of this mountain, by its stories and myths.

A plot of greed and mystery, in particular, inspired “Stone Cry”, his 1991 film. In this masterpiece of adventure cinema, Donald Sutherland plays the role of a Machiavellian TV producer. Your character lives only concerned with the audiences.

sharp rock peak, monte fitz roy, argentina

The sharp summit of Monte Fitz Roy, the main elevation of Los Glaciares National Park, together with the neighboring Cerro Torre.

To make them climb, it broadcasts live the Herculean competition to the top of Cerro Torre between an old hermit climber who lives at the foot of it and a young world champion in climbing, trained in gyms and artificial cliffs.

The Legendary Contest for the Most Difficult Summit in Mountaineering

Thirty-two years earlier, Cesare Maestri, Cesarino Fava (Italians) and Austrian guide Toni Egger tried to reach the summit still victorious along the northeast slope.

They withstood terrible winds and snow. To the point where they felt that, more than climbing, they were playing with their lives. Already under deplorable conditions, they reached a steep nook that precedes the Col of Conquest (in the interval between Cerro Torre and Torre Eger).

autumnal vegetation, monte fitz roy, argentina

Vegetation takes on autumnal tones in view of the ever-snowy Fitz Roy.

There were still many hundreds of meters of almost vertical wall to go. At that time, Fava went back and left the challenge to his younger colleagues.

Some time later, he found Maestri at the base, almost completely buried by snow and dying. His rival helped him.

After returning to camp, the two reported that Maestri and Egger had reached the summit but that the second had been swept away by an avalanche during the descent and had died.

The duo quickly found themselves embroiled in suspicions of fraud raised by Carlo Mauri (who had failed to climb the previous year) and many other climbers.

They were pointed out to inconsistencies in the descriptions of the ascent and, mainly, the inexistence of pegs, spikes and ropes above the point where Fava gave up climbing.

Maestri and Egger's supposed feat was ultimately disregarded by the mountaineering community. Cerro Torre would only be taken over unequivocally 15 years later, in 1974.

conifera forest, monte fitz roy, argentina

Coniferous forest gives way to a meadow parched by the cold in the heart of Los Glaciares National Park.

The Dazzle by Cerro Torre that didn't even fade away

Since then, far from diminishing, the respect and fascination for the most difficult mountain to climb has strengthened.

Climbers everywhere continue to risk their lives for the reward of seeing the world from its meager, icy summit and surviving to tell it.

Less radical souls travel thousands of miles for the mere right of contemplating it with their feet firmly on the ground.

And, like us, they resist your call.

Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.
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The Sacred Ceiling of North America

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The New Gauchos of Patagonia

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Salta and Jujuy, Argentina

Through the Highlands of Deep Argentina

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The Last of the Southern Cities

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Darwin and the Beagle Channel: on the Theory of the Evolution Route

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Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

The Resisting Glacier

Warming is supposedly global, but not everywhere. In Patagonia, some rivers of ice resist. From time to time, the advance of the Perito Moreno causes landslides that bring Argentina to a halt.
Iberá Wetlands, Argentina

The Pantanal of the Pampas

On the world map, south of the famous brazilian wetland, a little-known flooded region appears, but almost as vast and rich in biodiversity. the Guarani expression Y bera defines it as “shining waters”. The adjective fits more than its strong luminance.
Mendoza, Argentina

Journey through Mendoza, the Great Argentine Winemaking Province

In the XNUMXth century, Spanish missionaries realized that the area was designed for the production of the “Blood of Christ”. Today, the province of Mendoza is at the center of the largest winemaking region in Latin America.
Ushuaia, Argentina

Last Station: End of the World

Until 1947, the Tren del Fin del Mundo made countless trips for the inmates of the Ushuaia prison to cut firewood. Today, passengers are different, but no other train goes further south.
San Ignacio Mini, Argentina

The Impossible Jesuit Missions of San Ignacio Mini

In the century. In the XNUMXth century, the Jesuits expanded a religious domain in the heart of South America by converting the Guarani Indians into Jesuit missions. But the Iberian Crowns ruined the tropical utopia of the Society of Jesus.
Iguazu/Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina

