Amazing experience organized by Manuel and executed by our guide, Martin. We had a flexible itinerary which allowed them to look at weather and pick the best window for attempting Mojon Rojo. We did not summit, but the conditions almost forced us to turn around several times, we made it to a nearby pass and the view was incredible. They also switched our ice climbing itinerary to a crevasse rescue instruction class as requested by us and even managed to find us some ski rentals to travel more efficiently. Highly recommend booking any type of activity with Chaltén Mountain Guides!
Nós tivemos um ótimo atendimento. O atendimento prévio foi muito claro e solicito com as dúvidas que tivemos. O guia - Facundo - que nos acompanhou, além da sua qualidade e conhecimento sobre a atividade, foi muito paciente, prestativo, respeitoso e gentil. Uma pessoa muito agradável para passar o dia. Tivemos uma ótima experiência! El Chaltén será inesquecível! Obrigado!!
By Thiago R for Trekking Laguna de los Tres full Day on Mar 31, 2024
The Huemul Circuit itself is 5 out of 5 stars - that's without a doubt. It's breathtakingly beautiful. No regrets about doing the trip at all but regrets about which agency we chose to do it through. This is a challenging hike and unless you have extensive mountaineering experience then do yourself a favour and fork out the dollars for a guide to help navigate nasty weather, the zip lines and the rope walks.
Chalten Mountain Guides was not a good company to go with. Shop around. Whilst responsive to organise things in hindsight the information we were provided ahead of time was lax. The owner rented us gear which turned out to be of poor quality (buckles missing of back packs). Tent was included in price but did not zip up properly (not great when it's windy and snowing outside!). Additionally it was meant to be just myself, my partner and the guide of which we paid a pretty penny for. On day 1 whilst about 2 hours into the walk suddenly another guide from the same company and another traveller caught up to us - another separate trip of the same nature was cancelled because another traveller didn't show up so we suddenly (without consultation) got lumped with someone else joining our group. Once the trek finished I asked the owner about this assuming some money would be refunded as instead of 2 of us with guide it was 3 which usually means price per person goes down but he gave me a rubbish story about why this wouldn't be the case. By that time I had no energy left to point out how terrible the quality of the gear was and how we were not even asked about third person joining despite booking only for 2 people and having a private adventure - it was clear Fernando was just out to take as much money as he could.
On top of all of this in hindsight the conditions we had were questionable. Our guide (although very experienced - 92nd time doing this so knows the circuit well) decided to proceed on day 2 (hardest day) when despite 20+ people being at camp, only 2 other groups set off that morning besides us and they both turned around yet we kept going. As we were doing the first zip line crossing it was clear he was on edge and started snapping at all of us. We then started the ascend under deep snow conditions (hip height for my 6'2 boyfriend!) and poor visibility. The other traveller which us was scared stupid (also learned later that she had a heart condition so no idea how or why the company allowed her to do such a demanding trek and under such conditions - it could have been a disaster). We did get through but the guide was visibly stressed and I think questioned the decision he made at times.
Further to all of this, our guide Matias was rude and arrogant for the first two days. He yelled at my partner not to touch the zip on the tent - which we later understood was because we had been given a faulty tent. The next night putting tent up he yelled at him again and it was only because my partner told him to quit talking to him like that that he started treating us nicely.
On Day 3 during a tricky backward rope climb Mathias guided the additional traveller but once she was down he went to walk off and I had to demand him to stay to help guide me down - he had completely forgotten who his clients really were meant to be. I've never experienced such appalling behaviour from a guide in my 20 years of doing things like this.
Again, the circuit itself was incredible but do not go with Chalten Mountain Guides - they lack ethics, don't care about your experience and do not put safety first.
Every part of this trip was first rate - from the initial enquiry at the office of Chalten Mountain Guides, to the trek briefing, and the trek itself. Special shout out to our guide Matias, who was exceptional - very knowledgable, chilled, and a pretty decent cook! I could have done the trek by myself, but it was so much more enjoyable and hassle-free to have teamed up with these guys. Highly recommended!
This was an amazing experience. Fernando was able to find me a guide with under 24 hours of notice for the next morning in order to accommodate my short time in El Chaltén. My guide, Paúla was super friendly and very knowledgeable. She coached me through learning to rock climb outdoors for the first time and assessed my skill level to find me climbs at a difficulty that actually challenged me. It was an awesome experience and I highly recommend CMG.