Cerro Fitz Roy is named after the Captain of the HMS Beagle, who came to Patagonia in 1834 with Charles Darwin. The mountain is a 3,375m towering spire of rock and ice and it is recognised as one of the great challenges by the world's climbing community. It is also known as "Cerro Chalten" or "smoking mountain".

Where is it?

• Fitz Roy sits on the Chile-Argentina border and stands out quite visibly as you fly over the Ice Cap
• It is situated in Los Glaciares (The Glaciers) National Park, near to El Chalten - it dominates the view from this small town on a clear day

How to see it:

The best views can be found either by:

• Hiking to Laguna de los Tres on a day-hike from El Chalten, or trekking the longer Huemul Circuit
• Or, for the more adventurous, trekking out onto the South Patagonian Ice Cap and viewing it from the west

How to get there:

• A popular trekking destination, it is served by the hotels of El Chalten and the airport in El Calafate, just a four-hour bus ride away
• Alternatively, consider a trekking tour combining Los Glaciares, in Argentina, and Torres del Paine, in Chile
• For another way to explore Patagonia, check out our road tours