Many specialty shops close in winter or are only open part of the day. At the beginning and end of the high season (October - November, March - April), those that are still open will close over the lunch hour.

Marco Polo (Madsen 12, E-mail: marcopolo_chalten@yahoo.com.ar) sells naturalist and travel guides, as well as hiking and road maps. It has music and English-language sections, too.

Many other businesses also sell maps. Artisan goods are high quality but expensive. They work in leather and wood, as well as sheep, guanaco and llama wool. A stroll along Avenidas Güemes and San Martín will take you past all of them. Some to check out are:

Topa Topa (Av. San Martín 664, Tel.: 49-3163), which has items made of wood and wool, as well as photographs ;

Manos or Mercado Artesanal Nativo Originario y Solidaridad (Av. San Martín 320, Paseo Tierra de Vientos, E-mail: e.vogliotti@gmail.com) ) which carries mostly hand-woven and knitted woolens;

Chaltén Art Cueros (Av. San Martín 249, Tel.: 49-3138) which specializes in fine leathers.

Like many places in Argentine Patagonia, El Chaltén has chocolaterías and parlors serving home-made ice cream. Jams made of sauco (elderberry), calafate, grosella (currant), mosqueta (rosehip) and other local fruits are popular.

El Huemul Sabores de Patagonia (Av. Güemes 123) carries cured meats, sausages, marmalades, wines, pastas and other products of the region .

Cacao Theobroma (Av. San Martín 890, Tel.: 49-3093) serves up chocolates, ice cream, shakes and hot cocoa.

Location
El Chaltén, Argentina

Shopping

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began traipsing throughout...

Created: 15 Jul 2009

Updated: 08 Sep 2009

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