Fabulous Huemul Glacier

One of the most stunning glaciers in the area has been named after the small huemul deer. The path to reach this site implies a different kind of hiking tour, whose reward lies at the end of the trail.

It seems easy at first, as the land is plain enough for hikers to get along quickly and constantly without using so much energy. But in a matter of minutes, the scenery changes completely and the path suddenly adopts different characteristics: it becomes dark at times and it slopes upwards. Therefore, we were supposed to climb.

The forest, whose hues change from grey to dry green and brown, acquires a kind of physiognomy unlike most luminous trails at El Chaltén and its surroundings.

We went up the Huemul Glacier, which we reached after a hard one-hour hike that is totally worth the effort.

“Unlike anything known, it is the best for many hikers”, was what we had been told at the hotel after we said we were going on this tour. And the waiter was right. The trail crosses a forest that suddenly becomes strange and is reminiscent of the movie “The Lord of the Rings”.

Walk, walk and walk. That is all it takes in addition to some climbing to reach the target. Then the path zigzags among the trees. It is advisable to use poles or sticks to climb better without any risks.

Not only does the beauty of this glacier and its trail reside in its ice and snow, present in the surrounding mountains as well, but also because it is enclosed by a real postcard.

Close to our destination, a slope, which seemed to be the last one, made us feel we were about to get there and only one last effort was required. On the other side, our prize was awaiting: the great lake of emerald glacier waters. The glacier stood still before our fleeting presence.

Panoramic views, photographs and even a video managed to portray our experience. However, standing there was the best way to grasp the vastness and wonder of the Huemul Glacier.

We started our way back and resumed the trail that had led us there. “This is an enchanted forest. Can you feel it?” said an English tourist we met on our way back. Believe it or not. The truth is that the trail to the Huemul Glacier has a magic of its own, which makes it unlike no other site. It is by walking through it that one comes to understand it.