Tourism Surge Is Pushing Patagonia Paradise to the Breaking Point
The village of El Chaltén, a gateway to Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park, grapples with infrastructure woes amid rising interest from the outside world.
Patagonia’s Laguna de Los Tres.
El Chaltén is in the middle of a plumbing crisis. On any given day, the Argentinean resort village—set deep within Los Glaciares National Park and known for high-end mountain lodges and stunning Patagonian peaks—taxes its sewer system to the point that dangerous bacteria overflow into the pristine ecosystem that draws visitors.
At the heart of the matter is the Las Vueltas river cutting through the glacial region. Its water, a lifeline for locals and the source of rafting and kayaking adventures for visitors, is being polluted by sewage, according to samples taken in recent months.