Fitz Roy

Information

Fitz Roy, one of the many beautiful peaks in the southern Patagonian Andes, is an impressive mountain with an altitude of 3.128m. It is the most widely visible peak of the surrounding Cordillera and its unique shape can be seen from more than a 100 kilometers away. Fitz Roy’s vertical walls have been attracting adventurers and climbers ever since its discovery. In the early days getting close to the mountain was and adventure itself. Nowadays El Chaltén, a small and friendly town from where you can trek to the foot of Fitz Roy within a few hours, serves as a comfortable hub for tourists and climbers.

The first written description of Fitz Roy was made in the year 1782, by spanish explorer Antonio de Viedma, who spotted the mountain from the shores of a lake nearby later called Lago Viedma. Antonio de Viedma was not the first human to lay his eyes on the peak though. Southern Patagonia and the vast plains east of Fitz Roy had been inhabitat by the native nomad tribes of the Aonikenk (or Tehuelche) for centuries. The native name for Fitz Roy – a sacred mountain in the spiritual world of the Aonikenk – was “Chaltén” which translates to “smoking mountain”, and obviously was a reference to the clouds often hovering above the peak. In 1877 Francisco “Perito” Moreno, the famous explorer and geographer, named the mountain after Robert FitzRoy the captain of the HMS Beagle the ship that Charles Darwin used for his famous exploratio of the world.

Fitz Roy is located in Parque Nacional los Glaciares in Patagonia where it stands among other famous patagonian peaks like Cerro Torre. The peak is the most prominent of the so called Fitz Roy Group, a chain of summits connected via a ridge line. Other notable peaks of the Fitz Roy Group are (from South to North) Aguja Saint-Exupéry, Aguja Poincenot, Aguja Mermoz and Aguja Guillaumet. Fitz Roy’s impressive east face can be seen from almost anywhere in the national park and many tourists make it up all the way to Laguna de los Tres, a small lake almost directly below Fitz Roy’s walls. Seeing Fitz Roy’s West face is a privilege reserved to the more experienced and adventurous, venturing it deeper into the park.

Fitz Roy
Fitz Roy

Fitz Roy

Quick Info Panel

Here you can find all you need to know about Fitz Roy. See below to learn the most important facts, check it out on a map and view an image gallery. Scroll down even further for travel advice and more photography.

Facts

  • Height: 3.405m / 11.171ft
  • Mountain Range: Andes
  • First Ascent: 1952

Location

  • Country: Argentina
  • Nearest Town: El Chaltén
  • Nearest Airport: El Calafate (FTE)

Fitz Roy

On the Map

  • GPS: 49° 16' 12.2772'' S / 73° 2' 33.5508'' W
  • Lat/Long: -49.270077, -73.042653

Fitz Roy

Image Gallery

View Gallery

Fitz Roy

On the Blog

Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy reflected in an infinity pool during an intense sunset.

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Fitz Roy at sunrise in winter

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Fitz Roy reflected in Laguna de los Tres at sunrise.

In Patagonia

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A tent in front of Cerro Fitz Roy at dawn

Merry Christmas 2015

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Fitz Roy reflection at sunset at Laguna de los Tres

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Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy at night

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Sunset on the mountains surrounding El Chaltén

Los Glaciares: Trekking around El Chaltén

It was on the bus from El Calafate to El Chaltén, when I first saw the panorama of the cordillera and the shapes of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy with my own eyes.…

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Sunset clouds above Fitz Roy and Laguna de los Tres

Fitz Roy on Fire

Chaltén as Fitz Roy was called by the indigenous people is a peak of 3.406m and is well known amongst climbers all around the world. Not only is it a great…

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Fitz Roy alpenglow from Mirador de los Condores

Glowing Fitz Roy

Patagonia and especially Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is a photographer's dream. I had no idea how beautiful it would be when I was planning our trip. I knew…

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