The Great Water Thunder

After a long tropical journey, the Iguaçu River gives a dip for diving. There, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, form the largest and most impressive waterfalls on the face of the Earth.
Colónia Pellegrini, Argentina

When the Meat is Weak

The unmistakable flavor of Argentine beef is well known. But this wealth is more vulnerable than you think. The threat of foot-and-mouth disease, in particular, keeps authorities and growers afloat.
Mendoza, Argentina

From One Side to the Other of the Andes

Departing from Mendoza city, the N7 route gets lost in vineyards, rises to the foot of Mount Aconcagua and crosses the Andes to Chile. Few cross-border stretches reveal the magnificence of this forced ascent
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

A Farm at the End of the World

In 1886, Thomas Bridges, an English orphan taken by his missionary foster family to the farthest reaches of the southern hemisphere, founded the ancient homestead of Tierra del Fuego. Bridges and the descendants surrendered to the end of the world. today, your Stay harberton it is a stunning Argentine monument to human determination and resilience.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
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Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

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Skipper of one of the bangkas at Raymen Beach Resort during a break from sailing
Beach
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Towards Ave Maria Island, in a Philippines full of Grace

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safari
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Not all rivers reach the sea

Third longest river in southern Africa, the Okavango rises in the Angolan Bié plateau and runs 1600km to the southeast. It gets lost in the Kalahari Desert where it irrigates a dazzling wetland teeming with wildlife.
Prayer flags in Ghyaru, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
holy plain, Bagan, Myanmar
Architecture & Design
Bagan, Myanmar

The Plain of Pagodas, Temples and other Heavenly Redemptions

Burmese religiosity has always been based on a commitment to redemption. In Bagan, wealthy and fearful believers continue to erect pagodas in hopes of winning the benevolence of the gods.
The small lighthouse at Kallur, highlighted in the capricious northern relief of the island of Kalsoy.
Aventura
Kalsoy, Faroe Islands

A Lighthouse at the End of the Faroese World

Kalsoy is one of the most isolated islands in the Faroe archipelago. Also known as “the flute” due to its long shape and the many tunnels that serve it, a mere 75 inhabitants inhabit it. Much less than the outsiders who visit it every year, attracted by the boreal wonder of its Kallur lighthouse.
Burning prayers, Ohitaki Festival, fushimi temple, kyoto, japan
Ceremonies and Festivities
Kyoto, Japan

A Combustible Faith

During the Shinto celebration of Ohitaki, prayers inscribed on tablets by the Japanese faithful are gathered at the Fushimi temple. There, while being consumed by huge bonfires, her belief is renewed.
Kiomizudera, Kyoto, a Millennial Japan almost lost
Cities
Kyoto, Japan

An Almost Lost Millennial Japan

Kyoto was on the US atomic bomb target list and it was more than a whim of fate that preserved it. Saved by an American Secretary of War in love with its historical and cultural richness and oriental sumptuousness, the city was replaced at the last minute by Nagasaki in the atrocious sacrifice of the second nuclear cataclysm.
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Lunch time
Fogón de Lola Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Flavour of El Fogón de Lola

As the name suggests, the Fogón de Lola de Guapiles serves dishes prepared on the stove and in the oven, according to Costa Rican family tradition. In particular, Tia Lola's.
Tequila, Jalisco City, Mexico, Jima
Culture
Tequila, JaliscoMexico

Tequila: The Distillation of Western Mexico that Animates the World

Disillusioned with the lack of wine and brandy, the Conquistadors of Mexico improved the millenary indigenous aptitude for producing alcohol. In the XNUMXth century, the Spaniards were satisfied with their pinga and began to export it. From Tequila, town, today, the center of a demarcated region. And the name for which it became famous.
Sport
Competitions

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Martian Scenery of the White Desert, Egypt
Traveling
White Desert, Egypt

The Egyptian Shortcut to Mars

At a time when conquering the solar system's neighbor has become an obsession, an eastern section of the Sahara Desert is home to a vast related landscape. Instead of the estimated 150 to 300 days to reach Mars, we took off from Cairo and, in just over three hours, we took our first steps into the Oasis of Bahariya. All around, almost everything makes us feel about the longed-for Red Planet.
Ooty, Tamil Nadu, Bollywood Scenery, Heartthrob's Eye
Ethnic
Ooty, India

