When the throngs of tourists come to El Chaltén in the warm months between October and April, the town buzzes with tour operators eager to take visitors out to trek the glaciers, kayak the rivers, take boat tours of the lake or venture on horseback across untracked lands. Some load up vans to take travelers on a five-day run up to Bariloche, by way of the attractions along Chile’s Carretera Austral. Others prepare hikers for the border crossing trek to Villa O’Higgins, by way of Lago del Desierto. Once Semana Santa comes and goes, most operators shutter their shops until the following spring. Few stay open during the winter, so if you need a guide then, inquire at the tourism office or at APN.