In Bollywood's Nearly Ideal Setting

The conflict with Pakistan and the threat of terrorism made filming in Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh a drama. In Ooty, we see how this former British colonial station took the lead.
portfolio, Got2Globe, Travel photography, images, best photographs, travel photos, world, Earth
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Portfolio Got2globe

The Best in the World – Got2Globe Portfolio

Manaus Theater
History
Manaus, Brazil

The Jumps and Starts of the former World Rubber Capital

From 1879 to 1912, only the Amazon River basin generated the latex that, from one moment to another, the world needed and, out of nowhere, Manaus became one of the most advanced cities on the face of the Earth. But an English explorer took the tree to Southeast Asia and ruined pioneer production. Manaus once again proved its elasticity. It is the largest city in the Amazon and the seventh in Brazil.
Roça Sundy, Príncipe Island, Theory of Relativity, Lookout
Islands
Roca Sundy, Príncipe Island, São Tomé and Principe

The Certainty of Relativity

In 1919, Arthur Eddington, a British astrophysicist, chose the Roça Sundy to prove Albert Einstein's famous theory. More than a century later, the island of Príncipe that welcomed him is still among the most stunning places in the Universe.
Geothermal, Iceland Heat, Ice Land, Geothermal, Blue Lagoon
Winter White
Iceland

The Geothermal Coziness of the Ice Island

Most visitors value Iceland's volcanic scenery for its beauty. Icelanders also draw from them heat and energy crucial to the life they lead to the Arctic gates.
Visitors to Ernest Hemingway's Home, Key West, Florida, United States
Literature
Key West, United States

Hemingway's Caribbean Playground

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Atacama woman, Life on the edge, Atacama Desert, Chile
Nature
Atacama Desert, Chile

Life on the Edges of the Atacama Desert

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Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Flam Railway composition below a waterfall, Norway.
Natural Parks
Nesbyen to Flam, Norway

Flam Railway: Sublime Norway from the First to the Last Station

By road and aboard the Flam Railway, on one of the steepest railway routes in the world, we reach Flam and the entrance to the Sognefjord, the largest, deepest and most revered of the Scandinavian fjords. From the starting point to the last station, this monumental Norway that we have unveiled is confirmed.
Kongobuji Temple
UNESCO World Heritage
Mount Koya, Japan

Halfway to Nirvana

According to some doctrines of Buddhism, it takes several lifetimes to attain enlightenment. The shingon branch claims that you can do it in one. From Mount Koya, it can be even easier.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Characters
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Daytona Beach Portico, most famous beach of the year, Florida
Beaches
Daytona Beach, Florida, United States

The so-called World's Most Famous Beach

If its notoriety comes mainly from NASCAR races, in Daytona Beach, we find a peculiar seaside resort and a vast and compact beach that, in times past, was used for car speed tests.
Braga or Braka or Brakra in Nepal
Religion
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
On Rails
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
A kind of portal
Society
Little Havana, USA

Little Havana of the Nonconformists

Over the decades and until today, thousands of Cubans have crossed the Florida Straits in search of the land of freedom and opportunity. With the US a mere 145 km away, many have gone no further. His Little Havana in Miami is today the most emblematic neighborhood of the Cuban diaspora.
Coin return
Daily life
Dawki, India

Dawki, Dawki, Bangladesh on sight

We descended from the high and mountainous lands of Meghalaya to the flats to the south and below. There, the translucent and green stream of the Dawki forms the border between India and Bangladesh. In a damp heat that we haven't felt for a long time, the river also attracts hundreds of Indians and Bangladeshis in a picturesque escape.
female and cub, grizzly footsteps, katmai national park, alaska
Wildlife
PN Katmai, Alaska

In the Footsteps of the Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell spent summers on end with the bears of Katmai. Traveling through Alaska, we followed some of its trails, but unlike the species' crazy protector, we never went too far.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.